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CUP: Petty Has Much To Celebrate
Written by: Tom Jensen   
07/02/2009
Charlotte, NC
 
Richard Petty has won seven NASCAR Sprint Cup championships and is the winningest driver of all time. (Photo: Getty Images) ยป More Photos

Richard Petty would be the first to tell you, it’s good to be The King.

Petty, the seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion and seven-time Daytona 500 winner, has much to celebrate this weekend in Daytona Beach, Fla. Today (July 2nd) is Petty’s 72nd birthday, and Saturday he will celebrate the 25th anniversary of his historic 200th and final Cup victory, which occurred at Daytona International Speedway.

Tonight, Petty will be one of the 25 nominees for the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame class, with the entire class to be announced during a televised special on SPEED at 8 p.m. ET.

Photos: King Richard Petty

And considering that Richard Petty Motorsports won its very
first Cup race less than two weeks ago when Kasey Kahne drove the No. 9 RPM Dodge Charger to victory in Sonoma, Calif., these are indeed good times for Petty.

But as good as today is, what happened 25 years ago was downright magical.

The July 4, 1984, Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway was one of the most significant races in NASCAR history. Then-President Ronald Reagan gave the command to start the race from Air Force One as he headed towards Daytona. Once on the ground, Reagan, who worked as sportscaster at an Iowa radio station in the 1930s, did a short stint in the MRN radio broadcast booth, where he called the race for a few laps. And after Petty prevailed in a fierce battle with Cale Yarborough, the President joined Petty, a staunch and active Republican, for the post-race victory celebration.


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