Brad Keselowski marvels at Richard Petty’s relentless pursuit to create a NASCAR legacy 

RFK Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski marveled at Richard Petty's storied career, highlighting The King's grit and commitment to NASCAR beyond his impressive stats. Keselowski insisted the seven-time champion is the "greatest race car driver that ever lived" and elaborated on why Petty has the "quintessential race car driver story of success, persona, and guts."

Despite being a veteran in the sport, Keselowski admitted he never built a relationship with Petty until earlier this April. The RFK Racing co-owner found himself on the same plane as The King, en route to Washington, D.C., for the National Motorsports Coalition. The #6 Ford driver struck up a lengthy conversation with the seven-time champion and was left in awe.

In an interview with NBC Sports, Keselowski opened up about his conversation with Richard Petty, admitting he was blown away by Petty's determination to keep racing during an era when on-track deaths were common. The #6 Ford driver said:

"I’m still blown away by the same thing, which is ‘Richard, how did you get back in the car after winning all these races, championships, having two or three kids and after seeing the Ned Jarretts win and retire and the Fireball Roberts perish on the racetrack, like how did you endure? How did you keep going?"

Keselowski was curious why Petty continued to race despite experiencing scary wrecks, achieving tremendous success, earning substantial wealth, and having a family. The 2012 Cup champion said that ultimately, The King's unwavering commitment to the sport kept him going.

"He could have done that, but he didn’t. And, so, you know, asking him, maybe less candidly, those questions and just hearing him and his commitment to the sport and how NASCAR is and what he was and what he always wanted to be, that just blew me away. Nowadays people aren’t so much committed to things as I think he was and his generation was. Full send," he added.

Beyond Richard Petty's towering 200 wins and seven championships, Keselowski said that in modern-day motorsports, where driver safety is often taken for granted, people forget how impressive careers like Petty's truly were.

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Richard Petty's long-time ally inducted into the NC Sports Hall of Fame

Richard Petty's long-time crew chief and cousin, Dale Inman, will be inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025, which features 11 athletes. The Level Cross native remains NASCAR's most successful crew chief, with 193 wins at the top level.

Petty and Inman were a formidable duo, winning 188 races together and securing seven championships, along with seven Daytona 500 victories. The 88-year-old also claimed a championship with Terry Labonte, bringing his tally to eight. He also won a couple of races with Tim Richmond.

Dale Inman, along with former NASCAR champion Bobby Isaac, will be honored on Friday, May 2. Richard Petty and Inman have already been inducted into the NASCAR and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.