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NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, nicknamed 'The King' of the sport for his historic achievements, recently opened up about a racing moment from his past when he felt the most nervous. On Friday, January 31, Richard sat down for a conversation with his son, Kyle Petty ahead of the start of the 2025 season, a historic moment with NASCAR returning to Bowman Gray Stadium for the first time in 54 years.
The 2025 Cook Out Clash, which kicks off the new season, is set to bring racing back to the historic North Carolina venue. Bowman Gray, a track built in 1937, holds special significance for Petty and NASCAR fans alike. It’s where Petty clinched his 100th career victory in 1969 and began his remarkable 10-race winning streak in 1967.
During the conversation, Kyle told his father that there are many moments in his legendary career that stand out, but his achievements at the Bowman Gray Stadium are some of the most iconic. When he asked Richard why this particular stadium stood out for him, the answer was somewhat shocking.
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Despite his immense success and many significant career moments at the track, Richard Petty admitted that Bowman Gray made him more nervous than any other track.
"The most nervous I've ever been in a race car was when we got to Bowman Gray. Now why, I don't know... maybe it was because Bowman Gray had been there, we used to go and watch them run on Saturday night; the Myers boys, Pee Wee Jones, that crowd. And so maybe it was just because it was some place had a little bit of history, and anyhow, I don't remember. I think I probably spent more time in the infield in the infield playing football than I did on the racetrack," Richard Petty said (3:30 onwards via Petty Family Racing on YouTube).
Bowman Gray hosted 29 premier NASCAR Cup Series events between 1958 and 1971 before being dropped from the schedule.
Richard Petty gives his take on why NASCAR got rid of Bowman Gray
Kyle Petty opened the conversation by asking his father why Bowman Gray became such an iconic part of NASCAR’s history. Richard Petty explained that the track is significant because it was one of the first NASCAR-sanctioned tracks. However, he also spoke about how the track got phased out from the calendar.
NASCAR leased its naming rights to the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in 1971, which named the series after its premier brand "Winston". Richard shared that when Winston got involved, NASCAR started running nothing but bigger 250-mile races so that cut out all the small races and Bowman Gray was one of them that went away.
"(When) they got involved in '71, there were 48 races, and in '72 they said this is too much, 'We're advertising the same people' and all this. So they cut it back to I think 28 races or something, you know, and then it's progressed now to 36 races but they done away with everything but it had to be a 250-mile race," Richard Petty explained. (2:05 - 2:33)
Kyle quipped how strange it sounds when you think that R.J. Reynolds was based in Winston-Salem and yet they ditched their home race. In the end, Kyle Petty explained it best that NASCAR is just trying to show that it still cares about its roots.
