Richard Petty At Sebring Today

I became a big fan of Richard Petty in 1962 when he drafted his Plymouth to second place behind a much faster Fireball Roberts/Yunick Pontiac.at the Daytona 500. When Petty won his first Daytona 500 on February 23, 1964, I had snuck into the winner's circle. My dad had taught me, just act like you belong there, it's worked for the rest of my life LOL. So, the attached B/W Polaroid is from that WC celebration, front and center no less. When Richard left to head up to the Grandstand for more formal interviews, I ran up to him to shake his hand in congratulations, he was very gracious and obliged me. But it was an experience I never forgot, by the winning driver I believe at that time 4,000lb car non power steering driver had just driven 500 miles to victory.

Today I'm at my home track of Sebring for SVRA/SCCA TA road racing. I'm in the paddock checking out the cars up close. I see off to the side an unmistakable Richard Petty silhouette. Picture attached. His nephew or grandkid is racing in TA today, I have never seen Richard at Sebring in my entire life. I say what the heck, I need to shake his hand one more time, so I do. The man is in his mid 80's, he looks grea,t seems just like Richard, and nice as can be,

As I walk away, I am shocked, his hands as are just as soft as they were, exactly 59 years and 2 days ago, and I am as happy as a 10-year-old in the winner's circle.

Anyone know who the gentleman seated on the back of golf cart is, please share, he looks familiar, Dale?

Thanks for sharing that. Pretty cool!

Yeah, PETTY COOL !

Well he likes Florida and the big race was very recent and hes no actual input on the teams program anymore so why not hang out and relax? He has always been very available to the public. We can all hope to be that active in our 80-s.

Thanks for sharing that! Any chance there are 1964 winner's circle photos circulating around with you in them?

I had that same question years back, I couldn't find any. I did find some video of my father who was shooting 8mm and was moving around for better angles as the car came into the winner's circle. I was by my dad's direction trying to locate with the sun at my back, as where most of the press were, there seemed to be a small grandstand behind me with press, but not 100% sure it was still there in 64, so very few pics were taken facing were I was or into the sun which was getting low in the sky, and it was a beautiful bright somewhat crisp day for Florida..

This pic is me, the little guy, again at Sebring in the pits post-race of the first F1 race in the US in 1959. I'm pondering how those first seen little solid disc brakes and wondering how in the world they could stop a race car. LOL

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That's good stuff. It must have been great to have been there to witness racing history first-hand like that. The best I could do was read about it (and see some old NASCAR races on TV), though both of those races happened before I was even born (I was at least thought of when the Petty win happened... ). I did build the old Johan model kit of the Petty '64 when I was a kid, though. That's as close as I got.

Thank you, that was great, I watched 10 mins will finish tonight after i get back from Sebring. I now know what I will do with a souvenir from 1966 Daytona Firecracker 400. Richard Petty in his Plymouth blew his engine right in front of us entering turn one big time. Back in those days it put on quite a show when an engine at speed blew with the wet sump engines. It put Richard pretty hard into the outside wall. It injured his neck, which led him to develop "the Petty Strap" for the races next in the season. It might be thought of a as very crude early Hans device. It was merely a strap hooked from the top of the left shoulder harness to the helmet, as in Richard words, to reduce the g forces on the neck in turns.

So I had brought my best friend in elementary school to this race, and since the rules back then were much more relaxed, after the race we decided to walk out on the track and climb up to where Richard wrecked against the concrete wall. It's very steep. We had time to kill, as it took hours to clear out the infield with all the traffic. So we are up near the wall and my friend finds a Petty blue freshly broken oily CI piece of I believe Richard's engine block. He doesn't know what he is holding, but I did. He asks if I want it. I did not hesitate to respond. I feel guilt to this day taking it.

But the joke is on me. My friend, Bob Rahilly, went on to become a Nascar team owner winning a couple dozen races including the World 600 with Neil Bonnet.

I'll make up a plaque and mount the engine block fragment, with this story, and send it to the kids of the man who built that engine.

Great deal JCC !
thanks for sharing.

I watched the complete Petty video, I liked its rawness and authenticity. Worth watching IMO
I'll send them motor fragment, be interested if it is a keepsake for them.
A little off topic on drive back from Sebring late today, my travels took me thru sugarcane farmland. They often burn the crop right before harvest.
Spotted a lot of smoke up ahead, but oddly I had a hard time "catching" it, when I realized it was the recently restored US Sugar original steam locomotive out for an excursion.
I raced ahead and beat it to the next crossing to get this pic. Haven't seen a steam engine chugging and puffing along at 60mph for a long time, it was cool.

i always thought those trains were neat, especially with the "white wall" wheels.

I have been to the TA race at Sebring and usually staying there about now. Had rotator cuff surgery and been stuck in Ohio.
Sebring is a fun place to go watch. We can hear the cars from where we stay and just go out and watch practices also

Great conversations and pics guys. Thanks for sharing. Lifelong Petty fan here.

Is the guy in the back of the golf cart Dale Inman???



I recently subscribed to the Petty Brothers Racing YouTube channel (Maurice's boy). Petty Brothers Racing

Thanks for sharing jcc, that's was some good stuff! Love the old pics especially. And man that old train....so cool! I bet 10x more impressive in person. Great piece of history! Such a majestic piece of machinery.

Dale is still my first guess.
The guy in the Black shirt seen from the back I felt was this guy. a car TV personality from years past whose name i don't remember taken 2005 with my son at WPB IR, now closed.

Cool petty stuff!

Are you thinking of the guy from Dream Car Garage? He passed away some years ago.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Hnatiw

Yes, so you are saying it could not have been him?

Thanks.

Well, maybe.