Richard Petty recalls spinning his dad at Martinsville in 1961
Richard Petty lives by the phrase, “bumping is racing,” even if it involves family. “The King” recently recalled a time at Martinsville when he accidentally spun out his dad, Lee Petty.
As part of NASCAR‘s 75-year anniversary, Richard talked about a 1961 race in Martinsville when he got a little too aggressive driving into the corners. He ended up spinning out his dad and causing damage to both cars.
The only time it’s acceptable to strike your father’s car is on the racetrack. We’re not even sure it’s appropriate then, either.
“This is at Martinsville, 1961. Went into the third corner and I went in faster than dad went in,” Petty said, laughing. “Then I spun him out. And I think it tore up both race cars. Just one of my stupid mistakes that I made.
“I looked at it, Dad looked at it, that’s a racing accident. If you’re on the racetrack, from time to time, you’re gonna hit somebody. Whether it’s your dad or your son, or somebody you like or somebody you don’t like, you’re gonna run into somebody.”
So, even though it wasn’t the best day for the two drivers, they obviously put it behind them pretty quickly.
Both Richard and Lee are regarded as two of the best drivers in the history of motorsports. It just goes to show how even the best of the best — even when they’re father-son — can make some embarrassing mistakes while on the track.
NASCAR heads to Pocono Raceway
The 2023 NASCAR regular season is beginning to wind down, meaning the playoffs are just around the corner. This weekend, the Cup Series heads to Pocono Raceway for the Highpoint.com 400.
Just six races remain in the regular season, meaning drivers are scrapping and clawing to get into the playoff picture before the month of September arrives.
After winning his third race of the season last weekend, Martin Truex Jr. enters Sunday as a favorite to take home the checkered flag on Sunday. He’s listed with 11-2 odds, per BetMGM. He shares those odds with Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, which should make for an interesting weekend on the track.
Behind the three favorites to win Sunday’s race are Kyle Larson (15-2) and William Byron (11-1).
The HighPoint.com 400 from Pocono Raceway is scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. ET start. Broadcast coverage of the NASCAR Cup Series race comes via USA Network.
Last year’s winner for this event at Pocony was Chase Elliott.