Kyle Petty

Kyle Eugene Petty (born June 2, 1960) is an American former stock car racing driver and current racing commentator. He is the son of racer Richard Petty, grandson of racer Lee Petty, and father of racer Adam Petty, who was killed in a crash during practice in May 2000. Petty last drove the No. 45 Dodge Charger for Petty Enterprises, where he was CEO; his last race was in 2008. He is also an active philanthropist and has run the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America since 1995.

Early life and career Petty was born in Randleman, North Carolina to his parents Lynda and Richard Petty. Petty is a third generation NASCAR driver his grandfather, Lee Petty, won the first Daytona 500 in 1959 and was also a three-time NASCAR champion. His father Richard is a seven-time NASCAR champion. He has three younger sisters. Petty graduated from Randleman High School where he was a notable quarterback and basketball player even being offered scholarships to play in college however he turned them down to pursue racing. He was later inducted into the schools Hall of Fame in 2016.

Petty also played Little League Baseball growing up and in 2010 he was inducted into the Little League Hall of Excellence, the highest honor Little League can bestow.

He made his major-league stock car debut at the age of eighteen. He won the first race he entered, the 1979 Daytona ARCA 200, in one of his father's old 1978 Dodge Magnum race cars, at the time, Petty became the youngest driver to win a major-league stock car race.

NASCAR career 1979-1984 Petty made his Winston Cup Series debut, again driving a passed down STP Dodge Magnum numbered No. 42 (a number used by his grandfather Lee Petty) for his family's team. He ran five races and had a ninth-place finish in his first series race, the 1979 Talladega 500. In 1980, he made a total of fifteen starts in the No. 42 (after crashing the last of his father's Dodge Magnums in one of the Daytona 125 qualifying races) and had six top-ten finishes, garnering a twenty-eighth-place points finish. He began the 1981 season driving his father's No. 43 for one race, before running a full schedule in his regular No. 42, finishing in the top-ten ten times and finishing twelfth in points.

Petty began the 1982 season with two top-ten finishes, but later began splitting time between his No. 42 and the No. 1 UNO/STP car owned by Hoss Ellington, and ended the season fifteenth in points. In 1983, he picked up funding from 7-Eleven and accordingly switched his number to 7. He had only two top-ten finishes but improved to thirteenth in the standings. He followed that season up with six top-tens the following year, but fell three spots in points.

1985–1996

Petty took his number and sponsorship to Wood Brothers Racing in 1985,

1997–2006

Beginning with the 1997 season, Petty formed his own team, PE2 Motorsports, and fielded the No. 44 Hot Wheels Pontiac Grand Prix for himself. He had two top-five finishes and nine top-ten finishes, and finished fifteenth in points, the highest points placement of all the new teams to run during the 1997 season. He only had two top-tens in 1998, and fell back to 30th in points, causing him to return to Petty Enterprises and run his team from their shop, and became Petty Enterprises' new CEO. He began the 1999 season with two early DNQs, and finished 26th in points despite finishing in the top-ten nine times. Petty also made guest appearances on ESPN to provide commentary during Busch Series races. He had one top-ten early in 2000, the same year in which his son Adam died while practicing for a Busch Series race at New Hampshire International Speedway. He missed the next two races and returned to drive the No. 44 for the rest of the summer, before moving to the Busch Series full-time to finish out the season in Adam's No. 45 Sprint Chevrolet. He had four top-tens in the car over a span of fourteen races, and attempted two Cup races with the No. 45 Sprint PCS Chevrolet in 2000, finishing 31st at Martinsville. He also filled in at the Brickyard 400 for Penske Racing after their regular driver, Jeremy Mayfield, had to miss the race due to a concussion, Petty finished 32nd. Steve Grissom drove the No. 44 Hot Wheels Pontiac for the rest of the 2000 Winston Cup season and qualified 5 races in 2000. Petty had to drive the 45 Sprint PCS Chevrolet and the No. 44 Hot Wheels Pontiac and qualified in nineteen races in 2000, causing him to finish 41st in the points standings in the 2000 Winston Cup Series.

In 2001, Petty brought the No. 45 to Cup full-time and switched to Dodge. He failed to qualify for twelve races that season and failed to finish higher than sixteenth, causing him to finish 43rd in points. He qualified for every race in 2002 and had a top-ten at Talladega, raising him to 22nd in the points. After 2002, Sprint left the team and Brawny/Georgia Pacific became his new sponsor. He missed three races in 2003 (including one due to injury) and fell back to 37th in the standings.

In 2003, during the Food City 500, Petty crashed his No. 45 car in a hard driver's side impact, recording a hit of 80 g's. Petty held the record for hardest hit until Elliott Sadler crashed at Pocono in 2010. He moved up four spots in 2004 and had a best finish of twelfth. In 2005, he competed in every race for the first time in three years and had two top-tens and finished 27th in points. When Georgia Pacific left after 2005, Wells Fargo, Schwan's, and Marathon Oil became the team's new primary sponsors and Petty duplicated his top-ten total in 2006, but fell five spots further in points.

2007–2008

At the 2007 Coca-Cola 600, Petty had his first top-five finish in ten years, finishing third in the Coke Zero Dodge. He then raced the Toyota Save Mart 350 at Sonoma in a Petty Enterprises car while broadcasting for TNT. On lap one as the cars began lap two, Petty crashed with Matt Kenseth, causing him to accidentally swear during the broadcasting.

Petty later took several races off to work as a color commentator for TNT's Nextel Cup coverage, replacing Benny Parsons after Parsons passed in January. He returned to the No. 45 after a five race break but surrendered the car for two additional races later in the season. Early in the 2008 season, Petty Enterprises was purchased by Boston Ventures, causing Petty to step aside as the team's CEO. When the No. 45 car fell out of the top-35 in owner's points, he took a large portion of the season off, including races that did not conflict with his broadcasting duties. After fourteen races, his best finish was a 24th at Richmond. He finished 39th in his final 2008 start in the fall race at Phoenix International Raceway after getting swept up into a multi-car crash. According to the Yahoo! sports blog "From The Marbles," he was being slowly pushed out the door at Petty Enterprises. In December, Petty told NASCAR.com, "I don't work for Petty Enterprises. When they did their deal and sold to Boston Ventures....they pretty much let me know there wasn't a place for me there going into 2009."

Other racing Petty competed in the IROC XVIII in 1994 he finished 5th out of 12 racers.

Post-retirement Any time he appeared on television with Speed, Petty wears a hat with a number 45 with a black line across the number, in memory of his son Adam. In the early 2010s, he appeared on Fox Sports shows NASCAR Trackside, NASCAR Victory Lane, and NASCAR RaceDay as a television personality. Since 2015, he works for NBC Sports, appearing on all of their NASCAR related shows and broadcasts. In 2025 Petty received the Jim Hunter Media Award from the North Carolina Motorsports Association.

In 2023 Petty began hosting "Dinner Drive with Kyle Petty" on Circle Network a series where he takes celebrity guests including fellow athletes and entertainers on drives in notable vehicles before sharing meals and stories. As of 2026 the show has run for three seasons.

Since 2025 Petty has hosted the radio show/podcast "Kyle Petty's Back Then Again Country Countdown" alongside Charlie & Debbie. The podcast sees Petty discuss country music, pop culture and stories from his racing career.

Personal life Petty has been married twice, to Pattie Petty (1979–2012) and Morgan Petty in 2015. Kyle has six children: Adam Kyler Petty (1980–2000), Austin Kemp Petty (b. 1982), Montgomery Lee Petty Schlappi (b. 1985), and three other children. Petty also has a grandchild.

Charity

Petty is active in many charitable causes, such as Victory Junction, a facility for serious illness and chronic medical condition children, which he established to honor his late son, as well as an annual charity motorcycle ride across the country called the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America which he established in 1995. As of 2026 his ride has raised over $23 million for Victory Junction and other children's charities.

Music career Petty is also known for his brief attempts as a professional country musician. He was signed to a record contract by RCA Records in 1986 and began work on an album with Don Light. His lone single from this period was "The Other Guy", which led to appearances on Hee Haw and opening for acts such as Randy Travis and The Oak Ridge Boys. Due to disagreements with his record company and management, Petty later abandoned the album project.

Later, Petty recorded a track entitled "Oh King Richard", a tribute to his father Richard written by Rodney Crowell that was released in 1995 as part of a NASCAR-themed country music compilation album. A music video for the song was produced, featuring Petty playing an acoustic guitar in front of his father's No. 43 racecar, as Richard watched highlights of his career on a screen.

On June 19, 2021 Petty performed multiple songs at Grand Ole Opry during NASCAR's Nashville weekend. He continues to play sporadic live shows.

Acting career Petty appeared in the 1983 film Stroker Ace, as himself, and provided voice work for the character of Cal Weathers (the nephew of Strip Weathers, voiced by his father Richard Petty) in the 2017 film Cars 3.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Cup Series

Daytona 500 Year Team Manufacturer Start Finish 1980 Petty Enterprises Dodge DNQ 1981 Buick 11 32 1982 Pontiac 12 23 1983 7 33 1984 Ford 15 40 1985 Wood Brothers Racing 6 37 1986 7 16 1987 20 35 1988 21 18 1989 SABCO Racing Pontiac DNQ 1990 22 24 1991 6 16 1992 33 6 1993 1 31 1994 26 39 1995 Team SABCO 13 12 1996 29 18 1997 PE2 Motorsports Pontiac 30 14 1998 39 11 1999 Petty Enterprises Pontiac 24 7 2000 42 25 2001 Dodge 28 16 2002 34 41 2003 30 13 2004 33 21 2005 33 17 2006 12 39 2007 29 42 2008 39 34

Busch Series NASCAR Busch Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Pts Ref 1982 Kerry Bodenhamer 36 Pontiac DAY RCH BRI MAR DAR HCY SBO CRW RCH LGY DOV HCY CLT ASH HCY SBO CAR CRW SBO HCY LGY IRP25 BRI HCY RCH MAR22 CLT HCY MAR 101st 185 1986 Randy Hope Motorsports 47 Buick DAY12 CAR HCY MAR17 BRI DAR28 SBO LGY JFC DOV CLT9 SBO HCY ROU IRP SBO RAL OXF SBO HCY LGY ROU BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR ROU CLT26 CAR MAR 42nd 456 1988 Petty Enterprises 30 Ford DAY12 HCY CAR14 MAR DAR37 BRI18 LNG NZH SBO NSV CLT14 DOV34 ROU LAN LVL MYB OXF SBO HCY LNG IRP8 ROU BRI DAR15 RCH DOV30 MAR CLT37 CAR25 MAR 43rd 537 1989 Highline Racing 82 Pontiac DAY CAR MAR HCY DAR BRI NZH SBO LAN NSV CLT33 DOV DOV4 MAR CLT CAR MAR 61st 370 81 Buick ROU7 LVL VOL MYB SBO HCY DUB IRP ROU BRI DAR RCH 1990 42 Pontiac DAY32 RCH30* CAR2* MAR HCY DAR37 BRI3 LAN SBO NZH36 HCY CLT25 DOVDNQ ROU VOL MYB OXF NHA22 SBO DUB IRP13 ROU BRI16 DAR RCH DOV30 MAR CLT NHA CAR MAR 35th 1079 1995 Team SABCO 42 Pontiac DAY CAR RCH ATL NSV DAR BRI HCY NHA NZH CLT DOV MYB GLN MLW TAL SBO IRP MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV CLT CAR HOMDNQ NA - 1996 Shaver Motorsports 49 Chevy DAY CAR RCH ATL NSV DAR BRI HCY NZH CLT DOV SBO MYB GLN MLW NHA TAL IRP MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV CLT34 CAR HOM17 72nd 173 1997 DAY24 CAR RCH TAL4 NHA NZH CLT38 DOV SBO GLN MLW MYB GTY35 IRP MCHDNQ BRI DAR RCH33 DOV CLT CAL CAR HOM 60th 422 Pontiac ATLDNQ LVS DAR HCY TEX BRI NSV 1998 Andretti-Laird Racing 96 Chevy DAY CAR LVS NSV DAR BRI TEX12 HCY TAL NHA NZH CLT DOV RCH PPR GLN MLW MYB CAL SBO IRP MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV CLT GTY CAR ATL HOM 91st 127 2000 Petty Enterprises 45 Chevy DAY CAR LVS ATL DAR BRI TEX NSV TAL CAL RCH NHA CLT DOV26 SBO MYB GLN MLW8 NZH5 PPR GTY9 IRP15 MCH11 BRI19 DAR13 RCH29 DOV40 CLT17 CAR15 MEM21 PHO16 HOM9 31st 1710

Craftsman Truck Series NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Pts Ref 1997 McCray Racing 42 Chevy WDW TUS HOM PHO POR EVG I70 NHA TEX BRI NZH MLW LVL CNS HPT IRP FLM NSV GLN RCH MAR SON MMR CAL11 PHO LVS 100th 130

Winston West Series NASCAR Winston West Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Pts Ref 1979 Petty Enterprises 4 Chevy RSD MMR RSD EVG YAK POR AAS SHA CRS SON EVG SRP POR ASP ONT PHO 8 60th 43 1980 42 RSD ONT S99 RSD LAG EVG POR SON MMR ONT PHO 3 76th – 1981 Buick RSD S99 AAS MMR RSD LAG POR WSP EVG SHA RSD SON RSD PHO 3 36th 48 1984 Jefferson Racing 7 Ford RSD YAK SIR 17 POR EVG SHA WSR SON MMR RSD PHO 40th 34

ARCA Racing Series (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.) ARCA Racing Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Pts Ref 1979 Petty Enterprises 44 Dodge AVS DAY 1* NSV FRS SLM DSP IMS TAL FRS N/A –

International Race of Champions (key) (Bold – Pole position. * – Most laps led.) International Race of Champions results Year Make 1 2 3 4 Pos. Points Ref 1994 Dodge DAY5 DAR5 TAL7 MCH8 7th 35