“He is a hero of mine” - When Hollywood star Burt Reynolds expressed his love for Richard Petty
Seven-time Cup Series champion Richard Petty had a charisma that could captivate anyone, including the late Hollywood actor Burt Reynolds. The Hollywood actor paid tributes to the former NASCAR Cup Series driver at the Petty Tribute concert held on the night before the driver's final race, on November 15, 1992.
Petty's last race was the 1992 Hooters 500 held at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Bill Elliott, the father of 2020 Cup Series champion Chase, won the race. Petty finished in 35th after starting the race from P39.
Speaking before Petty's last race, Reynolds had opened up about the driver's legacy and influence among Georgia and Florida natives. He mentioned that The King was a "hero" in the South.
Burt Reynolds said,
"I don't know what's been said...probably everything...but he is a hero of mine, was a hero of mine. I grew up in Georgia and Florida, and stock car racing was a major big deal. And he was kind of...he was like the first hero we had" (at start of video).
Continuing further, the Hollywood actor praised Richard Petty for his fearless "win or crash" driving style. Reynolds added that Petty elevated NASCAR to a "nationally-recognized" sport.
The 87-year-old former Cup Series driver has etched his name in history, leaving a remarkable legacy behind. Petty competed in more than 1000 races and won 200 of them, secured 712 top-ten finishes, and clinched 123 pole positions.
Richard Petty’s post-retirement life
Richard Petty retired in 1992; since then he has been working on several ventures, including a race team, a high-performance auto shop, and a charitable organization.
Petty Enterprise was the team founded by the King’s father Lee Petty in 1949. The team fielded family members including Lee, Richard's brother Maurice, The King himself, as well as his son Kyle Petty.
The team went through several ownership changes starting in 2009 when Petty Enterprise merged with Gillett Evernham Motorsports. It ran as Richard Petty Motorsports for over a decade before shutting down in 2021.
The team was rebranded to Petty GMS after GMS Racing owner Maurice J. Gallagher Jr. purchased the team. Then in 2023, NASCAR’s Superman Jimmie Johnson became the co-owner of the team and renamed it Legacy Motorsports.
Outside of the realm of racing, Richard Petty owns a high-performance auto shop that modifies American muscle cars such as Ford and Dodge.
The Petty family founded a charitable organization, Petty Family Foundation, in 2008 with The King’s daughter, Rebecca Petty-Moffitt. The Foundation primarily focuses on helping veterans and children. The charitable organization recently offered support during Hurricane Helene.
Richard Petty also featured in the movie industry with his voice-over role in the "Cars" movie. He voiced the role of Strip “The King" Weathers. The role was based on Petty himself and was modeled after the Plymouth Superbird, the car Petty drove to 18 NASCAR wins in 1970.