Tag Archives: Richard Petty

2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee: DALE INMAN

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Birthday: August 19, 1936
Hometown: Level Cross, N.C.
Competed: 1958-92
Wins: 193
Poles: 129

Dale Inman, from Level Cross, North Carolina., Richard Petty’s crew chief at Petty

NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee and Crew Chief Dale Inman. Photo credit: Getty Archives

Enterprises for nearly three decades, set records for most wins (193) and championships (eight) by a crew chief.

Inman won seven of those championships with inaugural Hall Of Fame Inductee Petty (1964, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, and 1979), and another one in 1984 with Terry Labonte.

Inman grew up playing with his first cousins, Lee’s sons – Richard and Maurice Petty. Richard started racing in the late 1950′s with Maurice and Inman as part of his pit crew, as they were too young to be his crew chief. As time went on, Maurice and Inman had become NASCAR mechanics. Maurice had been the mechanic and crew chief at the races. Petty Enterprises had him start concentrating on engine building for the team, and Inman became the crew chief at the races.

Petty described him as the sport’s first official crew chief.

Credited with revolutionizing the crew chief position, Inman’s standout year was 1967. That season, Inman and Petty won a NASCAR record 27 races – 10 of them consecutively. All 27 victories were in the same car they built a year earlier.

After Petty won his seventh Daytona 500 in 1981, Inman surprised everyone by resigning from Petty Enterprises. He went to Rod Osterlund’s team that was fielding cars for 1980 NASCAR Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt. In 1983, Inman moved to Billy Hagen’s racing team where Terry Labonte was behind the wheel. One year later, Inman guided Labonte to his first NASCAR Winston Cup championship. In 1986, after five years of wearing a different uniform and working in another pit, Inman returned to his roots at Petty Enterprises. Inman worked with drivers Rick Wilson, John Andretti, and Bobby Hamilton until he retired, officially, from NASCAR in 1998.

Richard Petty's Plymouth Belvedere that Petty drove to 27 wins in 1967 along with Dale Inman as crew chief as it sits in the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, NC. Photo by Sandi Goodall / Racingal.com

In 2008, Inman helped unveil the first artifact at the NASCAR Hall of Fame – the Plymouth Belvedere that Petty drove to 27 wins in 1967.

His contributions to racing led to him receiving the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame’s first Golden Wrench Award in 2000. In 2008, he received the Smokey Yunick Award.

Watch video on Dale Inman:

Today, Inman enjoys working around his North Carolina home with his wife of more than 40 years, Mary. They have two children, Tina Dale Hussy and Jeffrey Inman, as well as two grandchildren, Taylor and Logan Hussy.

Dale Inman was elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame on June 14th, 2011 with Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Richie Evans and Glen Wood. The induction ceremony will take place Friday, Jan. 20, 2012 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame located in Charlotte, NC.

 

Sources: NASCARMedia, Google, Wikipedia

 

 

 

Richard Petty, AJ Allmendinger celebrate STP’s return to racing at Kansas

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AJ Allmendinger and Richard Petty pose next to their respective paint schemes, which the No. 43 Ford Fusion will carry this weekend at Kansas for the STP 400. Photo courtesy of Matter-Eldeman.

Richard Petty and AJ Allmendinger are together as the iconic STP brand returns to its racing heritage. Petty and STP forever changed the sponsorship landscape within the sport of auto racing back in 1972.

This weekend STP and Richard Petty Motorsports team up again with the historic STP No. 43 paint scheme returning to the track during the STP 400 at Kansas Speedway. Allmendinger will pilot the No. 43 STP Ford Fusion featuring a modern replica of the 1972 paint scheme with the original Petty Blue and STP Day-Glo Red – made famous by the King.

STP returns as race sponsor at Kansas Speedway

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This Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway is the inaugural spring event and has a lot more meaning….

STP is back after a length absence and is the primary sponsor for the this weekend’s race(s) – the STP 400, and NASCAR Nationwide Series STP 300, running at Chicagoland Speedway. Who else is better to be the Grand Marshal for the STP 400, other than “The King” himself, Richard Petty.

Richard Petty will also be conducting a question and answer session in the Sprint Fan Walk located between the Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series garages. Fans can participate in Saturday morning’s Q & A by purchasing Sprint Fan Walk tickets online at www.kansasspeedway.com or by calling 866.460.RACE.

Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 featured 19 leaders, all of whom seemingly had a shot at victory. Dale Earnhardt Jr., with a single turn separating him and victory, ran out of gas (he wasn’t alone in that regard). Earnhardt still sits fourth in points, his best points position after 12 races since 2008. So there’s hope yet, Junior Nation, Earnhardt has four top 10s in 10 starts at Kansas.

Kevin Harvick, AKA “The Closer” accomplished what he’s best known to do and closed a race once again, nabbing his first Coca-Cola 600 win, and now has a season-high three victories – and still hates racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Harvick’s first career points win at Charlotte adds him to the list with Dale Jarrett, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson in sweeping NASCAR’s biggest races – the Daytona 500, the Coca-Cola 600, and the Brickyard 400.

Who to watch at Kansas Speedway? Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Greg Biffle. Each have two wins apiece. Kansas Speedway is a track that has lots of leaders and lots of lead changes.

Also, don’t forget that Saturday night’s Nationwide Series running at Chicagoland Speedway, will offer race fans two big returns – Trevor Bayne and Danica Patrick.

Special grand marshals and honorary starter chosen for the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville

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Goody's Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville has special Honorary Starter and Grand Marshals

Goody's Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville has special Honorary Starter and Grand Marshals.

Title sponsor for the Martinsville race, Goody’s Headache Powder has designated Wounded Warrior Project heroes Joe Brazzle, Rashe Hall and Sue Downs as the grand marshals, and Victory Junction camper Garon Parris as the honorary starter for the 500-lap event. Wounded Warrior Project heroes Joe Brazzle, Rashe Hall and Sue Downs will give the command for the most famous words in racing – “Gentlemen, Start Your Engines”.

Following are bios about the Wounded Warrior Project heroes and the 8-year old Victory Junction Camper chosen for this weekend’s event:

WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT

John “Joe” Brazzle

A Pennsylvania native, currently lives in Fayetteville, N.C., at Fort Bragg. From a military family, Brazzle served in Afghanistan three times all without incident. On August 17, 2007, during a training event at Fort Bragg, Brazzle was involved in an explosion that burned his body and blinded him in his left eye and partially in the right.

Rashe Hall

Also living in Fayetteville, N.C., Hall is originally from Ventura, Calif. A former college football player, Hall joined the military in 2000 as a combat engineer. Six months into his tour in Afghanistan he was involved in an ambush. The first rocket-propelled grenade bounced off his chest plate and imploded inside the vehicle. The explosion lodged metal in his neck and burned Hall. He was medically evacuated from Afghanistan to a base in Houston, Texas, where he was introduced to Wounded Warrior Project.

Sue Downs

Is from Tazewell, Tenn. Downs and her husband, Gabriel, have both served in the military. After her husband was medically discharged in December 2004, she decided to join the military and serve as a military police officer. Ten months after arriving in Afghanistan, Downs and her unit were on a mission and hit a land mine, killing two fellow soldiers and leaving her legs amputated from both knees down. It was at that time that she went to Walter Reed and was introduced to Wounded Warrior Project.

VICTORY JUNCTION

Garon Parris

Parris, a Victory Junction camper from Trinity, N.C., will wave the green flag to start the 43-car field on the 0.526 Virginia short track.

An eight-year-old who attends Archdale Elementary School, Parris was diagnosed at 17 months old with diabetes. He has been on an insulin pump since he was three years old which also is the age he began pricking his finger. Parris receives four shots a day to properly maintain his sugar levels.

He first attended Victory Junction in September 2009 and again in April 2010 for a family weekend. He enjoys all of the activities camp has to offer including fishing, bowling, horseback riding and making new friends.

Located less than 70 miles from Martinsville Speedway in Randleman, N.C., Victory Junction www.victoryjunction.org is a year-round facility that provides life-changing camping experiences for children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses.

As for the Goody’s and BC Powder Pick A Powder campaign – rivals and spokesmen involve country music star Trace Adkins and NASCAR Racing Legend Richard Petty. This weekend is about the Wounded Warrior Project and Victory Junction and bringing meaningful attention to the worthy causes the charities serve – wounded service members and children with chronic medical conditions and serious illnesses.

Both charitable organizations will play a key role in pre-race ceremonies serving as grand marshals and honorary starter. In addition, Goody’s and BC will make a financial donation to each organization based on a portion of the sales from specially-marked packs featuring Victory Junction and Wounded Warrior Project that fans purchased between January and March.

Read my prior blog about the BC and Goody’s campaign and how you can help.

BC Powder and Goody’s Headache Powders benefit Wounded Warrior Project and Victory Junction

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Fans of BC and Goody’s powders will notice new packages on the shelves branded with familiar faces and charity logos. The new packaging showcases the support of two charities personally selected by country music superstar Trace Adkins and racing legend and NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty. For a limited time, you’ll find Trace Adkins and Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) on select boxes of BC, while Richard Petty and Victory Junction team up on select boxes of Goody’s. With each purchase made between January 1 and March 31 of these specially-marked boxes of BC or Goody’s, fans will be helping to give back to the organization affiliated with each man and each brand.

The release of the new packages of BC Powder and Goody’s Headache Powders is a part of the Pick A Powder campaign sponsored by BC and Goody’s.

According to Wounded Warrior Project, more than 40,000 of our nation’s armed forces have been physically wounded during the current military conflicts. Hundreds of thousands more are estimated to be recovering from invisible wounds of war, including post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression, and traumatic brain injury.

Victory Junction is a year-round facility located in Randleman, NC that is committed to providing children with serious and/or ongoing health issues an opportunity to attend camp and enjoy inspiring and rewarding experiences just like any other child. As most race fans know, the organization holds a special place for Richard Petty because it was founded by Kyle and Pattie Petty in honor of Richard’s late grandson and former NASCAR driver, Adam Petty, who had the dream to start a camp.Today Adam’s dream lives on in the children who attend Victory Junction as well as the donors and volunteers who help fund and support these life changing experiences.

During the first weekend of April at the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 in Martinsville, their respective charities will be presented with a check from BC and Goody’s to continue their work and missions. For more information, visit www.pickapowder.com.

‘Petty Blue’ movie-documentary on the life of the Petty’s debut on DVD Sept. 21, 2010

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Graphic courtesy of CMT.com

 

Petty Blue presents a comprehensive look at the four generations that make up the Petty family, a close-knit unit that has celebrated one another’s successes and remained resolute through moments of heartache. The real-life story begins with Lee Petty, who raced car No. 42 and was the face of NASCAR’s earliest era, starting the family’s tradition of excellence in 1949. When injury prevented Lee from competing again, his son Richard proudly followed in his footsteps and took to racing car No. 43, which today is still synonymous with the “King.” Richard went on to become the most-winning driver in NASCAR’s history and is widely considered one of the greatest drivers of all time. Richard is also the only motorsports athlete to earn the Medal of Freedom and was recently inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. His son, Kyle, continued the family legacy and piloted the No. 44 in NASCAR’s top series. Carrying quite a history with him as the third generation of Petty racers, he went on to win one of NASCAR’s most auspicious awards: the Myers Brothers Award — twice. Sadly, Kyle’s son Adam (car No. 45) died while racing, more than 50 years after his great-grandfather’s first NASCAR race at Charlotte Speedway in 1949.

The documentary will make its cable debut on CMT in October.

This is the third project CMT Films and NASCAR Media Group have partnered on, having previously produced the critically-acclaimed and Emmy® Award-nominated Dale, which presented an unparalleled examination of the story of Dale Earnhardt, as well as The Ride of Their Lives, the most comprehensive look at the sport since its inception. 

Watch a trailer

Source:  CMT.com

2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame Nominee: DALE INMAN

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Dale Inman Photo credit: Getty Images

 

DALE INMAN

Hometown: Level Cross, N.C.

Competed: 1958-92

Wins: 193

Poles: 129

Behind every legendary driver, there is usually a legendary wrenchman.

That was Dale Inman, without whom Richard Petty might never have been The King.

Inman, Petty’s crew chief at Petty Enterprises for nearly three decades, set records for most wins (193) and championships (eight) by a crew chief.

Inman won seven of those championships with inaugural Hall Of Fame Inductee Petty (1964, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, and 1979), and another one in 1984 with Terry Labonte.

Credited with revolutionizing the crew chief position, Inman’s standout year was 1967. That season, Inman and Petty won a NASCAR-record 27 races – 10 of them consecutively. All 27 victories were in the same car they built a year earlier.

Inman retired from NASCAR in 1998, and in 2008, helped unveil the first artifact at the NASCAR Hall of Fame – the Plymouth Belvedere that Petty drove to 27 wins in 1967.

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Richard Petty to say the four most famous words in motorsports at Dover

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"Miles" - Dover International Speedway, aka "the Monster Mile" Photo by Karen Pistone

 

Richard Petty, a seven-time winner at the Monster Mile and owner of Richard Petty Motorsports, will have the honor to say the four most famous words in motorsports – “Gentleman, start your engines” as grand marshal on Sunday, May 16 at Dover International Speedway for the “Autism Speaks 400 presented by HERSHEY’S Milk & Milkshakes.”

On Tuesday morning, “The King” was inducted into the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. He will also be taking part in a free question-and-answer session for all fans on Saturday, May 15 at 10 a.m. at the Monster Monument at Victory Plaza, presented by AAA. 

Allen Bestwick, host of ESPN’s coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series, will moderate the special Q&A session.