1. Lee Arnold Petty was an American stock car racing driver who competed during the 1950s and 1960s.
20 Facts About Lee Petty
1. 2.
Lee Petty is the patriarch of the Petty racing family.
3.
Lee Petty was one of the early pioneers of NASCAR and one of its first stars.
4.
Lee Petty is the father of Richard Petty, who went on to become one of the most successful stock car racing drivers in history.
5.
Lee Petty is the grandfather of Kyle Petty and great grandfather of Adam Petty.
6.
Lee Petty was thirty-five years old when he began his racing career.
7.
Lee Petty participated in NASCAR's inaugural race, held at the three-quarter mile long dirt track, Charlotte Speedway; he raced in a 1948 Buick Roadmaster he borrowed from his neighbor under the assurance that the prize money earned from the race could pay off any damages to the car.
8.
Lee Petty finished in the top five in season points for NASCAR's first eleven seasons and won the NASCAR Grand National Series driver's championship three times.
9.
Lee Petty was the winner of the inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959.
10.
Twice in his career, Lee Petty was declared the winner of a race after scoring errors were discovered following the race.
11.
Lee Petty drove a 1959 Oldsmobile Super 88, while Beauchamp drove a 1959 Ford Thunderbird and Weatherly did so in a 1959 Chevrolet, all coupes.
12.
Lee Petty protested that Richard was one lap down and was credited with an extra lap.
13.
Richard was demoted to third and Lee Petty was declared the race winner.
14.
Lee Petty suffered numerous life-threatening injuries, including multiple fractures, internal injuries, and a punctured lung that forced him to stay in the Daytona Hospital for four months.
15.
The crash ultimately led to the end of Lee Petty's regular driving career, though he sporadically competed in later events; his final race took place in 1964 at the Glen.
16.
Lee Petty was the father of Richard Petty, who became NASCAR's record holder for race wins.
17.
Lee Petty was the grandfather of Kyle Petty, and the great-grandfather of Adam Petty, who died in a crash during a Busch Series practice session at New Hampshire International Speedway.
18.
Lee Petty is the grandfather of Ritchie Petty, who ran a few races in NASCAR.
19.
Lee Petty was buried at the Level Cross United Methodist Church Cemetery in Randleman, North Carolina.
20.
Lee Petty died just three days after his great-grandson Adam made his Winston Cup Series debut; Adam would be killed at the age of 19 just 5 weeks later from a practice race crash.