“It’s one of my favorite tracks”: King Richard Petty makes his feelings known about Darlington track

Richard Petty, nicknamed 'The King,' expressed his adoration for the Darlington Raceway. During the 2025 Goodyear 400, the NASCAR legend said the 1.366-mile oval track was one of his favorites.

Petty drove at several tracks throughout his three-decade racing career and won seven Cup Series championships. He is also the all-time leader in career victories at 200 (including pre-modern era), beating runner-ups David Pearson (105) and Jeff Gordon (93).

In an X (formerly Twitter) post by Fox, Richard Petty, who was in the FS1 booth with the broadcasting team and his son Kyle, made his feelings known about Darlington Raceway.

"It was always one of my favorite tracks because it was so much different," Petty said. [0:10 onwards]

"When the one and two corner down here was a one-groove track, that's where the Daltongton stripe came from," he stated. "It's just Darlington wreck now. They run into these wrecks."

When Fox veteran broadcaster Mike Joy asked whether Richard Petty installed a 4x4 or a railroad tie to combat the impact of hitting the walls, the 87-year-old replied:

"I think we might have tried that at a time or two, and then we just finally made some roll bars to put around there. It was one of those deals where one and two corners, you're just going to run the walls no matter what. So you just went ahead and made arrangements for it." [0:57 onwards]

Richard Petty may be the winningest driver, but David Pearson had the most victories at Darlington Raceway. Petty won at the track three times, a far cry from Pearson, who won 10 times, besting Dale Earnhardt Sr. (nine) and Jeff Gordon (seven).

The 2025 Goodyear 400 has witnessed William Byron dominating the field from the pole. After winning stages one and two, Byron pitted with 50 laps remaining to give up the lead to Denny Hamlin, followed by Ryan Blaney and Ty Gibbs.

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Legacy Motor Club honors Richard Petty with throwback tribute paint scheme at Darlington

Legacy Motor Club, formerly Petty GMS Motorsports, paid homage to Richard Petty at Darlington Raceway. The #43 Toyota Camry features the NASCAR legend's iconic Petty Blue and STP paint scheme, with Advent Health as the title sponsor.

For the unversed, Richard Petty remained an ambassador for LMC after selling his team to current owners, including fellow seven-time NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson.

"Taking the Petty Blue back to the Lady in Black. 😎," LMC wrote on X.

Erik Jones, driver of the #43 Toyota, started the race in 34th place. He graced the top 10 in stage three but dropped to around 20th with 14 laps remaining. Meanwhile, teammate John Hunter Nemechek started 27th with a throwback livery for his father's 1998 paint scheme.

Erik Jones driving the No. 43 Toyota Camry at Darlington Raceway - Source: Imagn

The #43 Toyota continues the legacy of Richard Petty, who ran the racing number for several seasons. Petty bagged 192 of his 200 career victories in over 1,000 starts driving the #43 car.