“Santa Claus decided it was time”: NASCAR legend Richard Petty shares one Christmas gift that ‘stood out’ over the years

Former NASCAR driver Richard Petty made an appearance on the Petty Family Racing YouTube channel to answer questions about Christmas and New Year's. As the seven-time NASCAR champion answered, he recalled the Christmas present that he got as a kid that stood out amongst all the others. Petty was asked:

“Do you remember any specific Christmas gifts that really stood out over the years?”

“You know, I think the biggest thing that we ever got, we got an electric train one time, and that was something we'd been been wanting for years. But we didn't have no electricity. So once they got electricity to the house, then I guess Santa Claus decided it was time to bring electric train. And that was probably the biggest Christmas that my brother and myself ever had,” Richard Petty answered. (2:18 onwards)

Richard Petty was the second generation of Stock Car drivers from his family and was born in 1937 in Level Cross, Randolph County, North Carolina. His dad, Lee Petty was a three-time NASCAR Cup series champion and won the inaugural Daytona 500.

Richard was the first stock car driver to win seven titles and won a total of 200 races during his Cup series career that spanned over 35 years. The former NASCAR driver owned a team in the Cup Series before he sold his ownership, and the team is now known as Legacy Motor Club.

The seven-time champion is still a brand ambassador with the team he formerly owned and was present at the Christmas party organized by the Legacy Motor Club. Petty, along with the Cup Series drivers for the team, attended the party as the pictures from the same were shared on social media.

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Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson attended the Legacy Motor Club Christmas Party

Jimmie Johnson is a part-time driver for the Legacy Motor Club and also a co-owner of the team. LMC’s Instagram account shared stories from the same as Johnson gave a speech, and Richard Petty posted a reel featuring the #84 LMC driver.

Petty uploaded a video of him and Johnson that was shot by a rotating camera at the Christmas party. The caption read, “Getting in the Holiday spirit”

Jimmie Johnson also uploaded a reel of the speech he gave at the party. He said:

“The opportunity we have with our name and to look at the Petty family as a foundational piece, the legacy they’ve created, it’s embodied here. The motor club, the plans to create a lifestyle brand, again we’re just evolving as we're moving into [2025] and there’s going to be a lot of touch points like that.”

John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones, the full-time LMC drivers, along with their wives were also spotted at the party.