What a great conversation! These recollections of the history behind the Petty Enterprise shop are priceless. Some of these stories are outrageously funny. Others are so important that the interview needs to be display in the Petty museum. Regardless, this is history that needs to be preserved for the future generations. I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for these race teams to move two race cars and all needed equipment from NC to California each season. They didn’t have the modern car hauler rigs like they do today. Amazing history. Thanks for sharing. Keep on.
I have some photos that I took of the 43 crew loading the car on the flat bed trailer after the spring race at Rockingham in 1971. We followed them as they took the back roads back to Level Cross. We lived about 8 miles away on Hwy 311 in Glenola.
Who was the truck driver in 1971? He was a heck of a driver in his own right. My dad could hardly keep up with them in his '68 Volkswagen. They were driving those back roads like it was Riverside in that Dodge truck pulling the '71 Road Runner.
I really look forward to hearing these wing car era stories, also agree the 1971 Plymouth Roadrunner race car looks very cool, wouldn't mind driving a 1971 clone on the street.
Great stories! Having cut my teeth driving 60s and 70s medium duty trucks, I know about "rough rider", heaters that did absolutely nothing, and running against the vacuum governor. Good times!
I was a Petty fan by the time I was 6 or 7 years old. The first race I went to was Rockingham, in 69 or 70. At that time Mt. Olive College was a small college and the maintenance manager would get us the small and only bus they had a that time. 8 or 10 would head out to the Rock twice a year and that was my first NASCAR race. I can still remember The 43 coming down the front stretch, because we all sat on Chicken Bone Row because the tickets were cheap. But when The King would come by l kept my eyes on him. The way the headlights were fixed it looked like one was always winking at me and when it went by l kept looking and remember on the back of the car it had Petty Engineering ( l think). Then in a couple of years came the STP Car. That was one beautiful race car. I also remember after the race Petty would sit down on the pit road wall. He would have that rag in his mouth and looked exhausted like the rest of the drivers. 500 hundred miles at the Rock was one tough race, but he had that track figured out. I was also there at his farewell tour. He would pit early and with fresh tires blow the doors off the other drivers and the stands would go crazy. I still at 73 years old pull for the 43 , whoever is driving it. Thanks for the memories Richard Petty and Petty Enterprises ❤😅
There are only a few of us that ever worked on racecars that you put warmup plugs in then changed to race plugs. Put them in with a piece of fuel hose I love the old stories, please keep it up
My daughter lived in Wtilkesboro for a few years and I went to Moravian Falls diner for breakfast one visit and they were trying to get me to try Liver Mush!!! I’m from Indiana and that absolutely did not sound good to me
Look... I know it's got nothing to with the three of you or Mr Barz but hearing about what Todd Werner and members of your family did to Pat McKinley, the man who spent YEARS restoring the '71 'peace sign' car was disturbing and then what Todd Werner did to the vintage drag car community with his 'tax credit fire sale' and the dog and pony show around the 'peace sign' car at that same Mecom auction made me rethink who my all-time favorite NASCAR driver was... And then we have Martinsville, June, 2020 where a domestic terrorist organization shows up as a primary sponsor on the 43... and tears shed for a hate crime hoax later that year... I primarily watch your content because I am a hardcore Mopar guy and yes, your Uncle and Father are part of the reason why I am, but if my last name was Petty, my head would hang in shame over some of these things done the last few years... ask Dale or Richard about what they did to Pat McKinley... I dare you...
