1977 Gabriel shock test team, the Mt Rushmore of race car drivers

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=26305113319161161&set=gm.1734424387833380&idorvanity=226675368608297

14 championships in this photo

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=3075380952626800&set=g.293156547881991

I'm sure this is a replica, but it's got Richard Petty's signature on it, and it pretty cool to look over, like how the fender scoops are blended in, not bolt on

Napa Regal Ride shock absorbers? On a race Bird? 

So I looked around online and found that

General Motors is campaigning the Camaro body in NASCAR Cup, even though the muscle car left production back in December 2023. They changed the Camaro branding on the rear bumper to “Chevrolet” lettering.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/gregengle/2023/03/26/will-chevys-camaro-be-racing-in-nascar-beyond-2024/

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a63806510/nascar-has-a-camaro-problem/

what's more interesting (but similar) is that the fourth-generation 1975 Charger changed from the Nascar winning 71-74 design, with a new boxier profile that couldn't find a trophy with a metal detector in a cast iron skillet, so since there was no winning design to work with, the Petty team did the only reasonable thing it could, and kept running the 1974 Charger. It paid off in 13 wins during the 1975 season and his sixth championship.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a63806510/nascar-has-a-camaro-problem/

Richard Petty is donating more than 400 acres of land to Victory Junction, a nonprofit based in his hometown, a year-round camp for children with serious illnesses and chronic medical conditions

The donation includes 8 parcels of land adjacent to the camp’s current 140 acres, 84 which were originally donated by Richard Petty and his late wife, Lynda, to help launch the Camp 20 years ago.

https://victoryjunction.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Petty-Family-Donates-403-Acres-to-Victory-Junction.pdf

I don't get the connection between Richard Petty and Toyota, but Rutledge Wood figures there is one, so, there must be something there

Elena explained what is going on https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a62806107/toyota-suprabird-richard-petty-tribute-sema/

For some odd reason, the Petty Superbird was sent up the hill on a slow exhibition run alongside the Beast of Turin, which Richard Petty rose in as passenger

Forward the video to 7:23 for the Superbird and Fiat

this is new but not unexpected, Richard Petty is licensing floor jacks. I'm surprised he hasn't done this before... but, the Lowe's riding lawn mower in the 70s indicates that he will sell anything

other than the paint and lettering, it's likely to be identical to any other 3 ton 

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/richard-petty-teams-northern-tool-124500279.html

https://x.com/NorthernTool/status/1794005873095803122

https://www.northerntool.com/products/strongway-limited-edition-richard-petty-low-profile-super-duty-jack-3-ton-lift-capacity-115362

the A/FX dragster Barracuda the Richard Petty wrecked, has been found in a junkyard

https://moparconnectionmagazine.com/

I posted the story in 2015  https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-one-time-he-tried-to-drag-race.html

getting the aerodynamic advantage is more important than what brand you drive

Brand doesn't matter much when you have races to win

https://lateral-g.net/forums/showthread.php?t=56177&page=52

https://www.facebook.com/RookMobile/photos/richard-petty-sein-1969-ford-torino-talladega/1389878377781189/

the winner of the Lowe's Richard Petty Superbird give away was discovered

John Meniefield won the Superbird from Lowe's in 1970. 

Melvin Proffit (Lowe's) took the company plane to Virginia to pick up John & his wife, took them to Petty Enterprises to pick up the Superbird, and they drove it home.

The car has white interior, automatic on the column.

It was his daily driver until passing away in 2000. Four or five years later, the car was sold to a family friend.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10226055399323276&set=p.10226055399323276&type=3

Dodge by Petty, 1997

 https://indianamemory.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/AT/id/9420/rec/1415

the Petty Museum in Randleman NC with stories from his crew chief Dale Inman (thanks Mike!)

Richard Petty with his 1968 Roadrunner at Daytona. That top is textured paint, not the factory vinyl, to hide the acid dip thinned metal wrinkles from racing speeds

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=5171291086258322&set=gm.5506913206026151]

with a tiny air foil on the tail of the trunk

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=5966803123348853&set=p.5966803123348853&type=3

Jabe Thomas bought that Racecar from Petty Enterprises after they switched to Fords in 1969.

Bristol Dragway in June of 1965

 

Look at the rims... that's unusual!

John Holman and Honest Charlie

http://blog.virginiaclassicmustang.com/2020/05/bristol-spring-nationals-june-1965-drag.html

Richard Petty is mighty nice to autograph cars for people

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10221603470780285&set=pcb.4684821668306458

yup, that's about the bored innocent look I'd expect

 

Did you know that Dale Earnhardt Jr. explores abandoned racetracks, with an 8 episode tv series ‘Lost Speedways' ?

Season one was close to home, just in Georgia and North Carolina.

Season 2 moves to deserted raceways in Texas, New England, West Virginia, and Florida... and starts July 1st on the streaming service, Peacock

What makes each episode of Lost Speedways compelling is that the deserted racetracks still exist. They haven’t been replaced by parking lots and office parks, or left as patchy grass fields.

The empty, crumbling grandstands, and the faded raceways with narration and storytelling that help to imagine what once was, with spectators in the stands and cars racing around the tracks.

https://awfulannouncing.com/peacock/dale-earnhardt-jr-explores-abandoned-racetracks-lost-speedways-season-2-july-1-peacock.html

https://www.peacocktv.com/watch/asset/tv/lost-speedways/8244217463726854112

update, hours later when I got home:

I tried to get this on my tv, via an Amazon Firestick, and that did not happen. 

The whole NBC and Peacock TV is multifaceted, and none of the 6 possibilities had Lost Speedways. 

When I used my laptop, it came right up. (bottom link)

lol, there are some people out there who come up with the funniest lines for memes

https://www.facebook.com/TheDirtyOldTrucker/posts/1844495432393821