Maurice Petty
Maurice Petty | |||||||
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Born | Level Cross,North Carolina,U.S. | March 27, 1939||||||
Died | July 25, 2020 | (aged 81)||||||
Awards | International Motorsports Hall of Fame(2011) NASCAR Hall of Fame(2014) | ||||||
NASCARCup Seriescareer | |||||||
26 races run over 5 years | |||||||
Best finish | 57th (1962) | ||||||
First race | 1960Race 28 (Dixie) | ||||||
Last race | 1964Joe Weatherly 150(Occoneechee) | ||||||
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Maurice Petty(March 27, 1939 – July 25, 2020) was an AmericanNASCARcrew chief and engine builder forPetty Enterprises,of which he was part owner. He was inducted into theInternational Motorsports Hall of Famein 2011. He was subsequently enshrined into theNASCAR Hall of Famein 2014. He was the first engine builder to be inducted into that Hall.
Early life
[edit]Petty was born inLevel Cross,North Carolina,on March 27, 1939. As a child, he would follow his father,Lee Petty,to the race track. The younger Petty's mechanical skills were credited as having played an "integral part" in his father's success. Although he himself started 26 times in theNASCAR Cup Seriesbetween 1960 and 1964, he soon elected to focus on engine building.[1]
Career
[edit]Petty Enterprises was founded by Lee Petty and his two sons. The Petty family, working together as a team, corporately won over 250 races. Maurice primarily served the organization as engine builder and crew chief. He raced for the organization in 26 competitions from 1960 to 1964. As a driver, his best finish was third place at the Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds inSpartanburg, South Carolinain 1961.[2]In 1970, Petty was the crew chief forPete Hamilton,who won three races for Petty Enterprises, including the 1970 Daytona 500 and both races atTalladega Superspeedway.[3]As an engine builder, Maurice built the motors that helped his brother Richard win a record 200 victories, along with seven Cup Series championships.[2]
In 2011, Maurice Petty was inducted into theInternational Motorsports Hall of FameinTalladega, Alabama,in recognition of his career as a team owner, engine builder, crew chief, and driver.[4]Three years later, he was enshrined into theNASCAR Hall of Fame.He became the first engine builder to be inducted into that Hall,[1]as well as the fourth member from Petty Enterprises.[5]
Personal life and Death
[edit]Petty was the younger brother ofRichard Petty,[2]who depended on his engines throughout the latter's career.[1]He was also the uncle ofKyle PettyandTrent Owens,[1]and the great uncle ofAdam Petty.[6]Maurice was married to Patricia for 52 years, until her death in 2014.[1][6]Maurice had three sons: Timmy,MarkandRitchie.[7]Maurice Petty suffered from polio as a child, and ongoing effects of the illness resulted in him becoming less mobile, which played a role in his retirement from the Petty Enterprises team.[8]
Petty died on the morning of July 25, 2020, at age 81. The cause of death was undisclosed.[1][9]
Honors and awards
[edit]- 2011:International Motorsports Hall of Fameinductee[10]
- 2013:NASCAR Hall of Famenominee[2]
- 2014: NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2014[2]
Motorsports career results
[edit]Source:[11]
NASCAR
[edit](key) (Bold– Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics– Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Grand National Series
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abcdefSkretta, Dave (July 25, 2020)."Maurice Petty, Hall of Fame engine builder, dies at 81".Associated Press.RetrievedJuly 25,2020.
- ^abcde"Maurice Petty".Nascar. March 27, 1939.RetrievedApril 13,2013.
- ^"Pete Hamilton Interview".Archived fromthe originalon March 24, 2017.RetrievedApril 14,2013.
- ^"Patricia Petty, wife of Maurice Petty, dies".Motorsport. May 12, 2014.RetrievedJuly 25,2020.
- ^Gluck, Jeff (January 29, 2014)."Maurice Petty completes family portrait in NASCAR Hall of Fame".USA Today.RetrievedJuly 25,2020.
- ^abEstrada, Chris (May 12, 2014)."Patricia Petty, wife of Maurice and sister-in-law of Richard, died on Sunday".NBC Sports.RetrievedJuly 25,2020.
- ^"Eldest son continues Maurice Petty's legacy".NASCAR.RetrievedSeptember 4,2023.
- ^Freedman, Lew (2013).Encyclopedia of Stock Car Racing.United States: Pitstop Publishing. p. 596.ISBN978-0313387098.RetrievedJuly 27,2020.
- ^Maurice Petty, NASCAR Hall of Fame engine builder, dies
- ^"Maurice Petty".Archived fromthe originalon August 12, 2013.RetrievedApril 26,2013.
- ^"Maurice Petty NASCAR Statistics".NASCAR Driver Averages.RetrievedJuly 25,2020.
External links
[edit]- Maurice Pettydriver statistics at Racing-Reference
- Maurice Pettyowner statistics at Racing-Reference
- Maurice Pettycrew chief statistics at Racing-Reference
- "2 Minutes With.." Interview Video