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Race Car of the Day: May 3, 2010; Hot Wheels '67 Plymouth Belvedere Stock Car
Topic Started: May 2 2010, 08:02 PM (1,606 Views)
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Is Richard Petty's 1967 Plymouth Belvedere by Hotwheels
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Some info on the street car from Wikipedia
1951–1953
First generation
Plymouth Belvedere 1952
Production 1951–1953
Class Full-size car
Body style(s) 2-door hardtop
Engine(s) 218 cu in (3.6 L) I6
Wheelbase 1951–52: 3,010 mm (118.5 in)
1953: 114.0 in (2896 mm)

Introduced on March 31, 1951, the 1951 Plymouth Belvedere arrived as a two-door pillarless hardtop. It was Plymouth's first vehicle of such design and was built in response to Chevrolet's Bel Air. That vehicle, the first two-door hardtop in the low-priced American market, was introduced in 1950 and ended that model year with great success.

The 1951 Belvedere was not a separate model—rather, it was the top-trim Cranbrook. Being built on that car's 118.5 in (3010 mm) wheelbase gave the two-door Belvedere very favorable proportions. Powering the Belvedere was the familiar flathead straight-6 engine. Displacement was 217.8 in³ (3.6 L), the compression ratio was a relatively low 7.00:1, and output was 97 hp (72 kW) (SAE gross). First year prices started at US$2,114.

For 1952, Plymouth kept the Cranbrook Belvedere largely unchanged. The biggest alteration was to the color scheme; to further distinguish the top-level Belvedere from other Plymouths, the two toning now flowed from the roof over the beltline onto the trunk, which has been referred to as the "saddleback" treatment. Two Tone color schemes were Saddle Bronze over Suede, Black over Mint Green, and Gray over Blue. Overdrive was made available as optional equipment in the '52 Plymouth. In overdrive, the engine made three revolutions for each rear wheel revolution against four without overdrive. The engine was a complete carry over from 1951. Prices, however, did increase by about US$100 to $2,216. Production for 1951 and 1952 totalled 51,266 units, which was slightly better than a quarter of Chevrolet Bel Air and Ford Victoria production for that same period. There has never been a separate breakout for Plymouth production figures for the Korean War era years of 1951–52.

The Belvedere remained a part of the Cranbrook series through 1953. For that year, all Plymouth models were completely restyled. Major style changes included a shorter 114 in wheelbase, a one-piece windshield, flush rear fenders, and a lower hood line. In April 1953, Plymouths received the Hy-Drive semi-automatic transmission. Again, Plymouth was behind the competition with Chevrolet having introduced the fully automatic Powerglide transmission in 1950, with Ford following the next year with its fully automatic Ford-O-Matic transmission. The engine was carried over from 1952 with the only enhancement being a slight increase in the compression ratio to 7.10:1, which yielded a gross horsepower rating of 100. The shorter wheelbase partly led to an overall stubby appearance that was panned by consumers and critics. Even with a reduced starting price of US$2,132 demand was rather low. A total of 35,185 1953 Belevederes were sold.
[edit] 1954–1961
Second generation 1957 Plymouth Belvedere
1957 Plymouth Belvedere
Production 1954–1961
Body style(s) 2-door coupe
4-door sedan
2-door station wagon
2-door convertible
Engine(s) 230.2 cu in (3.8 L) I6
273 cu in (4.5 L) V8
318 cu in (5.2 L) V8
340 cu in (5.6 L) V8
360 cu in (5.9 L) V8
Transmission(s) 2-speed automatic
Wheelbase 120.0 in (3048 mm)

The Belvedere replaced the Cranbrook as the top-line offering for 1954. Now a separate model instead of just a two-door hardtop coupe, a buyer could choose a convertible, two-door station wagon, four-door sedan or the aforementioned two-door hardtop, now called the Sport Coupe. Slight styling updates adorned the carry-over body design. For the first time, small chrome tailfins appeared on the rear fenders. In March 1954, Plymouth finally offered a fully automatic transmission, the Chrysler Corporation's well-regarded PowerFlite 2-speed. Also new was a larger standard engine: a 230.2 in³ six-cylinder borrowed from the Dodge Division. Power was now rated at 110 hp. Belvedere production slipped to 32,492 for the year.

All Plymouths were treated to a major overhaul for the 1955 model year. This was the first year of Chrysler Stylist Virgil Exner's "Forward Look." The Belvedere returned as top-of-the-line.

For 1956, Plymouth styling evolved from that of the '55s. Most notable would be the introduction of the first push-button automatic transmission to appear in an American automobile, and a more dramatic rear-end treatment highlighted by a pair of rakish tail-fins. In early 1956, the Fury joined the Belvedere line as a special edition high performance model.

1957 would be a banner year for the Chrysler Corporation, and Plymouth was no exception. Plymouth's design was so revolutionary that Chrysler used the slogan "Suddenly, it's 1960!" to promote the new car. The Belvedere line once again included the Fury. This year a new 318in³ V8 with dual four-barrel carburetors was the standard engine in the Fury, and it was available on all Plymouths.

The Belvedere would once again return as a top level trim for 1958. Styling was evolutionary from the sleek 1957 models. Quad headlights were new, as was a big block 350in³ V8 with dual four-barrel carburetors dubbed "Golden Commando."

After the Plymouth Fury was expanded to become Plymouth's top model in 1959, the Belvedere was demoted as the middle priced model.

Starting in 1960, Belvederes got a brand-new standard inline six-cylinder engine. Colloquially known as the slant-6, it displaced 225 cu in (3.7 l), featured overhead valves, and a block that was inclined 30 degrees to the right to permit a lower hood line with maximum displacement. This engine used a single-barrel Holley carburetor, and became known for its extremely rugged construction, exceptional reliability and longevity. In 1961, "most beholders would agreee...it was hit with the ugly stick."[1]
[edit] 1962–1963
Third generation 1963 Plymouth Belvedere coupe
Production 1962–1963
Body style(s) 2-door coupe
4-door sedan
2-door station wagon
2-door convertible
Platform B-body
Engine(s) 225 cu in (3.7 L) I6
383 cu in (6.3 L) V8

Starting with the 1962 model year, all full-size Plymouths were "downsized", with more compact outside dimensions. Despite the "common sense" that such an idea makes, American car buyers at the time were in the thought mode of "Bigger is Better," and sales of these models suffered. However, the big block V8 engined (426) Belvederes proved to be a terror on the track, and became a desirable drag race car due to its lightweight body.

1963 and 1964 models used the same unibody platform as the '62s, but were restyled to look longer and wider.

The 1964 Belvedere (and corresponding Fury hardtop coupes) featured a new "slant-back" roofline that proved to be popular, and sales improved significantly over '62 and '63.
[edit] 1964–1966
Fourth generation 1966 Plymouth Belvedere
Production 1964–1970
Body style(s) 2-door coupe
4-door sedan
2-door station wagon
2-door convertible
Platform B-body
Engine(s) 273 cu in (4.5 L) V8
318 cu in (5.2 L) V8
340 cu in (5.6 L) V8
360 cu in (5.9 L) V8
426 cu in (7 L) Hemi V8

The 1964 Belvedere is also notable for being the car used to introduce the 426 Chrysler Hemi engine, which used a canted large-valve arrangement. This was such a significant high-RPM breathing improvement that Hemi-equipped Plymouth Belvederes won 1st, 2nd, and 3rd at NASCAR's 1964 Daytona race. One of the winning drivers was the famous Richard Petty.[2]
[edit] 1967–1970

The Plymouth GTX was introduced as the top of the line Belvedere, and Richard Petty won the Grand National championship in NASCAR in a Belvedere. The new LA-style lightweight 318 engine was introduced for this year and would remain available on the Belvedere through its life.

In 1968, the line was restyled with a roofline changed to follow the Charger, standard flip-out rear quarter windows (that would also be used in 1969), and "Coke bottle styling."

The Belvedere name was dropped at the end of the 1970 model year, replaced by the Plymouth Satellite name originally reserved for higher-end Belvederes. The Satellite itself lasted only through 1974; starting in 1975, the car was renamed Plymouth Fury, and the longer-wheelbase Plymouth Fury became the Gran Fury.
[edit] Engines

Old Style 277-301-303-318 "A" Engines

(Note: there are some discrepancies in this section referring to the term "Hemi". 340 engines were not Hemi's and the Hemi was first put into production and performance use as early as 1951, not in the late 60's as the last paragraph suggests. For more info on the Hemi see Chrysler Hemi engine.)

These engines were manufactured from 1955–1966. And the newer "LA" engines were introduced in 1967 running all the way till 1992. These engines have led to a lot of confusion with the inclusion of the 273-318, 340-360 "LA" engines also referred to as "A" engines. The old style "A" engine was introduced as a 277ci engine (also referred to as Polyspheres due to the polyspherical cylinder head combustion chamber) with 187 hp as standard. The 301/318 engines were introduced in 1957. The 318 2barrel carb (1957–1966) had 230 hp while the 318 4barrel (1958–62) had 260 hp. In the 57 there was a quad barrel 318 performance package that had 290 hp, being the largest output for stock "A" engines. As with the vintage the Polysphere was not the choice for hotrodders because the lack of support for performance parts such as headers, cams, intake manifolds, and cylinder heads that were widely available for the 318 "LA" (1967–1991) and the 340/360 engines. And hence the confusion where old car enthusiasts refer to the 1967 as being the "A" style, which is incorrect if you look at Chrysler's engine history.

New Style 273/318/340/360 "LA" Hemi Engines (Commonly referred as "A" but is not correct) The 273 was introduced in 1964 with a 2-barrel 180 hp, 1965 saw a 4-barrel 235 hp with performance camshaft, 1966 saw a limited production of the 273 with dual exhaust steel headers, a 700cfm Holley carb, and a .500" lift performance camshaft making 275 hp. In 1967 the new style 318 was introduced with came stock with a 2 barrel carb and was not meant to be a performance engine. This engine was just a bigbore version of the 273 and used the latest lightweight casting technology found in the 273. A 318 4 barrel carb was introduced in 1978 after a period of 10 yrs of having the 318 ship with a 2 barrel. The 318 was replaced after 1991 after the introduction of the 1992 5.2 litre Magnum.

The 340 was introduced in 1968 and began to build what was one of the most popular and best small block V8 engines. The 340 had high flow cylinder heads and a 180 degree 2 level intake manifold. The 340 reached its highest stock performance peak in 1970 with a three two-barrel carburetor package and featured a thick web block, special machined cylinder heads, adjustable rocker arms, and special intake manifold and carb. In 1972 the 340 was bumped down in compression from 10.4:1 to an emissions friendly 8.5:1 and shortly there after we had the 1973 oil crisis.

The 360 was introduced in 1971 with a 2 barrel carb and a 9:1 compression ratio. After the 340 was discontinued in 1973 many of the 340 parts were installed on the newer 360 and continued with the 340's performance heritage.

Some more pictures..
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Some info on Richard Petty himself
From wikipedia
Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937) is a former NASCAR driver who raced in the Strictly Stock/Grand National Era and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. "The King", as he is nicknamed, is most well-known for winning the NASCAR Championship seven times (Dale Earnhardt is the only other driver to accomplish this feat),[1] winning a record 200 races during his career,[1] winning the Daytona 500 a record seven times,[1] and winning a record 27 races[1] (ten of them consecutively) in the 1967 season alone. (A 1972 rule change eliminated races under 250 miles (400 km) in length, reducing the schedule to 30 [now 36] races.) Petty is widely considered one of the greatest NASCAR drivers of all time. He also collected a record number of poles (127) and over 700 top-ten finishes in his 1,185 starts, including 513 consecutive starts from 1971-1989.

Petty is a second generation driver. His father, Lee Petty, won the first Daytona 500 in 1959 and was also a 3 time NASCAR champion. Richard's son, Kyle Petty, is also a well-known NASCAR driver. Richard's grandson, Adam Petty, was killed in an accident at New Hampshire International Speedway on May 12, 2000, five weeks after the death of Lee. Meanwhile, Adam's brother Austin works on day-to-day operations of the Victory Junction Gang Camp, a Hole in the Wall Gang camp established by the Pettys after Adam's death. Petty married his wife Lynda in 1958 and they have four children - Kyle Petty, Sharon Petty Farlow, Lisa Petty Luck and Rebecca Petty Moffit - and 12 grandchildren.[2] The family still resides in Level Cross; they operate Richard Petty Motorsports. The Richard Petty Museum is in nearby Randleman, North Carolina. Since January 7, 2008, Petty Enterprises has been the newest resident of Race City, U.S.A., moving their race team into the vacated Yates Racing 115,000-square-foot (10,700 m2) facility in Mooresville, N.C. Richard Petty frequently signs autographs for people and he remains a popular figure in the garage area.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Racing career
o 1.1 The 1960s
o 1.2 The 1970s
o 1.3 The Twilight Years
o 1.4 Petty's Last Ride
o 1.5 Petty as an owner
o 1.6 Close calls
o 1.7 Career awards
* 2 Life after racing
* 3 Races won
o 3.1 Grand National/Winston Cup (200 career wins)
* 4 Teams
* 5 Movie appearances
* 6 Controversial remarks on female NASCAR drivers
* 7 References
* 8 External links

[edit] Racing career

Petty was born in Level Cross, North Carolina, the son of Elizabeth (née Toomes) and Lee Arnold Petty, also a NASCAR driver.[3] He began his NASCAR career on July 18, 1958, 16 days after his 21st birthday. His first race was at the Canadian National Exhibition Grounds in Toronto, Canada, and he finished 17th[4] having completed 55 of 100 laps in an Oldsmobile. In 1959, Richard was named NASCAR Rookie of the Year, after he produced 9 top 10 finishes, including six Top 5 finishes.
[edit] The 1960s
Petty's famous Plymouth Superbird, on display at the Richard Petty Museum

In 1960, he finished 2nd in the NASCAR Grand National Points Race.1963 was his breakout year, winning at tracks like Martinsville and Bridgehampton. In 1964, driving a potent Plymouth with a new Hemi engine, Richard Petty led 184 of the 200 laps to capture his first Daytona 500, en route to 9 victories, earning over $114,000 and his first Grand National championship. On February 27, 1966 Petty overcame a 2-lap deficit to win his second Daytona 500 when the race was stopped on lap 198 of 200 because of a thunderstorm. This made him the first driver to win the event twice.

Joining in the Chrysler boycott of NASCAR due to the organizing body's ban of the Hemi engine, Richard spent 1965 competing as a drag racer. His career there was cut short when he crashed his car at a race in Georgia, Injuring 7 people and killing an eight year old boy at the Southeastern Dragway, in Dallas, Georgia. 1967 was a milestone year. In that year, Petty won 27 of the 48 races he entered, including a record 10 wins in a row (between August 12 and October 1, 1967). He won his second Grand National Championship. One of the 27 victories was the Southern 500 at Darlington, which would be his only Southern 500 victory. His dominance in this season earned him the nickname "King Richard". He had previously been known as "the Randleman Rocket". In 1969 Petty switched brands to Ford, due to his belief the Plymouth was not competitive on super-speedways - he wanted a slippery Dodge Daytona but Chrysler executives insisted he stay with Plymouth. He would win 10 races and finish second in points. Won back in 1970 by the sleek new Plymouth Superbird with shark nose and goalpost wing, Petty returned to Plymouth for the 1970 season. This is probably his most famous car, and the car in which Petty is cast in the 2006 Pixar film Cars.
[edit] The 1970s
Petty's IROC car from the 1970s
Petty's car used for his 1979 Daytona 500 win, on display at Daytona USA
1983 racecar

On February 14, 1971, Petty won his third Daytona 500, driving a brand new (for 1971) Plymouth Road Runner and beating team mate, Buddy Baker, by little more than a car length en route to another historic year, making him the first driver to win the event three times. He won 20 more races, became the first driver to earn more than $1 million in career earnings, and claimed his third Grand National Championship. At the end of the 1971 season Chrysler told the Pettys they would no longer receive direct factory funding support, causing the Petty team great concern. In 1972, STP (motor oil company) began what would turn into a successful 28 year sponsorship arrangement with Petty, however it marked the end of Petty's famous all "Petty Blue" paint job. STP at first insisted on an all STP orangish-red color for the cars, but Petty balked, and after an all-night negotiation session the familiar STP orange/Petty blue paint scheme was agreed to as a compromise. Petty won his 4th Winston Cup Championship, thanks to his 28 top-10 finishes, including 25 top-5 finishes and 8 victories. 1972 was a year of change in other ways, as it was the last year Richard would campaign a Petty Plymouth, as toward the end of the year Petty drove a newly built 1972 Dodge Charger in a few races (winning one of them), as Petty believed the car to have a slight aero advantage over the Plymouth body style. On February 18, 1973, in a driver’s duel, Petty, in a newly built 1973 Dodge Charger (a body style he would use exclusively until the end of 1977) outlasted Baker (now with the K&K Insurance Dodge race team) to win his fourth Daytona 500 after Baker's engine gave out with six laps left. One year later, Petty won the Daytona "450" (shortened 20 laps {50 mi/80 km} due to the energy crisis) for the fifth time en route to his fifth Winston Cup Championship. Throughout Petty's career, but especially during his prime, Petty was known to stand for hours - backed against a fence, signing autographs to everyone who asked. Despite his massive popularity, Petty never begrudged the fans.

The year 1975 was another historic year for Petty, as he won the World 600 for the first time in his career, one of 13 victories en route to his sixth Winston Cup. The 13 victories is a modern (1972 to present) NASCAR record for victories in a season, and was tied in 1998 by Jeff Gordon, although Gordon won 13 out of 33 races, compared to Petty's 13 out of 30 races ]. In 1976, Petty was involved in one of the most famous finishes in NASCAR history. Petty and David Pearson were racing on the last lap out of turn 4 in the Daytona 500. As Petty tried to pass Pearson, at the exit of turn 4, Petty's right rear bumper hit Pearson's left front bumper. Pearson and Petty both spun and hit the front stretch wall. Petty's car came to rest just yards from the finish line, but his engine stalled. Pearson's car had hit the front stretch wall and clipped another car, but his engine was running. Pearson was able to drive his car toward the finish line, while Petty's car would not restart. Pearson passed Petty on the infield grass and won the Daytona 500. Petty was given credit for second place. Oddly 1978 will stand out as the one year during his prime that Petty did not visit the winners circle. The Petty Enterprises Team could not get the new for 1978 Dodge Magnum to handle properly, even though much time, effort, and faith were spent massaging the cars. Unhappy with the seven top-5 finishes (including two second places) Petty climbed out of the Dodge and into a four year old used Chevy Monte Carlo after 17 races, breaking the hearts of his faithful, though partisan Mopar fans. The switch to Chevy didn't produce any wins however, in the remaining 1978 races. Petty would go on to rebound in 1979, winning the NASCAR championship for the seventh, and last time.
[edit] The Twilight Years
1989 car at Phoenix

Petty won two more Daytona 500s in 1979 and 1981. In 1979, he snapped a 45-race drought, winning his sixth Daytona 500, the first to be televised live flag-to-flag; it would become notorious for a fistfight between competitors following the controversial finish. Petty won the race as the first and second place cars of Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough crashed on the last lap. Petty held off Darrell Waltrip and A.J. Foyt. The race is also regarded as being the genesis of the current surge in NASCAR's popularity. The East Coast was snowed in by a blizzard, giving CBS a captive audience. The win was part of Richard's seventh and last NASCAR Winston Cup Championship. Petty was able to hold off Waltrip to win the title in 1979.

For 1981, NASCAR dictated that all teams had to show up with the new downsized cars of 110" wheel-base, that Detroit had been building since 1979. Though Petty had been successful with the Chevrolet and Oldsmobile cars he had been running, he wanted to get back to his Mopar roots. After taking a phone call from Lee Iaccoca (who personally asked Richard to campaign a Dodge for 1981), the Petty team built a stunning 1981 Dodge Mirada and took it to Daytona in January 1981 for high speed tests. Petty's fans were also in a large part fans of his Dodges, so when word got out about the Mirada testing, 15,000 or so showed up on 17 Jan 1981 at the Daytona Speedway to watch Richard put the Dodge through its paces. Sadly for the fans, the car could do no better than 186 miles per hour, about eight miles per hour slower than the GM and Ford cars. Petty gave up on returning to Dodge knowing that for the superspeedways the Mirada would not be competitive, and bought a Buick Regal for the Daytona race. In the 1981 Daytona 500, Petty used a "fuel only" for his last pit stop, with 25 laps to go, to outfox Bobby Allison and grab his seventh and final Daytona 500 win. This win marked a large change in Petty's racing team. Dale Inman, Petty's longtime crew chief, left the team after the Daytona victory (Inman would win an eighth championship as crew chief in 1984 with Terry Labonte).

While the 1981 season brought Richard 3 wins, he felt the season was a failure, and the Regals being ill-handling and poor in relibility. For 1982 he made the move to the Pontiac Grand Prix, with the promise of substantial factory support from Pontiac. Unfortunately 1982 was a repeat of 1978, and no victories were to be had. At first, the Grand Prix behaved much like the Dodge Magnum of 1978, with handling and speed problems. Toward the end of 1982 things improved with several top-10 finishes, which opened the door to a successful 1983 season with 3 victories, and several top-5 and top-10 finishes. In 1983, he broke his 43 race winless streak from 1982 with a win in the 1983 Carolina 500, barely edging out a young Bill Elliott.

After a controversial win at Charlotte in October 1983 (win No. 198), in which Petty's brother Maurice, who built the team's engines, was accused of running an illegal engine (it was much larger than the allowed 358 cubic engines, NASCAR officials determined in a post-race inspection), Petty left the race team his father founded for the 1984 season. He spent '84 and '85 driving for Mike Curb before returning to Petty Enterprises in 1986.
Petty at Pocono Raceway in 1985

On July 4, 1984, Petty won his 200th (and what would turn to be his final victory) race at the Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway. The race was memorable: On lap 158, Doug Heveron crashed, bringing out the yellow caution flag, essentially turning lap 158 into the last lap as the two drivers battled back to the start-finish line. Petty and Cale Yarborough diced it out on that lap, with Yarborough drafting and taking an early lead before Petty managed to cross the start/finish line only a fender-length ahead. (This is no longer possible because of the 2003 rule change freezing the field immediately upon caution. Furthermore, the green-white-checkered rule was created for if the yellow flag waves with two laps remaining, but not with one lap remaining.) President Ronald Reagan was in attendance, the first sitting president to attend a NASCAR race. Reagan celebrated the milestone with Petty and his family in victory lane.[5]
[edit] Petty's Last Ride

In late 1991, Richard Petty announced he would retire after the 1992 season. Petty's final top ten finish came at the 1991 Budweiser at the Glen which was the same race JD McDuffie was killed in a fifth lap accident. Petty chose to run the entire 1992 season, not just selected events as other drivers have done before retirement. His year-long Fan Appreciation Tour took him around the country, participating in special events, awards ceremonies, and fan-related meetings. Racing Champions ran a promotional line of diecast cars for every race in Petty's Farewell Tour. In his final year behind the wheel, he had two notable races.

At the 1992 Pepsi 400 on July 4, Petty qualified second. Before the start of the race, he was honored with a gift ceremony which included a visit from President George H. W. Bush. At the start, Petty led the first five laps, but dropped out on lap 84 due to fatigue.

Despite the tremendously busy appearance schedule, and mediocre race results, Petty managed to qualify for all 29 races in 1992. On his final visit to each track, Petty would lead the field on the pace lap to salute the fans. Petty's final race was the season-ending Hooter's 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race was notable in that it was the first career start for Jeff Gordon, and it was the 2nd closest points championship in NASCAR history, with six drivers mathematically eligible to win the championship. A record 160,000 spectators attended the race, which went down to the final lap with Bill Elliott winning the race, and Alan Kulwicki winning the championship by 10 points over Elliott after Davey Allison dropped out early after a crash.

Facing the intense pressure, Petty barely managed to qualify at Atlanta, posting the 39th fastest speed out of 41 cars. He would not have been eligible for the provisional starting position, and had to qualify on speed. On the 94th lap, Petty became tangled up in an accident, and his car caught fire. Petty pulled the car off the track, and climbed out of the burning machine uninjured. His pit crew worked diligently all afternoon to get the car running again, and with two laps to go, Petty pulled out of the pits and was credited as running at the finish in his final race. He took his final checkered flag finishing in 35th position. After the race, Petty circled the track to salute the fans one final time in his trademark STP Pontiac.

The following year, he was back into a race car one more time. On August 18, 1993, NASCAR participated in a tire test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in preparations for the 1994 Brickyard 400. Petty drove several laps around the track, and then donated his car to the Speedway's museum.

Petty would again step into a race car in 2003 on the week of the final race under the Winston banner at Homestead-Miami Speedway and took a solo lap honoring his seven Winston Cup Championships for Winston's salute to the champions.

In 2007 at the Pepsi 400 in Daytona, Richard Petty was behind the wheel of a Daytona car during the pace laps, leading the field for the first lap. The field split him and he followed behind the field for one more pace lap before he pulled it in. This was in tribute to Bill France Jr.
[edit] Petty as an owner

In later years of his career, Petty developed the career of crew leader Robbie Loomis, who was at the helm of Petty Enterprises as crew chief in the 1990s, and won three races—the 1996 Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix, the 1997 ACDelco 400 at North Carolina Speedway, both with Bobby Hamilton driving, and the 1999 Goody's Body Pain 500 at Martinsville Speedway, with John Andretti driving.

Petty moved to the television broadcast booth for a few seasons immediatedly following his retirement, but his career in television did not last long. He remained as operating owner until his son Kyle Petty took over day-to-day operations a decade later.

However, in 2008, Kyle Petty was released by Petty Enterprises, and due to lack of sponsorship, Petty Enterprises was bought out by Gillett-Evernham Motorsports. The name was originally going to stay the same, but due to Evernham leaving the team, It was renamed Richard Petty Motorsports, despite George Gillett continuing to own the majority of the team.
[edit] Close calls

Of all the races he won, Petty is also remembered for three of the many incredible crashes that he survived:

* In the 1970 Rebel 400 at Darlington, Petty was injured when his Plymouth Road Runner cut a tire and slammed hard into the wall separating the track from the pit area. The car flipped several times before coming to rest on its side. This accident injured Petty's shoulder, and helped Bobby Isaac to win the 1970 Grand National Championship. During the accident, Petty's head hit the track pavement several times, which led NASCAR to mandate the installation of the Petty-developed safety net that covers the driver's side window.
* In a 1980 race at Pocono, Richard slammed the Turn 2 wall, nearly flipping the car. Petty barely escaped breaking his neck in the wreck and kept his injury hidden from NASCAR officials for the next races, knowing that another wreck could possibly kill him. Such an incident could never happen today, because of modern NASCAR rules requiring an official series medical liaison to clear a driver after a crash.
* In the 1988 Daytona 500, Petty's spectacular crash on Lap 106 hurled parts all over the front stretch at the Daytona International Speedway. Incredibly, after so many flips, Petty walked away with no serious injuries, except for temporary sight loss due to excessive g-forces. The crash was similar to the accident suffered by Bobby Allison during the 1987 Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway and Carl Edwards 2009 Talladega crash in that all three cars became airborne after turning sideways, and both cars damaged the spectator fencing (though Petty's crash did much less damage to the fencing). Petty's car became airborne despite the use of the carburetor restrictor plate, which was mandated by NASCAR for races at Talladega Superspeedway and Daytona International Speedway just prior to the start of the 1988 season.

[edit] Career awards

* On October 14, 2009 he was inducted into the first class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
* In 1997, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
* He was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.
* He was sole stock car representative in the first class inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1989.
* He was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President George Bush in 1992, the first motorsports athlete ever to be honored with this award.

Life after racing

Richard Petty is currently a spokesman for Liberty Medical, Cheerios and GlaxoSmithKline products Nicorette and Goody's Headache Powder. He has also recorded public service announcements for Civitan International, a nonprofit organization in which he was formerly a member.[6] He is almost always seen wearing his trademark sunglasses and a black Charlie One Horse cowboy hat, with a large snakeskin hat band and a plume of rooster feathers at the front. In 1996, he was the Republican nominee for North Carolina Secretary of State, but was defeated by State Senator Elaine Marshall in the general election. Petty was seen as a shoo-in and his campaigning was sporadic. Following his loss, Petty stated "If I had known I wasn't going to win, I wouldn't have run."[7] He was cast as "The King" in Pixar's 2006 animated film Cars as his 1970 Plymouth Superbird with the number "43". A cereal "43's" was created with Petty information on the boxes.

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once again.. another long read.. sorry But I figured you can't do just the car when you do a Race Car.. lol :wacko:


Edited by minicup, May 2 2010, 08:03 PM.
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Sak
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Ezekiel 25:17
I've got this one.
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craftymore
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Support your local demo derby.

Got two copies of this Mopar, one in the blister and Swifty has the other right now.
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Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
craftymore
May 3 2010, 07:49 AM
Got two copies of this Mopar, one in the blister and Swifty has the other right now.
Actually, I have two examples of this car, currently. Zach's custom derby car (OUCH!) and one stock, but loose. :thumbup:
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