NASCAR fans were in store for a very special Fourth of July celebration as they watched the sport’s one and only “King” ride once again Saturday night at the Daytona International Speedway. An estimated crowd of 115,000 were on their feet applauding Richard Petty, who made pace laps in his legendary #43 before the start of the 400 mile race.

Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images

Considered to be the greatest NASCAR driver of all-time, Petty’s stats have set the bar in the sport. He has posted over 700 top-10 finishes and collected a record 127 pole awards. Nobody has come close to his record 200-career wins.  To this date, it’s still 95 more than any other driver. In the 1967 season alone, Petty won a record 27 races including ten consecutively. Due to his dominance that season, his nickname changed from “The Randleman Rocket” to “King Richard”. Petty’s record seven championships has only been challenged by one other driver, Dale Earnhardt.

The two and a half mile high-banked race track in Daytona Beach, Florida plays a significant role in Petty’s legacy. He won the Daytona 500 a record number seven times. His final and record-breaking 200th race win was there on July 4, 1984. Saturday marked the 25th anniversary of Petty’s last win two days after his 72nd birthday. Ronald Reagan was in attendance that night. It was the first time a sitting President attended a NASCAR race.  “It’s not every 4th of July you get to sit down with the President of the United States and have chicken wings or something. It was a pretty neat deal,” Petty recollected. “Winning my 200th on July 4th at Daytona with President Reagan in attendance was a special moment in my career. I’m looking forward to reminiscing about that milestone with the fans.”

Petty was busy throughout the entire  race weekend meeting with the press and taking part in many exclusive fan-only activities at the track. Greeting fans and signing autographs were always known as being Petty’s forte. Even after retiring following the 1992 season, fans can still find him at  almost every race on the current 36-race Sprint Cup Series schedule. He takes an active role as part-owner in Richard Petty Motorsports, which fields 4 cars in the series (#9, #19, #43 and #44).

The question remains, in this day and age of considerably competitive racing, can there be another “King”?

An exhibit of Petty’s race-winning cars on loan from the Petty Museum in Randleman, NC will run until the end of the year inside the Daytona 500 experience at the track. For more details, click here to go to www.daytona500experience.com

Photo Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR