By Reid Spencer, Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

Perhaps the greatest tribute to Lee Petty was what was born of his flesh and of his handiwork surpassed him.

In winning 54 races and three championships in a career that began when NASCAR did, Petty laid the groundwork for an organization that would dominate stock car racing like no other. The high-water mark was 1967, when Richard Petty, scion of the family patriarch, won 27 races—including 10 in a row—en route to the second of his seven Cup titles.


In his own right, as a driver, Lee Petty made an indelible impression on the sport. In 1959, he won the first Daytona 500 but had to wait three days while NASCAR studied photos of his virtual dead heat with Johnny Beauchamp and made it official.


“He didn’t care if he was a legend or a no-name,” Kyle Petty said. “Unlike guys who drive today, and unlike even my father, my grandfather didn’t drive for trophies or for glory. He drove for money. That was essential to being able to keep the business going.


“So, as far as he was concerned, the stuff that came later, like this Hall of Fame induction, didn’t matter. He didn’t drive a car to be in the Hall of Fame. He drove a car to make money. I don’t think he ever sat and thought about being the first three-time champion or one of the first big names in the sport—he never looked at it that way.”


Appropriately, Lee Petty, who died April 5, 2000, left that judgment to others, and on Monday night he’ll receive his due.


The Petty file


Founder of Petty Enterprises, NASCAR’s most successful organization.Won 54 races, tied for ninth-most all time.First driver to win three titles (1954, 1958, 1959).Won first Daytona 500, in 1959.Father or seven-time champion Richard Petty.