Richard Petty
Biography
Richard Petty is an American retired stock car driver, born in Level Cross, North Carolina, and the son of NASCAR driver Lee Petty. He raced from 1958 to 1992 in what became the NASCAR Cup Series, most often in the No. 43 Plymouth or Pontiac for Petty Enterprises. He was the first to win the series title seven times and set records for victories (200), poles (123) and Daytona 500 wins (seven). In 1967 he won 27 races in a single season. After retiring he became a team ambassador and ran a car restoration shop, and he voiced Strip Weathers, a character partly based on himself, in the Disney/Pixar films Cars (2006) and Cars 3. He worked as a color commentator for CBS in 1995 and was inducted into the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame class in 2010.
89years old
Turns 90 on July 2in 234 days
- Born Level Cross, Randolph County, North Carolina
- Star sign: CancerThe sign runs June 21 to July 22
- Also credited as The King and Richard Lee Petty
Movie Career
- Films
- 3
- Career span
- 40 years1968 to 2008
Every film, newest first
- 2008Swing VoteIMDb rating 6.1
- 2006CarsIMDb rating 7.3
- 1968SpeedwayIMDb rating 5.6
Genres
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About the name
His dominance during one season led to the nickname "King Richard". Before that, he was known as "the Randleman Rocket".
A first
On February 14, 1971, Petty drove a Plymouth Road Runner to his third Daytona 500 win, edging Buddy Baker by just over a car length and becoming the first driver to take the race three times.
Behind the award
In 1992, President George Bush awarded Petty the Medal of Freedom, the United States civilian honor. Petty was the first motorsports athlete ever to receive this award.
A change of course
Petty joined CBS as a color commentator in 1995, moving into the television broadcast booth. He called three races for CBS, among them the Daytona 500, and one for TBS, the Coca-Cola 600.
Richard Petty movies on Netflix
Worked with
Richard Petty made one film with each of them. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Dennis Hopper's page
Stanley Tucci's page
Paul Newman's page
Richard Kind's page
Owen Wilson's page
Jeremy Piven's page
All films by Joe Ranft
All films by John Lasseter
Joshua Michael SternDirector, 1 film, 2008
All films by Joshua Michael Stern
Awards
Two awards and honors from 1973 to 1992.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other honors | |||
| 1992 | Presidential Medal of Freedom | Won | |
| 1973 | North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame | Won | |
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.