History

Lee Petty

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Lee Petty was one of NASCAR's founding pioneers and one of its first star drivers. A three-time NASCAR champion, (1954, 1958 and 1959), Petty was also crew chief for all thee championships as well. Petty's win in the inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959 was one of 55 career wins, good for seventh on NASCAR's all-time list.

The team that Lee Petty founded, Petty Enterprises, is responsible for nine Daytona 500 wins with Lee Petty earning one, his son Richard being the driver for seven victories and Pete Hamilton for the other. Petty earned numerous accolades during his career, including NASCAR Mechanic of the year in 1950, and was voted NASCAR's Most Popular Driver in 1953 and 1954.

Petty, patriarch of racing's first four generation driver family, was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1996. Petty was also named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.