“We were married 55 years, lived together 25”- When Richard Petty had a heartfelt reflection on living ‘three lives’ with late wife Lynda

Eight years ago, NASCAR legend Richard Petty talked about his 55-year marriage to his late wife, Lynda.

Petty got married to Lynda in 1958 when she was just 17. The couple began dating when she was in high school and had two children in the following two years. In a 2016 interview with Graham Besinger, Petty praised Lynda for handling everything well even at a young age and explained how they lived three lives.

"She took care of the house, she took care of the bills, she did all of that. I went out and did my racing and my job, and then it was like I told people—three lives. She lived the life, I lived the life, and we lived the life together. So we were married 55 years, but we probably lived together 25," Richard Petty said (02:45 onwards).

He also called their relationship with his tough work schedule a "perfect situation".

"I'd come home, stay two or three days, and couldn't wait to get away. Then I'd be gone for two or three days and couldn't wait to get back home. So, it was just a perfect situation for my situation. That might not work for anybody else, but it worked for us," he added.

Lynda passed away at the age of 72 in 2014 after a battle with cancer.

The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion has four children with Lynda, former NASCAR driver and analyst Kyle, and daughters Sharon, Lisa, and Rebecca.

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"She was young and innocent, she didn’t know any better" - Richard Petty on replacing his car's bench seat with a wheel for Lynda

Richard Petty is one of NASCAR's all-time greats with a record number of championships, race wins, pole positions, career starts, and more.

However, when it came to a comfortable passenger seat for his future wife, Petty chose a wheel. In the same interview, Petty recalled driving a 1956 Dodge with big wheels, no passenger seat, and a bucket seat he added. He said that he would add a wheel and cushion in the place of the seat when picking Lynda up.

"I didn’t want the bench seat, so I went with some kind of truck or something and had a bucket seat...She’d have to hang on, because it wasn’t too stable...She was young and innocent, and it didn’t make any difference, if I’d come with a wagon—she’d have been happy just to go out. She didn’t know any better," Richard Petty said (00:30)

Petty also mentioned giving Lynda $100 for their wedding present, which she used to pay off some pots and pans she had bought on credit.