Randy Lewis

Richard Petty Museum, Randleman, North Carolina

 

This was the highlight of my entire trackchasing trip.  I have been a Richard Petty fan from a very early age.  A skeptic might question the integrity of this statement.  I offer the following two points to back up my claim.

 

Our youngest son is named James Richard Lewis.  There has been a long ongoing discussion in the family on whether or not Jim was named after Richard Petty.  Carol says no, I provide the alternative view.  There are no other “Richards” in our family.  Jim has been known to be called “Jimmy Richard Petty” when it was time to come to the dinner table.  I’ll let you be the judge about the origin of his name.

 

The first car I ever purchased with my own money was a pale blue 1964 Ford Falcon Futura.  I paid $700 for it 1967.  Back then that car sold for about $2,500 new.  The car needed engine work and I wanted it repainted.  I took it to a Peoria Speedway racer who owned a body shop and asked to have it painted “Petty blue.”  I figured a racer could get this request right.  Wrong!

 

The car came back a much darker blue than I was looking for.  It was pretty, but not what I wanted.  Back then, I wasn’t as assertive as I am today.  I accepted the product, even though it wasn’t what I wanted.

 

You be the judge.  I named my youngest son after Richard Petty and tried to paint my personal car like the “King’s” car.  Of course, all of this was before any NASCAR races were ever televised in their entirety on TV.  Yes, I was ahead of my time and a Richard Petty fan.

 

I am happy to report that I got Richard Petty’s autograph back in about 1978 behind a pit building at the Phoenix International Raceway.  Petty’s picture was on the event program and he won the Winston West race that day breaking a long winless drought.  The sun was setting and there was just a fan or two along with Richard and me to share the moment.

 

A few years later, my stepfather, Bill, and I were walking the pits at Bristol.  We had gotten off the beaten path a bit back where several parked spectator cars were.  There wasn’t anybody around as we walked in this area.  Just at that moment, who would be approaching us from about 30 yards but Richard Petty.  As I recall it, Bill and I were just staring at the man.  As he passed he looked at us, nodded and said, “How ya doin’’ and  kept on walking.  That made our day!

 

Today I was seeing the “new” Richard Petty Museum.  It is located in downtown Randleman.  The original museum used to be at the Petty race shop.  I was there separately with my stepfather, Carol and once by myself.  Yes, I am a Richard Petty fan.

 

The new museum has been in its present location for more than five years.  It’s modern and has a ton of  memorabilia from Richard’s career.  There are about 10 different racecars on display, including a reproduction of his dad’s (Lee) ’59 Oldsmobile that won the inaugural Daytona 500 as well as a legend and flat kart driven by grandson, Adam.

 

A highlight is a one-hour DVD that runs continuously.  It details the life and times of Richard Petty.  The trophy case houses hundreds of very large and exotic trophies.  Richard’s wife, Linda, has hundreds of collectible dolls on display.  Richard’s firearm collection is included in the tour.  There are also many, many photographs, several with former U.S. presidents. 

 

One of the facts mentioned in the DVD was Richard’s brief drag racing career.  He went drag racing for a year or so, when the Chrysler Hemi engine was banned from NASCAR.  A downside to his drag racing came when he lost control of his car and struck and killed a young boy.  Many may not remember this tragedy.

 

You get all of this for an admission price of just five dollars.  There is, as you would imagine, an opportunity to buy souvenirs.  I have always been disappointed in the Petty souvenir offerings.  They never seem to over anything in Petty blue.  Nevertheless, I bought a denim shirt and  several postcards for my friends.