Richard Petty 1970 Plymouth Superbird University of Racing 1:24 Nascar Diecast

Richard Petty began racing on July 18, 1958, only 16 days after his 21st birthday. In 1959, he was named "Rookie of the Year" after he produced 9 top 10 finishes, including 6 top 5's.

Richard Petty is called "The King" for good reason. In his 35-year career, Richard became the first driver to win the Cup Series championship seven times, while also winning a record 200 races, 555 top-5's, 712 top-10*s and 123 poles.

This included winning the Daytona 500 a record seven times and winning a record 27 races (10 consecutive) in the 1967 season. He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame Inaugural class in 2010.

Richard's final race would come at the 1992. Hooters 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. In true Petty fashion, after a crash and fire in his car on lap 94, his pit crew would get the car running again with two laps to go and Richard would finish his final race. After the race. Petty circled the track to salute the fans one final time.

In the words of "The King" himself, "I quit driving, I'm not retired."