Lee Petty
| Lee Petty | |||||||
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Photo of Lee Petty, circa 1959
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| Born | Lee Arnold Petty March 14, 1914 Randleman, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| Died | April 5, 2000 (aged 86) Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| Cause of death | Abdominal aortic aneurysm | ||||||
| Achievements | 1954, 1958, 1959 Grand National Champion 1959 Daytona 500 Winner (inaugural race) |
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| Awards | Inducted in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1990) Inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1996) North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame Inducted in the NASCAR Hall of Fame (2011) |
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| Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 427 races run over 16 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 1st (1954, 1958, 1959) | ||||||
| First race | (Charlotte) | ||||||
| Last race | 1964 The Glen 151.8 (Watkins Glen) | ||||||
| First win | 1949 untitled race (Pittsburgh) | ||||||
| Last win | 1961 untitled race (Jacksonville) | ||||||
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| Statistics current as of December 21, 2012. | |||||||
Lee Arnold Petty (March 14, 1914 – April 5, 2000) was an American driver who competed during the 1950s and 1960s. He was one of the pioneers of NASCAR and one of its first superstars.
Petty was born near Randleman, North Carolina, the son of Jessie Maude (née Bell) and Judson Ellsworth Petty. He was thirty-five years old before he began racing. He began his NASCAR career at NASCAR's first race at the three-quarter mile long dirt track, Charlotte Speedway. He 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. Petty was also the winner of the inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959.
Twice in his career, Petty was declared the winner of a race after scoring errors were discovered following the race. The two races were the 1959 Daytona 500 and the 1959 Lakewood 500.
In the inaugural race at Daytona International Speedway, Petty battled with Johnny Beauchamp during the final laps of the race. Petty, Beauchamp, and Joe Weatherly drove side by side by side across the finish line at the final lap for a photo finish. Petty drove a 1959 Oldsmobile Super 88 (No. 42), while Beauchamp drove a 1959 Ford Thunderbird (No. 73) and Weatherly did so in a 1959 Chevrolet (No. 48), all coupés. Beauchamp was unofficially declared the winner, and he drove to victory lane. Petty protested the results, saying "I had Beauchamp by a good two feet. In my own mind, I know I won." It took NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr. three days to decide the winner. In the end, with the help of the national newsreel, Petty was officially declared as the winner. His son Richard drove a 1957 Oldsmobile convertible (No. 43) and finished 57th out of the 59 starters after blowing an engine after eight laps.
In a 1999 interview over the controversial finish, Petty expressed his belief that France Sr. knew Petty won, but purposely called Beauchamp the winner to intentionally cause controversy. Petty stated, "France would have done anything to generate publicity for his racetracks."
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