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With 200 wins and 7 Championships, Richard Petty remains the undisputed “King” of stock car racing. He earned that nickname through incredible performances on the race track, and we have compiled 5 moments where “The King” shone the brightest.

• For this list, we want to focus on the most impressive moments of Richard Petty’s career. Not necessarily his greatest achievements, but, the moments where his incredible prowess shone brightest.
• Richard Petty raced in NASCAR from 1959 to 1992, setting records in nearly every major statistical category. Many of his NASCAR records remain untouched, and things will likely stay that way for a long time to come.
• Fans still love Richard Petty to this day, and he will forever be highly respected among fans, pundits, and drivers alike. He is “The King”, and he always will be.

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#5 Petty Sets Modern Era Wins Record (1975)

Richard Petty grabbed NASCAR’s modern era by the horns in the early 1970s, winning 3 Championships in 4 years between 1972 and 1975. His most impressive season came in 1975, where he won a modern-era record 13 races in a single season. This included a 4-month stretch between the Memorial Day World 600 at Charlotte and the September race at North Wilkesboro where Petty never finished worse than 2nd.

While Jeff Gordon tied this mark in a 33-race schedule in 1998, Petty did this in a 30-race season, and win number 13 for Petty came in race 28 at Bristol. It took Gordon all the way until race 33 at Atlanta to tie Petty. It can be debated which one was more impressive, but, Petty did it first.

#4 Petty Sets Wins Race No. 200 (1984 Firecracker 400)

Richard Petty was determined to squeeze out win number 200 when the Cup Series headed to Daytona for the traditional 4th of July race. With President Ronald Reagan in attendance, Petty fought with Cale Yarborough for the win, with Petty just edging Yarborough. Petty was interviewed alongside President Reagan, and the garage enjoyed a fried chicken feast after the race.

Petty’s 200-win mark is and forever will be unbeatable. This was his last win as a race car driver, but what a win it was.

#3 Petty Bests Hotshot to Win Championship No. 7 (1979 Ontario 500)

In 1979, a young hotshot named Darrell Waltrip burst onto the NASCAR scene, but, Richard Petty showed Waltrip that Petty was still “The King”. Petty trailed Waltrip for most of the season, but the two were only two points apart heading into the season finale at Ontario Motor Speedway. Petty finished 5th to take home the title.

It was Petty’s 7th Championship, and no one has been able to top that. Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson have tied that mark, but, Petty still did it first. He also did this coming off of his first winless season since 1959.

#2 Petty Dominates for 1st Daytona 500 Win (1964)

In 1964, at the tender age of 26, Richard Petty had perhaps the most dominant performance in Daytona 500 history. He led 184 of 200 laps on that day including the final 149 laps consecutively. He won the race by a full lap over Jimmy Pardue.

This was Petty’s breakout moment. He went on to win the 1964 Championship, his first of 7, and this Daytona 500 win was his first of 7. While plenty of incredible moments came after, no more dominant win came on a bigger stage.

#1 The Most DOMINANT NASCAR Season Ever (1967)

The greatest single season in NASCAR history will forever be Richard Petty’s 1967 effort. He won an astounding 27 races with 38 top-5s, 40 top-10s, an average start of 2.4, and an average finish of 5.0. Those numbers are absurd, and the record of 27 race wins has never been touched.

Petty took home over half of the 49 races in 1967. This led him to his second Championship, and he established himself as the most dominant driver of all time.

What was your favorite Richard Petty moment? What best defined “The King”?