Lee Petty

Lee Petty
Photo of Lee Petty, circa 1959
Born	Lee Arnold Petty March 14, 1914 Randleman, North Carolina, U.S.
Died	April 5, 2000 (aged 86) Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S.
Cause of death	Abdominal aortic aneurysm
Achievements	1954, 1958, 1959 Grand National Champion 1959 Daytona 500 Winner (inaugural race)
Awards	Inducted in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1990) Inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1996) North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame Inducted in the NASCAR Hall of Fame (2011)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career
427 races run over 16 years
Best finish	1st (1954, 1958, 1959)
First race	1949 Race No. 1 (Charlotte)
Last race	1964 The Glen 151.8 (Watkins Glen)
First win	1949 untitled race (Pittsburgh)
Last win	1961 untitled race (Jacksonville)
Wins Top tens Poles 54 332 18
Statistics current as of December 21, 2012.

Lee Arnold Petty (March 14, 1914 – April 5, 2000) was an American stock car driver in the 1950s and 1960s. He was one of the pioneers of NASCAR and one of its first superstars.

Career

Lee Petty's No. 42 1956 Dodge Coronet

Petty was born near Randleman, North Carolina, the son of Jessie Maude (née Bell) and Judson Ellsworth Petty.^[1] He was thirty-five years old before he began racing. He began his NASCAR career at NASCAR's first race at the three-quarter mile long dirt track, Charlotte Speedway. He finished in the Top 5 in season points for NASCAR's first eleven seasons. He won the NASCAR Championship on three occasions and the inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959.

Controversies

Twice in his career, Petty was declared the winner of a race after scoring errors that were discovered following the race. Among them is the 1959 Daytona 500, and the 1959 Lakewood 500.

1959 Daytona 500

In the inaugural race at Daytona International Speedway, Petty battled with Johnny Beauchamp during the final laps of the race. Petty, Beauchamp, and Joe Weatherly drove side by side by side across the finish line at the final lap for a photo finish. Petty drove a 1959 Oldsmobile Super 88 (No. 42), while Beauchamp drove a 1959 Ford Thunderbird (No. 73) and Weatherly did so in a 1959 Chevrolet (No. 48), all coupés. Beauchamp was unofficially declared the winner, and he drove to victory lane. Petty protested the results, saying "I had Beauchamp by a good two feet. In my own mind, I know I won."^[2] It took NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr. three days to decide the winner. In the end, with the help of the national newsreel, Petty was officially declared as the winner. His son Richard drove a 1957 Oldsmobile convertible (No. 43) and finished 57th out of the 59 starters after blowing an engine after eight laps.

In a 1999 interview over the controversial finish, Petty expressed his belief that France Sr. purposely called Beauchamp the winner to intentionally cause controversy stating "France would have done anything to generate publicity for his racetracks."

1959 Lakewood 500

During a stock car race at Lakewood in Georgia, Petty's son Richard raced against Lee, a teammate to his father on Petty Enterprises. After a side-by-side duel with his father, Richard passed Lee with less than 10 laps to go and went on to win the race. It was one of Richard's first races and he became a first-time Cup series winner during his rookie year. Hours after the race was over, officials changed the official results after a protest was filed by Lee. Lee protested that Richard was actually 1 lap down and was credited with an extra lap. Richard was demoted to third and Lee was declared the race winner. In the days that followed, Lee was quoted as saying in a newspaper, "I would have protested my mother if I needed to."

Petty Enterprises

He is the father of Richard Petty, who became NASCAR's all-time race winner. With sons Richard and Maurice Petty, he founded Petty Enterprises, which became NASCAR's most successful racing team. He was the grandfather of Kyle Petty, and the great grandfather of Adam Petty who died in a crash during a NASCAR Busch Series practice session at New Hampshire International Speedway. He is also the grandfather of Ritchie Petty, who ran a few races in NASCAR. His nephew Dale Inman worked for Petty Enterprises as Richard's crew chief from the early 1960s until 1981 and during the 1990s.

Awards

• In 1990, Lee Petty was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
• He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1996.
• He was elected to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.
• He was selected as one of Nascar's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998 along with his son, Richard Petty.
• He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on May 23, 2011.

Teams

Petty Enterprises 1949–1964

Gary Drake 1954

Carl Krueger 1955

Death

Lee Petty died at 4:50 a.m. on April 5, 2000 at Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro, North Carolina, at the age of 86, several weeks after undergoing surgery for an abdominal aortic aneurysm—a tear in the aorta vessel near the stomach that grows until cardiac arrest. Despite the surgery the condition deteriorated and he died of abdominal aortic dissection. He was buried at the Level Cross United Methodist Church Cemetery in Randleman, North Carolina. Lee died just three days after his great-grandson Adam made his Winston Cup Series debut.

Daytona 500 results

Year	Manufacturer	Start	Finish	Team
1959	Oldsmobile	15	1	Petty
1960	Plymouth	14	4

References

1. http://www.wargs.com/other/petty.html
2. 1959: Petty's photo finish; Mark Aumann, Turner Sports Interactive; January 9, 2003; Retrieved October 24, 2007

External links

• Lee Petty article from the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame
• Lee Petty's statistics at racing-reference.info