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Kyle Petty shares heartfelt birthday message for his father

DSprofileby:Dustin Schutte•07/02/23•

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kyle petty richard petty
(Photo by Paul Warner/Getty Images)

Sunday, NASCAR royalty celebrated a birthday. Richard Petty, nicknamed “The King,” turned 86 years old on July 2, warranting a special message from his son and former driver, Kyle Petty.

Richard is regarded as the greatest NASCAR driver of all-time winning seven Cup Series championships in his career. Kyle followed in his father’s footsteps, jumping into the world of motorsports in a professional realm.

On Sunday, Kyle sent out a tweet to celebrate his father’s birthday.

“I’ve looked up to this man since I was a little boy,” Kyle wrote, sharing multiple images, as well. “He was my hero then and he’s my hero now. Happy Birthday to my Dad.”

Richard participated in 1,184 races in the Cup Series over a 35-year career in NASCAR. He piled up a total of 200 victories and earned 123 pole positions while on the track. “The King” also finished inside the top-10 an impressive 712 times.

He absolutely earned the nickname, “The King.”

Kyle also enjoyed a lengthy career in NASCAR, racing for 30 years in the Cup Series. He participated in 829 events with eight wins, eight poles and 173 top-10 finishes.

NASCAR community wishes Richard Petty Happy Birthday

Kyle wasn’t the only one to wish Richard a happy birthday on Sunday. Several involved in NASCAR sent out messages to “The King” on Twitter.

SiriusXM NASCAR personality Claire B. Lang sent out a tweet.

“Happy Birthday King Richard Petty! Celebrate YOU today,” she wrote. “Have the best bday ever! Retweet to wish Richard a Happy Birthday! He’s one in a million.”

An account named “NASCAR legends” sent out a message, as well.

“Happy Birthday, Richard Petty!” the post said.

ESPN’s Ryan McGee also got in on the action on Twitter, firing off a tweet of his own.

“Annual repost on July 2, aka The King’s Birthday. Richard Petty is 86 today,” McGee said, sharing a story he wrote for ESPN. “I wrote this six years ago for his 80th birthday. 80 reasons to love The King.”

Without question, there’s still a lot of love across the NASCAR community for Richard Petty.