Episode 227 -- Ritchie, Mark and Timmy Petty on Their Family's Stunning NASCAR Legacy

Episode Transcript
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(00:03):
Hello. My name is Rick Houston, and welcome to the Scene Bought Podcast,
your source for all things NASCAR history, presented by Las Vegas Motor Speedway,
America's racing show place. We cansit right here and talk about our
family lot we want, But youlet one sign of a gun coming here
and talk about about them, andyou're gonna have all of us on him.

(00:27):
So I didn't get off my bikeand push. I just rode through.
Well, little about know his carwas down the shop and guys working
on him. He's sitting there waitingon me, and he's saying, golf
cl about and clothes. Allow me. As soon as grandfather seen what I
had, he sat down, Timothy, don't be shooting out in the house.
So I went upstairs to her sewingroom, which is right above the
delivering room where they sit there andwatch gun smoke. Well, that's the

(00:50):
first thing I do. I firedup booger off, Daddy and Mama every
time we left the house. Loveyou, love you the day NASCAR and
all of us associated in anyway.When NASCAR forget it's past, that's today.
We don't have any future. Helloeveryone, I'm Steve Wade, and

(01:18):
my name is Rick Houston and welcometo the Steam Bought Podcast, presented by
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, America's racingshow place in the track that really does
care about NASCAR history. Steve,twenty twenty three, our first episode of
a new year. What do youthink about that, Buddy, I'll tell
you what. It's gonna be agreat year for us, Rick, and

(01:40):
a great year for our listeners.Well, at the end of the show,
we're going to include a little bitof a preview of content that we
already have in the can. Someof the interviews that we've done good stuff
too. It is really good stuffand I'm excited about getting out there now.

(02:00):
On this podcast, we have mentionedmany many times how I personally feel
that our listeners are, hands down, without a doubt, no two ways
about it, the very best inall of podcasting. And it doesn't matter
if it's a NASCAR related show ornot. And Rick, you will get

(02:21):
no argument out of me. Ninethe kindnesses and the generosity that we have
been shown since we first started doingthis podcast nearly five years ago, Steve,
can you believe that we have beendoing this podcast for four and a
half years, No, sir,I cannot. When we started this podcast
together, I think it was backin my old house and you other part

(02:45):
of Charlotte. You drove all theway down there once a week to do
that, and I thought to myself, I don't know how much long ago,
Rick is going to be able toput up with this. Well,
my friend, you have put upwith a lot of the same token five
years going on. Five years.Just remarkable. I don't know if you
remember this, but that very firstday that I came down to sit down

(03:07):
with you for this podcast, Iforgot a part that connects the computer to
the soundboard. We couldn't do itthat day. I had to go back
home, which is a little overan hour's drive, and then come back
to deck stay and I could seeit in your eyes. Sat Now back

(03:30):
to our listeners, our Patreon support, our PayPal support, Venmo, all
kinds of different support that keeps thisshow going. We have to have it
in order to keep going. Butsteve along the way. I have also
received some absolutely amazing gifts. Ourlisteners are the most generous that I know

(03:52):
of, Pierre. I agree withthe Rick. I know about these gifts
that you received, And you're aboutto tell us another story about it all.
Yes, I am my friend.Bill Stripling took Adam and Jesse and
me to Martinsville last spring. Ihave received a photograph autographed by Tom Landry
from Jerry Vernold. I received avery nice diecast car autographed by David Pearson

(04:16):
from David light a violas sand fromOmaha Beach from Chris Wolf, a custom
diecast car featuring an Andy Griffith Showpaint scheme from Daniel Collins, A couple
of model cars from Jeremy Ruckellhoff,A ton of stuff for the studio from
Jamie Bishop. Jamie has helped usout more ways than I could possibly count,

(04:42):
but he did give us a lotof stuff for the studio. Robin
Scarberry trip ropes Jeff Markovski. Igot newspapers featuring the Apollo eleven Lunar landing
from Kathleen McDonald and her friend JulieBisley. Several Steve Wade Rook cards from
halle Emery. That's worth a fortune, right, There's well if you say

(05:04):
so. I also received the audiobook version of the book The Boys by
Ron and Clint Howard, Opie andLeon from the Andy Griffiths Show from Scott
Cole and I listened to it.It's one of the best audio books I've
ever heard. Because Ron Howard actuallyread the audio book. It was like

(05:26):
getting a guided to her through hislife from Opie himself. That is awesome,
Rick, That's awesome. Last,but certainly not least, Bob Blaird
gave me a helmet worn by RichardFreakin Petty. That's more than awesome.
Rick. Now this Christmas, myfaith in the kindness of others was restored

(05:47):
one more time. And Steve,you know this story, but it's one
that I have to tell because itmeans so much to me and it always
will. There was a print releasedback in nineteen ninety eight featuring NASCAR's fifty
Greatest Drivers and it was signed byall of the surviving members. It's signed

(06:10):
by thirty five people and they arelegends. Richard Petty, Deal Earnhardt,
David Pearson, Junior, Johnson,Darryl Walk You named the driver who was
on that list, and if theywere still living, their signatures are in
this poster. Each of the driversand the families of those who had already
passed on received prints, and overthe years several have been available at oxtion.

(06:34):
Now I've tried been on one.I tried sniping at the last minute.
Yes I did, and I admitit, but it didn't work out.
But it always got out of reachreally quickly, and my bids didn't
even meet the reserve prize. SoI'm never going to get one of these
things. Well, the fact thatyour bids didn't need meet your reserve prize

(06:58):
give me a pretty good idea howmuch that print is really worth. Rick
I tweeted during the offseason and askedour followers what their holy grail piece of
NASCAR memorabil you would be, whatprize NASCAR item they would like to receive
for Christmas, And I included apicture of that print because that would be
my NASCAR holy grad period. Notlong afterwards, somebody sent me a link

(07:24):
to one on Facebook's marketplace that wasavailable for a price that I could maybe
kind of sort of afford. IfI bartered and dickered and sold off a
couple of my NASA treasures, maybesome blood, maybe some plasma or something
like that, I could see myselfgetting it. The fact that you would
set off some NASA treasures, whoyou really wanted this print? I'm serious.

(07:47):
Now I sold all some NASA stuff. There we go. Well,
even then, I still wasn't sure, and so I actually posted the link
to that print in Facebook's marketplace andI said, will somebody please buy this?
So I won't be tempted to myself. But with that being said,

(08:07):
I started to kind of obsess aboutit, and I sold everything off.
I got the money, I gotback in touch with the seller, whose
name is Sam Cogburn, who thentold me it had already been sold to
somebody else. Oh man, Andthere was a part of me that was
actually relieved because I wouldn't have toworry about it. I wouldn't have to

(08:28):
have that beacon light shot it outthere. Yeah, you had to be
disappointed. Come on, well,all that work and raising all that money
and it's gone. Well, youknow, sometimes things work out. That
deal supposedly fell through, So Genieand I made the trip to meet Sam

(08:50):
in Sanford, North Carolina, JDMcDuffie's hometown. Yes it is so I
could buy the primp. And honestly, even making the two hour trip down
to Sam, I wasn't quite surewhat to expect because Sam didn't want me
to pay him be a PayPal.He said he wanted me to see the
print first to make sure it waswhat I thought it was. And honestly,

(09:13):
yes, I'm a journalist, andjournalists tend to be sometimes a little
bit cynical. So in the backof my mind, I'm thinking that old
Sam has got me on the line, but he doesn't want to accept the
money. He's maybe entertaining other offersto get a little bit more money out
of or a whole lot more moneyout of it. So we meet and

(09:33):
there's the print and it's gleaming inthe afternoon sun, like the Ark of
the Covenant in Raiders of the LostArt. Rick worted, I'm gonna put
that I know about the Ark ofthe Covenant and Raiders of the Laws of
Art, but I would have neversaid it to anything about a year Steve.

(09:54):
This thing was beautiful. It islegit. It's the real deal.
It is this print and Steve,I go to hand Sam the money and
he says, no, you keepthat somebody bought it for you. You
are kidding me. I have beentold a lot of things over the years

(10:16):
that left me absolutely stunned. Hey, Rick, when could you start work
at Weston Cup scene Rick and Jennie. You're having twins. Hey, Rick,
you and Squat looked just like it. Okay, you had to go,
Okay, this is a feel goodstory and you have to go the

(10:37):
Sasquat trout. I'm glad nothing haschanged in twenty three. He then put
me on the phone with that personwho asked that their name not be used
here on the show or social media. And if they don't want it used,
it ain't gonna be used. AndSteve, I couldn't help it.

(10:58):
I got kind of emotional. Now, Christmas was okay this year, but
I always tend to get a littleblue as it approaches. I've lost my
mom and my dad, but thisyear, in particular, I got even
a little more spun out about notgetting to see my granddaughter celebrate. She's
the daughter of my son from myfirst marriage. And you think this story

(11:20):
is long, that's a way longerodyssey. So I was dealing with that,
and Christmas was Christmas, and Christmaswas over, and there I am
standing on Main Street and Sanford withthis amazing gift that I had wanted,
that yeah, I coveted for morethan twenty years because of a little old

(11:43):
podcast that you and I produce.Rick, That's an amazing Christmas story.
And I really feel good for youbecause you wanted that so bad that you
worked so hard to get it,and then somebody at the thoughtfulness to give
it to you as a gift justtremendous. I gotta be honest with you,
I'm humbled. I don't deserve theprint, especially giving its historical significance

(12:07):
in the number of people who signedit. So listeners, everybody, thank
you so much for keeping us going. You guys do not know what your
encouragement means to me and how itkeeps me going. All I can say
is this, because of that encouragement, we're gonna keep doing this podcast,

(12:28):
and we're gonna keep doing our bestto bring you the best content that we
possibly can. I'dgree right there withyou, Rick, We're right there with
you. That great content starts withour first interview of the year. We're
bringing out the big guns to getthings started off right. This week,

(12:48):
we have the first of what willbe three installments with Richie Mark and Timmy
Petty Maurice Petty's sons. Haven't rememberthose three gentlemen. Several times in the
past, Rick had got a fitting. This could be wild. They take
us through what it was like togrow up as part of one of NASCAR's

(13:11):
most famous families and the standards thatthey were expected to live up to.
And let's just put it this way, you did not mess with Lee Petty's
putting green at all period. Endof discussion. One of his most hard

(13:33):
line rules. Oh Lee was justabout as fun as a golf as he
was a racing. He took itpretty seriously. Well, let's put it
this way. There was a mentionof a belt owned by Maurice Petty that
he had received in conjunction with oneof the Winston Cup championships that the team
had won. And let's just saythat that belt hadn't just been used to

(13:58):
hold Maurice's pants up. Of that, I have new doubt. I suspect
it was a worthwhile learning device.Then, in our second segment, we're
going to go back to the Octoberfourth, nineteen seventy nine issue of Grand
National. Saint Rain washes out therace at North Wilkesboro, but not before

(14:20):
deal Earnhardt has a chance to breakthe track qualifying effort. We've got features
on Richard Petty's eight hundredth NASCAR startand crew chief Bob Johnson, as well
as a letter to the editor froma rival crew chief curious with Darryl Waltrip.
And when I say furious, thisold boy was spun out. Absolutely

(14:43):
he did not like what happened tohim. I don't know that spun out
is the right term. Maybe beingused as a hood ornament was his issue.
And then, finally, if you'rewondering why this issue in particular was
our issue of the week, thereis a Gene Granger column dreaming about the

(15:03):
perfect cast or a NASCAR movie.Oh just wait until you hear who Jeen
picked to play you. I'm notsure I want to. Oh, it's
a good one. This week wehave new Patreon support from Kevin McKenzie and

(15:24):
some additional support from Bobby Tidwell.Now, normally, at this point in
our episode we would be talking aboutPatreon and PayPal and how important it is
to receive that funding, and itis important, we can't do this show
without it. But this week I'mnot going to ask for Patreon support.
I'm not gonna give out that link. And here's why. Steve, our

(15:48):
friend Tony Liberotti, you know him, as Rambo. That's right. He
has had some surgery triple bypass,and I went to see him in the
hospital and he was obviously being Rambo. But after the surgery he has encountered
some problems and he's went back andforth to the ICU. I got a

(16:10):
text from his wife, a VETthis morning. He's doing better. Let's
just say that it's going to bea little bit of a road coming back
for Rambo. A go fund Meaccount has been started to help defray some
of the costs that they are goingto be experiencing in the coming months.
Rambo is ensured, but they dohave a deductible and everything. So with

(16:33):
the kind of surgeries that he's hadand the difficulties that he's encountered since then,
NASCAR people help out their own.They always have and they always will.
So go check out that link.I've pinned it to the top of
our Twitter feed so you can findthe link there. Please support it however

(16:55):
you can. If you can't doanything monetarily, support it by retweeting it,
by sharing it and letting other peopleknow about it. So help Tony
Rambo out. With that being said, just as a reminder, this show
is not affiliated in any way withAmerican City business journalist owner of the same

(17:18):
brand. So first of all,introduce yourselves, Timmy, then Richie,
and then finally the kid brother Mark. I'm Timmy, Petty, Richie,
Petty um the baby Mark. Foreach of you, what is your earliest

(17:45):
memory of your dad being involved inracing? First, anybody, anybody just
jumping started. I can remember anearly on and Daddy did like he would
take it was a real race car, but he would take into different places
and I didn't realize what it was. So that was probably on up in

(18:07):
sixties, you know, before seventiesfor sure. So and then you know,
we went to Daytona and Atlanta andsomewhere else would have had a lake
in the middle of it, andI was told not to go near that
lake once. The first thing Ido going to the lake. Did you
go to the lake? You know? And you can only imagine what happened
out with that. Well, Iwas. I was born in sixty eight,

(18:30):
and so I guess my earliest memorieswould have been early seventies and us
going to the races with Daddy aroundthe race shop. I didn't think nothing
about, you know, being racecars and it was just that was home.
But I can remember, you know, when we was kids going to
the races with Daddy, probably seventyseventy one seventy two. I can probably
have a little bit of memories ofhim at the race tracks and early memories.

(18:55):
Are you actually named after Richard?Well, yes, and it's uh,
it's been I can't it's been aggravatingthrough the years because back in the
day when he was the when hewas when he was the heat whatever,
I'd go to the doctor's office andthat say Richard Petty and then everybody's looking
like where's he And I'm like,no, I'm not, not, not

(19:17):
the elder guy there. But yeah, I think it was. It was
the story went that I don't evenknow how, I can't remember what the
race was, but that Mama hadtold him, if you win this race,
then we'll name him after after you. And sure enough he went won
the race. But at that's howmild he is winning everything going. So
well, you know, I've gota son named Richard, and I've got
a son named Adam. Okay,and it's not my point incidence. Okay,

(19:41):
Well, I'm uh, I'm RichardEllsworth and this is Mark Judson.
Lee's Dad's name was Judson Ellsworth.Daddy's middle name was Maurice Ellsworth, so
I got him. I'm named afterRichard and after daddy, and uh,
I guess Lee's dad and he's namedafter Lee's dad Wood Wood Judson. And

(20:02):
then Mark has a son. I'mgetting an up step. That's fine,
Mark, Mark has a son's name, and his name's Judson, and my
son Ramsey's. He's carried on toEllsworths and Ramsey Ellsworth and Judson. Ye,
which is operated. You know somethingthat I have been intrigued by ever
since I walked in the door.Most people listening to this would think of

(20:25):
the Petties going back to the daysof late Patty. You know, that's
when that's when the Petty family started. You guys have done research going back
generations upon generations upon generations. Well, with grandmother's side, we can we
can trace it back to the beginningsand level cross and probably eighteen seventies.

(20:48):
But Lee's daddy, we go backwith him into uh the early nineteen hundreds.
But they his his grandfather's grandfather.He lived up here above the road
Bernard's Chapel and uh, but theycome out of Greensboro. But the Tombs
and the Hodggens on grandmother's side,that's who come out of Level Cross.

(21:10):
So so we can go back tothe eighteen seventy is chasing back to those
guys and uh and with grandmothers,uh, grandfathers both sides the earlier than
that in the Civil War. That'swhy that's why I'm going back to where
Richie's our historian. But I hearwhere we was lucky. Um my opinion

(21:30):
through the maybe from about eighty sixwhen we started when Dad started Maury's Petting
Associates, so we started racing atCaroway or whatever. But from then up
until we lost grandfather, he comedown here every day even thirty, picked
us up and we went to lunch. Wow. And so we were fortunate
that our history lessons came straight fromthe horse's mouth, right. And grandmother

(21:55):
spent a lot of time down hereon earth. You know, she'd visit
up there with Richard Petties, andpart of her routine that we will always
listen when they told family stories andwe go back to with the racing side
of it. For the Petties,you got to remember our grandfather was in
the very first race. Our dadand our uncle and our grandmother were in

(22:18):
the stands at the first race.So we go back to the beginnings of
NASCAR. As far as the storyis what he's telling you. They would
tell us stuff every day and wewould would We were like sponges. We
would absorb it. Yeah, we'repretty proud that yeah part. And he
would what he would learn a littlebit, and he'd learn a little bit,
and I'd learn a little bit.We'd put it together and well,
that's how we continue to remember it. And that's why we're trying to do

(22:41):
a little YouTube channel now of ourown, is to document the stories that
they taught us so we can keepthem alive for our kids to generations to
come, because you know, we'refifties and Timmy's sixty. We're not spring
chickens anymore, and we're afraid we'regonna start forgetting this stuff. So we're
trying to document it for our kidsand our grandkids coming up. Because of
that relationship with your grandparents and thembeing a part of your lives and taking

(23:04):
you to lunch and telling you thefamily stories, I get the sense that
you guys are kind of the keepersof the petty tradition, because I mean,
you have a museum in this shophere that's separate from the one that
most of the public knows. Well, I guess we were. We were
kind of fortunate that our grandmother didn'tthrow anything away and our mother and our

(23:26):
mother she was the same way.Yeah, and we've done a good job.
Yeah. But grandfather one of hishis deals was, you know,
put that into when you might needit later. And Daddy continue that.
So we got it on both ends. So what's your our last memory of
it. I was born in nineteensixty nine, so I'm I'm the latest
or the youngest, but I'm likeRitchie. I remember going to the races.

(23:51):
Our dad bought a Travco motor home. He's probably one of the first
ones to carry a bus to theracetrack, but he'd done that so the
family could be together, Mom andall his kids, and man, if
you that's some of my earliest memoriesis going to the races in the motor
home, and especially when we goto Atlanta or of Talladega, we stopped

(24:11):
Spartanburg and pick up our grandparents.Through Popery had worked for Bud Moore at
the time, but he'd still ridefrom there with us in the campus.
So it was a big family deal. And if you really track through our
whole race and from then, fromthe time Wiz Babies all the way up,
it was all done as a family. Our mom and dad were really
big on everybody doing lanes together andwe were blessed. I don't know that

(24:33):
we knew the blessings of being asa family, but you know, we
went and run Arca would Richie andall that stuff. Mom and Dad was
there. It was just it wasit was us, and it's well,
I think that went back memory.I think that went back to Daddy growing
up with grandmother and grandfather and Richardall going to the races together. It
was a family unit. They weretightening it. I mean grandmother was making
lunches for to the pit crew andthen as that went on, as they

(24:56):
grooved, and mother and Linda thenthey were making the lunches and stuff for
the pick throughs that that was thecatering service. So it was all a
big family deal. But like Marksaid, Daddy was really tight about having
us together. It was when hecould. We was always at the races
with him. Seriously, to addto Mark's story. Um, not On
Pop had went to Talladega separately,and Pop came south with Tiny Lunn out

(25:22):
of Iowa or wherever it was.You know he's at away. Well I'm
out or Tiny was from it Powatoo, But anyway, Tiny, I
forget what year it was, buthe tragically lost his life at Tallada and
not On Pop we drove home andI remember how upset Pop and at the
time, you know, you've beena kid. You didn't realize, Mama
said, y'all, y'all be quiteone of one of Pop's best friends.

(25:45):
Yeah, and we we knew ofTiny, but we didn't know the story
until later. Pop was your KennethKenny Miles, our mom's dad, okay,
all right, our mom's stepped dad. But he it was Pop Miller
and grandfather Patty for sure. Popcall him grandfather Lee boy. Yeah.

(26:10):
Well wait from later on as hegot as he mailed out, when you
was a young feller, you wentin there, it was grandmother and grandfather
and there was he didn't win.We called grandfather at the end of his
really strict days, and then wewere fortunate to be around him when he
mailed out lightened up a little bit. Yeah, but we got to see
enough of it that we need andwe knew the total and we seem the

(26:30):
same with our with our dad.But the intensity that he had in the
seventies that we grew up with towhen the eighties and nineties we could see
a change in him. So wewere around some of the most intense times
that you could think of of ourgrandfather and our dad, and then we've
seen the most melot times of them. Now, how much time did you

(26:51):
guys spend here at the shop?How far away? Did you live?
Right across the road? Yeah,and well, I say, and even
I still live right through the woodsrun but you know, less than a
quarter mile Mark live is still rightright here in Richards ridal house and the
house and her beside and grandfather's alittle brick house. Yeah, that was
Richard Linda. They built that housein sixty two. And daddy, Daddy,

(27:12):
he lived right across the road,and then grandmother. So you know,
we've and my son Jason's living withmy mom and dad, so that's
where he's living now. So yeah, and our sister Lizabeth Ann lives right
across the roads. Now, doesanybody live in your grandparents' house. No,
it's it's actually I'm sorry, it'sactually a historical site. Now it's
part of a Richards with them tookit, took it on and that's part

(27:33):
of the museum. And you gottawhich is the best best thing for that
house, because if you go lookat the house grandmother's dad, he was,
ah, when you cut wood,a woodcutter, Yes, run a
sale, runs from friends. Heruns a sal mill and anyway he they
cut all that uh, walnut woodand everything in there come off come off

(27:56):
of this property. So that thatthat's really historical house coming up one hundred
years hundred. I believe it wasbuilt in twenty I think I got documents
of the first deed in twenty twotwenty three. Yeah, it was pretty
name. But he was a Hewas a sawmill runner, and I got
documents of him when he bought hisfirst sawmill off a guy up the road

(28:19):
there. He bought two two mulesand the saw mill, and that's where
they got started down here running theirsaw mill. And he was in other
other little ventures too, but thatwas his legal ventures, I guess you'd
call it. You said that youspent a lot of time here at the
shop. Where was the best placeto get into trouble and get out of
trouble. And he'd go up overhere. Yeah, when dar in the

(28:47):
seventies, Yeah, you coming throughthere, we thought we was big time.
If we're coming here about four o'clockand they had break, we could
sit on the old crank boxes andeat peanuts and drinking RC with Daddy.
That was big time. But thenas soon as the break bell off,
you was out the door, andwe'd come out here into the back and
the warehouses, and that's where wehung out. And I got some good
stories on him, warehouse stories.But yeah, but that's on down the
rouge here. But yeah, whenwe's come up me and reach and be

(29:11):
at that in great age, youknow, ten eleven toil exploring the summertime,
and we'd get on mother's nerves andthen she send us over here to
daddy. And that wasn't a prettysight when you had when he had to
stop discipline. He looked at sayfrom now, he says, when I
leave for work, y'all leave thehouse. I don't care where you go,

(29:33):
and you butter not come home toafter I'm home. We would roam
the woods into shops and all thiswas up. We got in a lot
of good, good, trouble goodmemories. But here was the thing.
If you come from Daddy's, we'dcome across the road on our bikes.
Once you got over the grandfather's house, because he had a putting green in
the back, you better get offyour bike and push it on that little
bit of sidewalk he had, becauseif you got on his putting green,

(29:55):
then you're getting more trouble forgetting onhis putting green. Now, I told
my MoMA one time, one timeonly that one of her weapons didn't hurt.
I found out very quickly that thething to do you've seen in our
cabinet and there that the Winston Cupchampion built buckle and built. I had
the Winston Cup tattoo tattooed on theback side of brandy. All right,

(30:21):
So you mentioned the warehouse stories.Tell me a good warehouse story. Well,
we had basketball goals set up inthe warehouse. We'd played basketball inside
the right and so we'd go inand play basketball and we would explore through
some of the stuff. Because thatthe building we're taking about, the warehouse,
was what they called the Chrystler Barnwas built in the seventies when that's

(30:42):
where all the when they did thekit cars and all the Chrystler motors and
stuff. That's where all the stuffwas stacked up to the ceilings with parts
so you could go in there andactually get lost. But as the time
went on, all that Chrysler stuffgot moved out. Then all all the
old cars and stuff we'll get putin there. Well, we would get
in there and just explore and findstuff, old helmets and things and play

(31:03):
with I don't know if I shouldtell this or not. Oh, go
ahead, there's the old nineteen eightyolds my bill, and that's sitting down
there in the museum somewhere. Andthis guy right there at the driver's door,
it says, in and this carwas made from the these little model

(31:25):
people that just was it. NotSmith's on end, but Franklin Franklin Mint
made it and all that and everythingwas to detail, and it's like supposedly
come off the race track just likethis. Well, Richard had this deal
with Squincher and it was like adrink drink thing like a gatorade or where
Squincher and it was like this littlething. So we're back there and messing

(31:45):
around one day and we take himold squincher things. We take a razor
and we cut in two and getthe inn on it, and so we
stick it on the door. Inthat end is still on that car today
and people think that Richard raced itlike it. But we put it on
there in the warehouse growing around oneday. It's even on the little car.
Yeah. So that's why I saidthe Franklin men so but that so

(32:06):
when you see that in it ispart of the petty history. It tells
the little brats were. Yeah,that's what I'm saying. I say,
when you when you see that inon that car, do you think of
us? Because we did that justmessing around? Now, where's the end?
Where is that on the driver?Yeah? So when you see it,
but everybody thinks that's the way theyraced it, didn't It come from
being mark out there and messing aroundthe warehouse. I do not recall different

(32:29):
statue a statue of limitations of runout. So you've mentioned your grandfather and
grandmother, and you've mentioned the beforeLee and the after Lee. What do
you remember of the strict Lee?Well, anybody who let me take it.
Well, I mean it's like Richiesaid, you refer to them as

(32:51):
grandmother and grandfather. If you saidgrandma or anything, it was it wasn't
pretty. And yes, sir andhim talking about the riding the bikes across
the putting green, Well, willyou when you ride up Daddy's driveway,
you could look across the road backthen when grandfather's car was gone. He's
usually gone to the golf cash horse. So you know me smart alec,

(33:14):
I seen he wasn't there. Sowhen I come through, I didn't get
off my bike and push. Ijust rode through. Well a little I
know his car was down the shopand the guys working on it. He's
sitting there waiting on me, andhe stuck his golf club out and clothes
la me. I never wrote onit. Well again he uh he was.
It was like as he had tobe yes sir and no sir,

(33:35):
it was grandmother, it was grandfatherand you. He he wanted to respect
them and who they were. Andwe were brought up with that way with
Daddy too. We was yes sir, no sir, Yes, ma'am,
no, ma'am. We were Wegrew up in a strict family on speaking
when you're spoken to you, andnever interrupt adults. I can remember interrupting
Daddy and another adult talking one time. Well he didn't say nothing, just

(34:00):
and that was it. And letme tell you it was like and the
way we were brought up when whenRichard, Mars and Lee were together,
you got away from him. Youdid not, you didn't interfere. Those
three were, Um, I don'tknow if like they had enough interruptions they
didn't need it us. Yeah,no, but I'm saying you it was
you. You got run out thatthat was a serious conversation when you had

(34:22):
the three of them together, andnobody better be button in. I mean,
they wouldn't. And so definitely whenthey were meeting we were we had
to get on the other side ofthe world more or less. They didn't
want to hear from us. Well, and I think what we call strict
and what we thought was strict listeningto stories, it did. And Richard
had said, we probably really nevereven seen grandfathers strict, not not like

(34:43):
him, know they said, evenwhen we thought he was mean, he
had calmed down, not mean,I don't want to say it was mean.
He was Daddy tells stories about himwhen Richard and and Daddy were kids,
when they'd tell them get out thereand pick up rocks in the yard
because it's to stay b him andif he didn't did Richard had put in

(35:04):
a uh a weight room here abouteighty five eighty six when they come back
for the pit cribs and there's anice weight room and all that. So
men, Marky and we're in highschool. So we come over here one
evening. We're out here lifting weightsand you know this is this is big
time for us because we had betterweights here and we had school because we're
playing football and all that. Sowe're we're working out and grandfather he come
in there and he said, y'allcome here. Yeah, we all do

(35:28):
it. We're working out. I'llgive you work out, he said.
He said, come up here,I'll put you to work. And he
give us a hatchet and had tostart of chopping the rooms. Yeah,
he gave he had me and hima hatchet, and he said go round
here and knock all the tops offthese roots. I'm tired of getting one
alward. He said, you gotthe energy enough to lift them weights,

(35:50):
you can get out of them.Yeah, you got enough energy lift weights,
you got energy to word. Sowe kept week story. We kept
a look at what that was withDaddy. Yeah, that was daddy.
Daddy had a water leak over hishouse one day, about halfway down the
driveway and a friend of IRUs fromRandom and Phil Pendry, he run a
little dump truck back back of service. Well, he'd seen us in there

(36:10):
and pulled in me and Richie's gotwork shovels and we're probably want four foot
deep December. It was cold,December, cold, trying to find this
water leap and asked that day sittingArrow's golf court, directness of course.
But um Phield said, Chief,you need to bacco. He says,

(36:31):
no, Hardy got to you,but you gotta here's a deal on the
water. Yeah, when they runto dinos here back in the Sydnies,
now that's you. They had tohave a lot of water and we're on
whale water. We're on whale water. We don't have all that. So
they was Daddy had a big whaleover his house. So the water came
from his house over to the shopand then there was two wells here at

(36:52):
the garage. So it took threewhales to keep his place rolling. And
as time went on them them lineswould deteriorated and then start leaking. Well
we'd have to go dig them upand get them fixed, and then that's
that's the deal on that waterline.Now, tell me about grandmother Patty.
I've saved one interview ever with her, and it was in grand National scene.

(37:17):
And the only other thing that peopleseem to know about her was that
she forbid or forbade liquor on thecar or whatever. Well, tell me
a good grandmother. She she mighthave forbid liquor and stuff like that,
that was a story to win,but her daddy was a moonshiner, so
she didn't. She wasn't at againstliquors. She just didn't want people drinking

(37:37):
and getting drunk. Okay, youknow what I mean. She wasn't against
the liquor like everybody says. Itwas her daddy made liquor. And what
was was the old story, youknow, ad liquors for selling, not
drinking, the kind of deal,you know, So that's her deal.
But anyway, she was a strictlady too, and uh, but she
was really proper. I mean youyou people called her miss Patty we called

(37:59):
her grandmother. And I can tellyou with grandfather and grandmother, they come
from a different generation and they didn'tshow the love early on like people do
today. I mean, like withDaddy and Mama, every time we left
the house, love you, loveyou, and anyway, can I take

(38:22):
over for a minute, Yeah,but I'm just gonna say, Mom and
Daddy, every time we left thehouse, it was love you, we
love you. You know. Theywere pretty strict, but they wasn't really
like gonna beat you, bud,I mean, and stuff like that.
But the only whippon I ever remembergetting from grandmother or grandfather was at the
same night Mom and dadd went ona trip and didn't stay with them much.

(38:45):
But I was at the house andit was one of them winners where
it snowed real bad, and andone of our cousins that took us to
kmart somewhere, and I bought ahalf scale M one grand cap gun,
you know, a little role capguns. I got in more trouble with
cap guns than anything you can chaseticket. But anyway, when I got

(39:07):
home, I was busting the gutto shoot that thing. And as soon
as grandfather seen what I had hesaid, now, Timothy, don't be
shooting at in the house. Well, it was winter and they would and
told us to not to go outside. You know, we didn't have any
bad snowstorms, but this is apretty bad one. So I went upstairs

(39:27):
to her sewing room, which isright above the living room where they sat
there and watched gun smoke. What'sthe first thing I do? I fired
that booger off and and he startedholler and come down here. And I
think I got my butt tore uptwice before I could get and and got
that thing took away, and theyput it out here in the smoke house
and it stayed out there for probablythree years. But anyway, that's a

(39:52):
that's that's one of my fondest memories. And had to do get my butt
tore up. I remember young memory, you know, growing up going to
grandmother's house. She always had thatcandicate in it. Oh yeah, yeah,
yeah, chilcood covered raisins or peanuts. You used to be talking about
the grandmother watching us whatever. AndI guess it was seventy nine when they

(40:14):
was in Ontario. She was watchingus and uh with grandmother and grandfather when
chief when she made supper, wehad to drink milk because that's why grandfather
drank was milk. So I alwayshated that. Yeah, Mama, Mama
made sweet tea and we I meanshe she had make two and a half
cups of sugar and her sweet tea. So we just used to drink and
sweet tea. But grandmother and grandfathermake you drink milk at the supper time,

(40:36):
So I was that was one thingshe was strict on. And she
made cornbread a lot. Yeah,but when you say strict, they just
wanted respect. They respect and theywanted yeah, absolutely, and you know,
looking back at what they were blackTimmy said they wouldn't mean no,
but you uh, but you toldher that's now you knew it. But

(40:57):
it wasn't no question. It's likegrandmother's house. You and go on that
front parlor room unless it was Christmas. That's the chairs, everything, all
the antique stuff. Because but anyway, if you went in there without or
upstairs, grandfather he would get onyou. Well. Part of that was
it was at Black Walnut and thestairs were real slick and steep. And

(41:19):
what's the first thing, kid walls, Dude, you get on your butt
and go down the steps. Well, I think everybody's had their but ripped
for that, you know, goingout so and trying to go down the
steps. Yeah, so they wereyou. You had your limitations, what
you could do around them, anduh, and he was a grandfather.
Like out there playing golf, heand his front yard. He had a

(41:39):
little like a chipping chipping are youcould take a nine iron or a chipping
wedge and go across, says aboutone hundred and fifty across. And if
he's out there hitting golf balls whenhe's younger, he would say, you
know, he'd come over and triedto teach you how to swing a golf
club. And he had no patiencebecause if you swung it wrong the first
time, then he would just throwit his hands up and say, well
you figured out he wasn't listening tome. So he just didn't have a

(42:02):
lot of patience for young young fellasRod around that time, for sure.
But he taught me how to playguy. He taught me how to play
golf. About it. All Right, it's a big question here. Who
is your favorite cousin on your dad'sside. Was it Sharon, Lisa or
Rebecca, because surely it wasn't Kyle. Well I met I pictures prove it.

(42:23):
Kyle was my hero. Yeah,okay, here I am. I'm
ten years old when Kyle goes todayt hole and runs at Arca Race.
And a week or two after that, we had school pictures and my mom
had to buy two sets of pictures. One would you want me to wear?
And the other ones I beg towear my Kyle Petty T shirt and

(42:44):
my Kyle Petty really yeah, sono that, um well, it's like
when we went to there's pictures ofus at the Knoxville World's Fair walking around
the World's Fair and we got theKyle Petty shirts on. But but Leno
coming up here, we are,you know, Kyle and high school Kyles
and rate athlete basketball football. Iremember being you know, seven, eight
nine years old going to the ballgamesjust to watch Kyle pot So there's what

(43:07):
nine years difference between eight for meand yeah, yeah, Timmy's to two
years. Timmy was he grew upmore with Kyle. Now Rebecca was.
She was a little younger than us, so it's four or five years.
Yeah, I mean I don't knowif I got a favorite, I mean,
not them all Yeah, got thatRebecca was closer because of our age.
We went to high school together.Okay, and I still work for

(43:29):
Rebecca of this day, so okay, Yeah, but I'll but all four
of them. I mean, likelike I said, when Kyle first started
racing, I mean he was myhero. That was more a dig at
Kyle than it was we had.We had no favorites, We got along
with everybody, we were all Imean, we're all pretty good buddies for
a long But I can tell youlike he has. I can tell you

(43:50):
right here, we consider right hereand talk about our family law. We
won't. But you let one signof a gun coming here and talk about
about him, and you're gonna haveall of us on him. And that's
the truth. And that goes backto grandmother and grandfather. And we can
have our opinions on Kyle or whoever, but don't you come in here getting
between us, because we're gonna takeKyle set. But like I say,
growing up, I guess it waswhoever you were closest in the Yeah,

(44:15):
because you know, you see,grew up, you went to high school
together, and you hung out aroundtogether. Well, and two different stages
on look man, back in theseventies when, like you said, when
the king was the king, andwherever we went if we was lucky enough
to get to go. We hungout in the motels together, we did
stuff. We picnic together every weekend, you know, at the race track,

(44:35):
and uh, it was just partof life. I mean, you
didn't know nobotter, you didn't youknow what I mean, It was just
good times. Yeah. Was therea specific instance where you really understood how
big a deal the petty name wasto a lot of people or was that
just something that developed over time?Probably the Petty parfay down after after the

(44:57):
King won in July down here andcar seventy seventy seven Nerves sometime again it
was that's the reef at the Reefhotel. And uh, like I said,
over the years, we stayed atthe sea dip the reef, uh
others dinner, you know, Andlooking back on it, they wasn't really
the fanciest, but they seemed fancythough it was fancy because they's on the
beach. The motel was good hotels, but they there was an ice cream

(45:22):
shop. And in July, asyou know, that race used to be
launched at eleven o'clock in the morning, you know, for the Fourth of
July race at the tona earlier.Yeah, well it started at eleven then
it because you start to go inearly. But anyway, he won the
race, and when we got backat ice cream shop had a red,
white and blue because Fourth of Julyit was called the Petty Parfay. So

(45:45):
yeah, I guess that's when wethought it kind of took off. I
think I think when I seen Ithink when when I figured out it was
kind of a big deal, wasgoing to Pocono. It was probably seventy
four seventy five, and you showedup in this whole little communities shut down
and they had like all the likethe Allison's and the Petties, the Pearsons,

(46:07):
the Parsons and these people would feedus all this Italian food. But
they shut down their whole community andwelcomed all these racing people in. And
we were talking about that with Duddybefore we passed away, and we couldn't
remember those people, but you know, and don't know who would know him.
You know, there's a lot ofthose guys are gone. It was
just little things like that. Itwas it was unusual that we didn't get

(46:29):
around home that you'd see. Itwas like a block party when when you
went to Pocono and everybody knew aboutit, all the hot dogs back,
and a lot of it was forme the time, because you know,
when I come up, you didn'trealize how big a deal it was till
it was gone. Yeah, youknow, and everybody went their separate ways.

(46:51):
I think that's when I started beinglike, oh, hang on a
second, that was a big deal, because up to that point it just
it was the way you grew uppart of and it was and I've heard
Kyle said before that you know usin the first second grade before you realized
everybody in the world didn't go toBrockenham and didn't go to martinst You look
at somebody at school. If youwatched the race yesterday and well, I

(47:12):
was the nineteen seventy six Daytona thatwas in third grade. And we got
back because we take a week anda half two weeks ago to Daytona Beach
for for February, and I gotback. I was the show win tail.
I had to get up here andgive played by play of the race.
So that was that was kind ofneat that was kind of a local
celebrity in my class. I gotinto racing my best friend from high school.

(47:37):
His mom is the biggest race fanthat I know. I mean she
yeah, I mean to this day, on Friday afternoon she prints out a
spreadsheet of when truck qualifying is onTV, When when the truck race,
but exfanity race and qualifying all that. That's her weekend. And you don't

(47:58):
call her on Sunday afternoons in therace and Richard Petty is her I mean
idol. So everything that I've everdone in the sport has been geared towards
with this interest Sandy. To myknowledge, I know that she's met Richard

(48:21):
at least twice. It's always agreat reaction when she's able to meet him.
I tell that story to say this, or to ask this, what
is your most memorable reaction that afan has had to either your dad or
Richard or Dale or Kyle or whoever, or to you because you're a petty,

(48:45):
that's a pretty loaded question. Yeah, so many. It would have
to do it. It had todo with a king, I mean,
because he just he just got that, like Richie to that neighborhood, everybody
was there and stuff like that wasfans, I mean, you know,
and I tell you being young andthey had the open house or the fan

(49:06):
club deals. Well, yeah,but when they had that big open house
in nineteen seventy four one and theyhad another one in eighty three, to
watch the people line, how manypeople lined up and waited just to have
a second to talk of that manand it, you know, putting perspective
eighty three the eighty three one,and I don't the highway patrol had projected

(49:29):
the attendance, but there was atwo day affair. There's two days,
Sarady and Sunday, and each dayhad over fifty thousand people in Level Cross.
The fields were full of cars,The people were lined up for a
mile and I think that's you hitit right there. That's when I realized
what the reaction of what one group, what Richard meant to other people,

(49:51):
and what the whole family meant toeverybody. Well and what he still curious
of this day. Yeah, butit was unbelievable. I try to explain
it to my kids because you watchracing now and the stands ain't even for
but Level Cross for two days,man was was was just packed full of
people and it went from sun upto sundown. It was a big,
big party. There was stuff goingon, was like a fair. And

(50:12):
that was you You hit the nailon the head right there. That was
one of the seventy four when thefirst open house, when I realized was
a big deal. What was yourdad's reaction to that kind of stuff?
Did he enjoy the attention or washe more serious about working? He enjoyed
the people. He enjoyed sitting downtalking to people. But if it was

(50:34):
a data to have to work andpeople, he get the bad reputation of
being closed off because he had moreimportant things to do. But on things
like that, when it was timeto meet and get amongst the people,
he loved the people. He lovedtalking to him and they had those big
open houses. Is he would beso busy because he was he was He

(50:55):
was the guy. He was butthis here or this here or that there,
and the orchestra Edard well, butI think that's what he did at
work too. He was just hegets he gets he gets the h as
being as an engine builder, hewas running the whole thing, you know
what I mean? Him and Richard, and Richard was was was between them
two. Nothing went across him deskwithout them approving it. So when they

(51:15):
had them open houses, them twowere putting it together, and Daddy more
more so, uh making sure thevendors were coming in and they had the
fire department going to do the parkand just the little things he was managing
details that. Yes he was aboutyes, no, no, I've standing
up. That's between the two ofthem. That's what people don't see.

(51:35):
They were hands on and nothing wenton without them to handling it. And
so sometimes he would be preoccupied andpeople would think, well, he's a
he's an ill son of a gun. I think he was just had so
much on his mind. Been askingthe question about Daddy with the fans and
stuff. I don't I think hewas shy. And I think we got
a little bit of that too,were which were when you get us going,

(51:57):
he can't stop us. But we'rekind of, you know, really,
we're kind of hands of it andshy to start out with. And
I think it's because he's he taughtus, like he was taught to keep
your mouth shutting years open, you'lllearn a lot more so now, Kyle,
he didn't hear that till he was. He was he's always his mouth
open and he's done during he's donegood with it. So we're trying to

(52:21):
take a queue from him and startingopen our mouths a little bit and talk
a little bit. I've seen,you know, some of Daddy's interviews in
the past, and it was justI think it just surprised him the popularity
that racing in general. You know, well, yeah, because they come
them, them people come from Yeah, but they didn't even have a bathroom
in the house. They used anour house up until they were up.

(52:44):
Yeah, they just just just theydidn't have anything. They were dirt poor,
and they built their way up fromfrom scratch into this mega racing empire
in a matter of twenty five years. I mean you so you go from
Yeah, it was remember overwhelm me. After Mom got sick there some of
her last days and Daddy was goinginto Hall of Fame. It was ol

(53:07):
during that same time, and shetalk about Beatty, Richard Dale, all
of them. She said, notbad for a bunch of old countortaboys,
right, And I think that Stateswould a good job for a bunch of
old countryaboys. Yeah, they didn'thave any They come from just just dirt
and built it into an empire.This segment is brought to our listeners by

(53:36):
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, America's RacingShow Placed First Things First, Steve,
Timmy, Ritchie, and Mark Patty. You don't typically hear a lot about
them. They're certainly not as nearthe limelight as Kyle has always been.
Of course, Kyle is their firstcousin. Here is my impression. Personally,
they come across as just every dayor nary normal folk who just so

(54:01):
happened to have the last name Petty. They certainly don't put on airs and
act like they're better than anybody elsebecause of who they're related to, and
that makes you like them. Iunderstand completely. Rick, I feel the
same way about those guys. Ihadn't really thought about this, but Richie's
given name is actually Richard Ellsworth Petty. So when he would go to the

(54:24):
doctor's office, they'd call for RichardPetty and you can just imagine everybody's head
popping up, Richard Petty, whereis he? He's here? And there
we go Richie leaving everybody kind ofscratching their heads. And I don't know
about Richie, but I kind ofget that same reaction over my last name,

(54:49):
especially when they discovered that I havean interest in human space flight.
People think it is the funniest thingin the world to tell me, Houston,
we've got a problem. I betyou've heard that plenty of times,
Rick, that was funny the firstthirty nine thousand, nine hundred that I

(55:12):
heard. And my brother was actuallygoing through basic training when that movie came
out, and so you can imaginethe grief that he got during basic training.
Yeah, you see, we gota problem. Well, sorry,
I've heard it before. Fred Hayes, who was on that flight Apollo thirteen,
he actually signed a copy of hisbook for me and he inscribed it,

(55:37):
Houston, we do not have aproblem. I have a boy,
Fred, I like your style.But somebody somewhere, Ron Howard, Jim
Levell, somebody owes me money forthe emotional distress that they have caused me
with the whole Houston, we gota problem. But yeah, we don't
hold your bread there, Rick,Well I won't. Here is something else

(56:00):
that I truly respect about Richie,Mark and Timmy. Their family history does
not start with Lee Patty in hisracing career. Richie especially has done research
that takes their family tree all theway back to the Civil War, and
on our side of the family,distant cousin of mine has traced the Wade

(56:22):
family history also back to the CivilWar. Man, I thought Doug,
my great great great great great andfather was a general in the Confederacy.
Well, no, he was adrummer boy, so we're not quite that
glorious. Well in my family tree, I'm actually related to Sam Houston,

(56:46):
the first governor of Texas. Soyes, Houston, Texas is named after
me. Digging through those archives wasone part of the search for Richie.
But when their dad started Maurice,Patty and associates, Lee would come by

(57:07):
the shop every day at eleven thirtyand take them to lunch. Now you
can just imagine what an experience thatwas. But Lee would tell them all
about their family tree, so thatwas a firsthand source that they got to
spend time with every day. Iimagine Lee also told them many great stories.

(57:28):
I would love to attend a fewof those lags. What is more,
they have actually become keepers of thefamily history because there is obviously the
Petty Museum that everybody knows there inLevel Cross in what used to be the
Petty Enterprises shot complex. But thebrothers, Holy cowman, they've got a

(57:49):
museum of their own, and it'spretty dog gone breathtaking, just like the
official one. I've meant that onethat I really look forward to. Cohen.
Wow. What's more, they don'tjust have racing on their dad's side,
but their mom, Patricia, isthe stepdaughter of Red Miller, who
worked for Tiny Lunde and the Pettisand Bud Moore, and who was also

(58:13):
actually listed as the car owner forLee Petty in the nineteen fifty nine Day
ten of five Hunt. I knewRed Miner was in NASCAR racing, but
I had no idea his background wasthat varied. As youngsters, they knew
their grandparents Lee and Elizabeth as grandfatherand grandmother Petty. When we've sat down

(58:36):
and we've talked to Kyle Petty,it was grandfather Petty. When he was
talking to Lead Now, it wasPop Red on their mom's side, But
there was none of this Papa andgranny stuff like I knew with my grandparents,
Adam and Jesse called Jeanne's parents nannyand Papa. Oh No, there

(58:57):
was none of that with Lee andElisabeth. They were evidently very proper when
it came to relationships between adults andchildren, absolutely, and they had a
hierarchy in that relationship. The boysalso had a fair share of that with
Maurice too. If their mama hadto send them to the shop to get

(59:17):
them out of her hair, we'llwatch out. So Chief basically just told
him, when I leave for work, you leave the house. I don't
come back until after I get homefrom work. So off they go into
the woods, exploring the grounds ofthe shop, and you can just imagine
what it was like for them tobe going through the back forty or whatever

(59:40):
they called it, into the graveyardof the race cars, the old race
cars that Lee and Richard had wrecked. You know, they probably didn't mind
what Maurice asked them to do atall. What great adventures they could have
on their own. I mean thatseems to me to be a boyhood wish
of every kid the age. Nomatter where they went, Lee boys,

(01:00:05):
putting green was off limits. Ridingtheir bikes across that thing was a capital
offense. We're not talking about corporalpunishment, We're talking about a capital offense.
Many years ago, Kyles told methe same rule applied to him,
and he never dared to get nearthat putting green. Mark once rode through

(01:00:28):
it once upon a time, andLee was waiting on him. Oh,
Lee takes his golf club and hesticks it out and just clotheslined Mark like
something you would see in an oldwestern or war movie. I guarantee you
Mark got the message after that.And if Maurice and Richard and Lee were

(01:00:52):
talking together, Nope, he didn'tmess with them then. And it wasn't
even an or else situation. Theydidn't have a choice. Yeah, what
did I say about hierarchy? Apretty good example of it right there.
Richard put in a weight room atthe shop where the pit crew could work
out once Patty Enterprise is opened backup in nineteen eighty six. So one

(01:01:15):
day Richie and Mark they go inthere to pump some iron. They're in
high school, they're playing football,they're gonna buff up, They're gonna be
teenage boys. Grandfather Patty sees themand he's like, oh, you want
to work out, do you?So he gives them each a hatchet and
sets them to hacking away at thetops of the roots of his trees that

(01:01:37):
were sticking up out of the ground. He's gonna have Ritchie and Mark level
them out so he doesn't run overhim with his lawnmower, where oh Lee
is pretty sharp right there. Notonly does he get free labor cutting away
those roots, he's also go tohelping his grandson get it into shape.
Now that's pretty cool if you askme. There was also a moment in

(01:02:00):
this interview that really meant a lotto me because it reminded me of my
relationship with my own dad and alsowith Richard and Adam and Jesse. When
Richie was talking about his mom anddad, Maurice and Trish would tell their
kids every time they left the house, I love you. He got kind

(01:02:20):
of emotional about it. That wassomething that I didn't hear from my dad
a lot if ever, So everytime that I talked to Richard, I
love you, and today Adam andJesse, they probably just roll their eyes
at it, but I tell themboth at least once every day they love
them. That's what I want themto remember about me one of these days,

(01:02:43):
a very long time from now,but that's what I want them to
remember about me. Rick, Iheard you say that your son more than
once. I've never seen them rolltheir eyes. Not once. I asked
Mark and Richie and Timmy who theirfavorite cousin was on their dad's side,
any of Richard and Linda's daughters,because surely it couldn't be kyl Now I

(01:03:07):
meant that more is just silly pickingat Kyle a little bit, rather than
as a serious question looking for aserious answer. But here's something I really
hadn't considered when I asked that question. Kyle is a couple of years older
than Timmy, but Richie and Markare quite a bit younger, so they
looked up to Kyle. He's playingbasketball and football at random in high school.

(01:03:30):
He's the cool job. Then he'sa cool race car driver who wins
his first race at Daytona. Markactually wore a Kyle Petty t shirt and
a Kyle Petty cap in his schoolpicture. That you, Rick, do
you sort of get the idea thatKyle might have been there here will?
Well, then he's mama had togive him more money to get a more

(01:03:52):
normal school picture. Steve. Ienjoyed this segment of the interview because it
gave me a inside look at thePetty family that I simply didn't know about
what must it be like to havethat kind of insider's view, and so
doing Rick, you brought our listenersthat same look at the petty boys.

(01:04:25):
Taking the checkered flag and driving tovictory lane is the goal for any racer.
It tells the competition. My accomplishmentsresulted in a trip to the winner
circle. It's no different as abusiness owner, team leader or coach.
Recognizing those deserving is what we doevery day at five Star Awards and engraving
high race fans. This is BobLaird, director of Sales at five Star

(01:04:45):
and former jackman for Buddy Arrington backin the eighties. Laser engraved and full
color corporate awards, as well ascrystal plaques, trophies and promotional products are
just some of a sample of whatwe offer at five Star with state of
the art equipment in our North Carolinafacility, let our experience graphic artists take
you from idea to concept and ultimatelythe finish line. So if you are
beautiful and unique designs, please visitus at five Star Awards dot net.

(01:05:11):
The entire project can be completed online. Please reach out to me at Bob
dot Laird at Five Star Awards dotnet nine nine nine five four one one
three zero. As a thank you, everyone who contacts me will receive at
no charge a collection of NASCAR memorabiliafeaturing Richard Petty while supplies last. That's
Bob dot Laird at five Star Awardsdot Net nine one nine nine five four

(01:05:35):
one one three zero. This segmentis brought to our listeners by Las Vegas
Motor Speedway America's Racing Showplace October fourth, nineteen seventy nine issue a Grand National
Saint. The race at North Wilkesborowas rained out, but not before rookie

(01:05:59):
Dell Earnhart became the first driver inthe thirty two year history of the track
to turn in a qualifying lap ofless than twenty seconds. Dal's time of
nineteen point nine four eight seconds translatedto a speed of one hundred and twelve
point seventy nine five miles an hour, and that broke the track qualifying records
set by Daryll Waltrop the year before. Dw said in this issue that boy

(01:06:25):
ain't got no respect. I justdon't know what the world is coming to
with these rookies. The first timeI set eyes on Dall I knew he
was gonna be trouble. I gotnews for you. The first time that
a lot of competitors set their eyeson Rookie d they said the same thing.
They knew he was gonna be trouble. Daryl Waltrop and Dell Earnhart trouble.

(01:06:49):
Oh, dw hadn't seen anything yet. Dell had this to say about
his crew chief, Jake Elder.If it was something like making peace or
politics, Jake Elder wouldn't be worthit down when it comes to racing,
talking about springs and gears and howto get in and out of the corners.
He can say it all in justa few sentences. He can tell

(01:07:11):
you more in a minute than apolitician can tell you in an hour.
He is right. Jake was veryknowledgeable and very direct. Jake always said
what he meant and didn't want tofluff up anything. Ordinarily, a rain
out meant that the staff would haveto do quite a bit of scrambling to
fill the space that would otherwise havebeen dedicated to race Coode. If that

(01:07:36):
was the case in this issue,it surely didn't hurt the quality of the
content. This is an awesome issue. Let's just start with the inside front
cover photo. The full page shotfeatures Bobby Allison resplendent in a white tuxedo,
complete with tales, white shoes,white walking cane, and a black

(01:08:00):
cowboy hat. I had no ideawhere that came from. Now there is
no feature on Bobby in this issue. There's no explanation of why Bobby's all
decked out in the tucks. It'sjust Bobby in the tucks. Well,
how easy it is to put thatpicture into print. Think about it.
You've got a race driver from Alabamawho's supposed to have grease under his fingernails,

(01:08:24):
and here he is, resplendent ina white tuck seedo and a black
cowboy hat. If you have aphoto like that, yeah, you better
publish it. And that's exactly what'sseen dead. Rob Griggs had talked to
Dale Earnhardt for his column while theywere in Darlington, and Rob asked Dale
about having been talked to by someother competitors. Dell said in this column,

(01:08:47):
Donnie Allison and Richard Petty both havetalked to me. If I had
kept running like I was and notbeen aware of my problems, they'd all
be afraid to run with me.I've been really fortunate that they have to
talk to me and helped me.When they were younger, they went through
the same issues I'm going through now. Now. That was quite the sentence

(01:09:08):
because it indicates that Dale Earnhardt,who had a lot of raw talent,
no doubt about it, was alsosmart enough to know that he had to
listen and learn to get better.There were features in this issue on much
Linley, Richard Petty making his eighthundredth career start the race before at Martinsville,
Bob Johnson, and an extensive pieceon Humpy Wheeler by Gary mccreey.

(01:09:32):
Richard Petty said in your story abouthis eight hundredth start, the sport has
changed in every area. I don'tbelieve there is another sport that has undergone
the changes racing has. Tracks havechanged, the competition has changed, so
have the money and spectators. Thesport has changed with the times. It
requires more skill, more finesse.Martinsville is a good example too. It

(01:09:58):
used to be a dirt track witha creek running through the infield, which
was full of briars. Now it'sthe best track on the circuit. Other
tracks have changed much the same way. No one could have thought the sport
would turn out the way it has. I see it continuing to grow as
long as times are good. Theeconomy really runs everything. But as long
as people have a nickel to spend, they'll spend it in racing. It's

(01:10:23):
a change from their normal lifestyle andescape from problems. Now, Steve,
I will go on record and agreewith Richard Petty here. This article was
written a long time ago, morethan forty years ago, and no sport
has ever changed like the sport ofNASCAR. What Richard sad Rat then could

(01:10:45):
apply to racing today is exactly rightabout a couple of things. The economy
runs everything, and as long aspeople have a nickel to spend, they'll
spend it in race. They don'thave that nick, they won't be there,
and we have seen examples of that. So what he said applies to

(01:11:08):
day. And I'll go ahead andpoint this out. One of the biggest
criticisms that you hear today about NASCARis that it isn't like it used to
be and I don't watch anymore.Yeah, that's true. Referring to that
same kind of change, people weresaying the very same thing back in nineteen
seventy nine when this issue was released. So it's correct and nothing's changed,

(01:11:30):
I mean, think about it.So the more things change there, they
stay the same. Yeah. BobJohnson was the crew chief for jack Babies
Race Hill Farms team, which wasbased out of Madison, Connecticut, and
a very short little note in thisstory got my attention. Steve bird served
as that team's tire carrier and reartire changer, hopefully not on the same

(01:11:54):
pit stops, and Birdie went onto leave Rob Moroso, Johnny Benson,
and Randy Lejoy to Bush Series championships. I did not know that that's where
Birdie got his start. No,I did not either. Bob's wife,
Gussie, owned a beauty shop inMadison and traveled with Bob to the races

(01:12:16):
when she could. Bob sitting thisstory, sometimes it's tough for her to
take off for a race. Hercustomers can get ugly. Well, Bob
was not the calmst type of guy. He's a bit volat off, so
sometimes Bob can get pretty ugly too. Larry w Ritter from Robin's North Carolina

(01:12:40):
penned a letter to the editor andlet's just say that Larry was not happy
with Daryl Walter. Larry wrote inthe letter that he was a crew chief
for one of the independent drivers,but didn't say which one, so I
don't know who he was working forat the time. But at Bristol,
Buddy Parrott asked Larry if he wouldmind swapping pit stalls because the one that

(01:13:02):
Die Guard had picked was flooded fromrain. Before the race, Bud he
promised Larry some tires to qualify onat Darlington in exchange for swapping pits.
Washed my hand and I'll wash yours. That's right, so Larry take it
away. We moved all our equipmentover one pit area, and during the

(01:13:25):
first caution of the race, asmy driver was coming into the pits,
we stopped the car about four feetback from the front of our pit area.
I knew that Waldrop would be cominginto the pits fast, so we
gave him all the room we possiblycould four feet in front of our area
plus his own and an open areain front of his car. With all

(01:13:47):
of this extra room to give him, as he came into the pits,
he brushed the seat of our jackman'spants and missed the right front fender of
our car by less than a foot. I was still in front of our
car on my way to change theright front tire when Darrell hit me.
If I had been as experienced astire changers on some of the other teams,

(01:14:09):
I would have already been down onmy knees starting to change the tire,
and NASCAR would have had a fatalinjury to report, while I would
not be writing this letter today.Luckily I sustained only some cracked ribs and
bruises, but I was unable towork the remainder of the race. Larry
wrote in his letter that he wasstill waiting on an apology from Darryl and

(01:14:32):
his tires from Buddy. Larry wasserious about this. Larry concluded this letter,
I am sending a copy of thisletter to Dieguard Gatorade with the hope
that Waltrop's contract will not be renewed. He isn't stopping there. If other

(01:14:53):
fans will also write to Dieguard Gatorade, maybe we'll be lucky and Waltrop will
be sitting in the grandstands instead ofbehind the wheel of a race car where
he can injure or even kill someother driver or crew. Members. Now
there's criticism and then there's criticism.I think Larry might have a bit of

(01:15:15):
a point right there, considering thefact that he nearly got well, let's
put kill. Obviously he was upsetabout that. But he did everything but
he asked him to do and didnot get payment for it. Now that's
got to be somewhat upsetting just aswell. I'm with you on this one,
Larry. Here's the reason this particularedition of Grand National Scene is our

(01:15:40):
issue of the week. Gene Granger'scolumn was on a NASCAR themed movie that
he wanted to see made, andmost of the column is comprised of people
from the NASCAR community and who hecould see playing them. And with Tim
Mark and Ritchie being on the showthis week, Gene wanted to see Telly
survive. Allas played. Maurice Pettyheld Jack was bald and Maurice Petty at

(01:16:04):
that time was anything but bald,with a full on mountain man beard.
Yeah, that's right, just thepolar opposite of telling. Come on.
Maurice at that time looked like somethingstraight out of Duck Dynasty. He's out
in the swamp hunting ducks with Philand Jason whoever else. But here's some

(01:16:25):
of the rest of the cast thatJean day dreamed about. Marlon Brando,
Bill Franks junior godfather doing his bestabout it. Robin Williams, Humpy Wheeler,
Burt Reynolds, Richard Petty, JackNicholson, David Pearson, Charles Bronson,

(01:16:46):
Kelly Yarborough, Alan Alda, BobbyAlison, Jerry Reid, James Hilton.
That's a good one. Glynn Eastwood, Dell Earnhardt another god one,
Arhol O'Connor, Archie Bunker himself,Harry Hodd, Robert Redford, Buddy Baker

(01:17:10):
is about half the Baker's size,okay, James r Ness, Bud Moore,
Don Rickles, Jake elder Way justabout Don rickles As that's hilarious,
Jimmy Stewart, Lynn Wood, Ilike that, Bob Newhart, Dave Marcus,

(01:17:32):
Bill Bixby or the Hawk, delMan, Rob Ronner, Benny Parsons,
Peter Cushing, Governor Tarkin, thereally really bad guy from Star Wars,
Dick May. What. I don'tget that way either. In addition
to Star Wars, Peter Cushing hasbeen in every harm movie ever made.

(01:17:57):
Dick May is about as smiling andfunny as as I ever one of me.
I think I know what he mighthave been going for there, but
I don't know anyway. Listen tothis one. Sean Connery as Richard Childress.
I don't know about Sean, butI think Richard children would like that.
John Travolta, Dick Brooks, JohnSchnyder, Kyle Petty, Ericastrada,

(01:18:23):
Terry Lebanni, Roger Moore, BillBrodrick below seven as Bill Broderick, Henry
Winkler, Jim Brewer Hey, andMargaret one of the most beautiful women who

(01:18:45):
has ever walked the face of thisearth as Stevie waltrip Ron Howard, Bill
Elliott, Howard Cosell, Gene Granger. I like that one now, Thanks
right on, Tarney Walter Matthau asTom Higgins. Who did Gene Granger see
playing Steve Wade? Do you remember? Uh No, I don't, but

(01:19:08):
I'm thinking it should have been downsome of them. You do have a
point there, but that ain't theway that Gene Granger saw it. How
did he see it? Don't shootthe messenger, but John Belushi's I kind
of wanted my own Jene thab meback then all right, Jake, I

(01:19:30):
guess we're on a mission from God. Hey, race fans, John Dodson
here from NASCAR Technical Institute. NASCARTech is opening and rolling with classes starting
every three to six weeks. Inour forty eight week Automotive Technology program,

(01:19:55):
students learn everything from vehicle electronic technologyto diagnostics and driveability, and as our
exclusive educational provider for NASCAR, weare for a fifteen week NASCAR elective where
students learn engines, fabrication, aerodynamics, pit crew essentials, and more.
NASCAR Tech also offers thirty six weekwelding and C and C machining training

(01:20:16):
programs so you can choose the paththat best fits your career goals. Ready
to see how you can get started, visit UTI dot eu slash NASCAR today.
NASCAR Technical Institute prepares graduates to workas entry level automotive service technicians.
Some graduates who take NASCAR specific electivesalso may have job opportunities in racing related

(01:20:40):
industries. NASCAR Tech is an educationalinstitution and cannot guarantee employment or salary.
Hey, I'm Mark Petty, I'mRichie Petty, I'm Timmy Patty, and

(01:21:00):
you're listening to the Scene Vault podcast. Hello, Seen Vault fans. This
is Brian from Speedway Screens and ifyou're enough of a NASCAR historian to be
listening to this podcast, there's agood chance a piece of the past you've
been on the hunt for is inmy shop. I'm constantly on the hunt

(01:21:23):
for apparel and collectibles from all genresand eras of motorsports. So whether it
be cup cars, dirt modifieds,dragsters, or monster trucks, I've probably
got something for you. Check outmy inventory at Speedway TSJ dot etc.
Dot com and be sure to followme on Instagram and Twitter at Speedway Screens
for the newest items as soon asthey drop in for a peek at what

(01:21:43):
I keep from my own collection.As a special thank you to listeners of
this show, just enter Scene atcheckout for ten percent off Speedway TSJ dot
etc. Dot com. That's Speedway, TSJ, dot etc. Dot com.

(01:22:04):
This podcast has been brought to ourlisteners by Las Vegas Motor Speedway America's
racing show place, with this beingthe first episode of twenty twenty three.
Obviously, we have to have aresolution or a goal to try to reach
we got new one this year.It doesn't have anything to do with no
five thousand mile plateau either. Beenthere, done that, and I better

(01:22:29):
leave it. Think at our currentmonthly rate, the Scene Bought podcast should
reach a total of one million downloadsin mid September, or so, one
million downloads. I'm just I'm speaksspeachless a million. When we first started

(01:22:50):
out, we were shocked when wegot fifty down loads per episode. Isn't
that crazy? Now? In orderto help push us towards that goal,
and I'd like to see us obviouslyget there a little sooner, maybe late
August or something, who knows.In order to help us do that,
I'm gonna give our listeners a littlebit of a preview of what we got

(01:23:11):
coming up early this season. Obviouslywe have the Petty brothers, Mark,
Ritchie and Timmy, but Steve,you and I have also sat down with
Robin Pemberton's right. I also havean interview with Robbie Riser in the camp.
Here's Robbie Riser. So Matt Kinsethgets in the car at Nashville.
Let's go back and talk about howmat Kinseth got in the car. Well,

(01:23:33):
I think this is how I'm aboutwell. When we had the problem
on Saturday night, we went backto the hotel and we all went out
to eat and the whole team waseating and we were talking about what we're
gonna do and how we're gonna dothis, and we needed to find a
driver, and everybody kind of putsome names out there, and Kathy Virtue
puts some names out there, andwe were sitting at the table and I

(01:23:58):
said to my dad, you knowa lot of the names that have been
brought out, people have done thisalready. And we're trying to build this
team to go win races and andand become a forest down here. We
got to look for somebody that's goingto be able to take us there.
I said, I hate to saythis, but if if, if we

(01:24:18):
run the team and we hire MacKins to drive the car, I think
mac can do it. And mydad was completely silent at the table,
completely silent, and uh, andeverybody had had a conversation, and when
supper was over, my dad cameto me and said, Robbie, you
really you really feel that that's whatyou want to do. And I said,

(01:24:39):
well, Dad, I really feellike i'd like to drive it.
Myself, but that ain't the rightthing for where our team is right now.
Really, you know, our ourteam would be best if we could
team up and have somebody that wehave complete confidence in and go race.
And he says, well, Ican't believe I'm saying this, but if
that's what you want to do,then then you go do that. You're
gonna have to get a hold ofthem and see if he'll he'll drive the

(01:25:00):
car. And had you ever talkedto him about about one? All?
No, No, it's really funny. There was no grand master plan all.
So we got back, we didall our stuff at Bristol, and
we came back uh and got homeAnd on Sunday morning, I was I
was gonna try to get ahold ofthe mat. So I call, I
call his house and I get ahold of his I think at that time,

(01:25:21):
was his mom, and told him. She told me he was racing
in Rougemont in North Carolina in thelead model race. So I called over
to Rougemont to the track and leftthe message that I needed Matt to give
me a call, and I gavemy name a number and told him I
like him having a call as soonas he could I took a little while
and all of a sudden, Mattcalls, this is Robbie, what what's

(01:25:42):
you know? What do you need? You know? And uh, and
we got talking and he's like areyou I told him what I wanted to
do, and he was sort oflike are you sure? I said,
yes, this is what I wantto do. And at that time he
had just accepted an ASA ride forJerry Gunderman up in Wisconsin, and I
think he might have ran ran arace or two. I can't remember how
it was, but I think hereally I think at that time he really

(01:26:06):
wanted to do what we were doingand wanted to come try this and this
was an opportunity. And I meanhe him and his dad finished racing up
at Rougemont and A drove down thatnight. We've we've fit him in a
car and made made the made thedeal and and uh he said he was
going to go back and talk toJerry about this as a ride and he

(01:26:28):
would meet me at Nashville. That'show it all. That's that's how it
all started. And here is RobinPemberton. You know, we were pretty
close to Alan, right, andand we worked with Alan, like I
had the Bill Steams Shot truck wasin our parking lot all the time.

(01:26:49):
They stored it there, and Iwould go in and build my shocks,
and then I would build shocks forAlan and run him on the dino and
talked Allan about stuff, and wewere we went to dinner all the time.
You know that he would come outto the house at the lake and
he would get on the pontoon boatand he'd swim with the kids and stuff.

(01:27:09):
You know, we had Kyle andhim and I and the families had
good relationship. So that leading intoyou know, the events that happened,
and Felix was I believe Felix wasthe executor to the state and when everything
happened, you know that mean Felixreally was. He felt the loss probably

(01:27:34):
more than any of us, andwe all felt it, you know,
and you know when he was gettingthings buttoned up over there and going through
things, and you know, andhe would come back and say, you've
got you know, you've got aseat in every car. You know,
you're spending all this money. Alanonly had one seat that he took and

(01:27:57):
put it in every car he had. You Knowlan did it this way,
and you know, and and sothe pressure Alan won the championship, and
you know we finished whatever top fiveor something like that, which is great
for us. You know, Ithink I think it just changed the dynamics
with us, right. And youknow, he, you know, Fielix

(01:28:24):
got the you know, looking atthe bills and stuff like that and not
being a you know, in thetrenches car guy. Sometimes he didn't have
all the information he had to makedecisions and he would go off on you
and then realize then when you talkedto true, he said, Okay,

(01:28:44):
I didn't know that was that thiswas brake calipers or this was valve springs
or whatever. But it just gotto be picking on each other a little
bit too much, right, AndI think it was um, you know
he and he had had his fillof me, and I was I was
just you know, tired of ofjust things, right. I mean,

(01:29:10):
we all lost a friend, right, But I think that that just changed
the dynamics. And you know,we were in we blew up at Charlotte
in the six hundred and and wewere tenth in points and so I'd given

(01:29:35):
all the guys the day off onMonday, and my brothers Roman and Ryan,
we worked taking the motor out ofthe car, you know, getting
ready for when they everybody come inon Tuesday. You know, we just
and Felix come in and and saidthat we were complacent, and and oh

(01:30:00):
we were, you know, wewere accepted, mediocrity inferred all three of
us the same day. And we'rein there working on a holiday. So
Steve, what do you think aboutthat? My friends? It is some
very good stuff, Rick, Ithink our listeners are really going to enjoy
it. I am sending a copyof this letter to Dieguard. I am

(01:30:25):
sending a copy of this letter toDieguard Gatorade. I am sending a copy
of this letter to Dieguard Gatorade,to Dieguard Gatorade with the hope that Walter's
contract will not be renewed.

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