THE FIRST RACE Feb 17, 2008
"ENDING WAS JUST THE BEGINNINGSpectators who braved the crowded conditions were treated to a spectacular finish as Lee Petty, Joe Weatherly and Johnny Beauchamp flashed three-wide across the finish line. Beauchamp was declared the provisional winner. Petty, 44, filed an official protest. As Beauchamp celebrated and Petty fumed, there was mass confusion outside the Speedway.Traffic egress was a mess. Serwas and his friends were long gone. Motorists were left to fend for themselves."I quickly left... (Daytona Beach News Journal)
Amateur's Photo Shows Petty Ahead At Finish Feb 17, 2008
Rivals Lee Petty and Johnny Beauchamp, along with millions of automotive racing fans all over the nation, are still waiting today to find out who won the incredible Daytona 500 Sunday. Bill France, president of NASCAR and the Daytona International Speedway, had not reached a final verdict last night. (Daytona Beach News Journal)
Wrecks, wrasslin’ & wins Feb 17, 2008
Fifty-nine cars started, but late in the race only Lee Petty and Johnny Beauchamp were on the lead lap. The two began swapping the lead 12 times over the final 49 laps. (Scranton Times, PA)
Vista resident has fond memories of first Daytona Feb 17, 2008
"The lineup for that first Daytona 500 included 17 models of hardtops and convertibles. There were Studebakers and Edsels and Thunderbirds, but the DeSoto ---- which Hentges bought for 3,500 after convincing his mother to co-sign the loan ---- proved to be quite the conversation piece.Hentges made his surprisingly fast initial qualifying run on tires designed for dirt-track racing (tall and skinny with deep treads compared to wider and less-grooved asphalt tires) and no sleep after a treacherous... (North County Times)
Daytona reaches 'Big 5-0' Feb 17, 2008
Lee Petty (42), who won the first Daytona 500 in a controversial finish, leads Johnny Beauchamp on the final lap ... "It's the guys who have won here, it's the history that's here."The first 500 set the tone, with Lee Petty, Johnny Beauchamp and Joe Weatherly finishing in a three-wide dead heat. (News & Observer -- Sports)
Race offers drivers shot at infamy Feb 17, 2008
" All 24 surviving former winners - including six in today's starting lineup - will be at the Daytona International Speedway for the 50th edition of the Great American Race. They will give the command to fire engines at 3:30 p.m. (Fox). Five hundred miles later, somebody will join that elite group. Somebody will become a legend. The race has had everything. The first in 1959 ended in a photo finish between Lee Petty and Johnny Beauchamp. It took NASCAR three days to finally pick a winner. The... (Athens Banner-Herald)
Daytona 500 almost here Feb 17, 2008
The first 500 set the tone, with Lee Petty, Johnny Beauchamp and Joe Weatherly finishing in a three-wide dead heat. Beauchamp was declared the winner and got the trophy in victory lane, but Petty later was declared the winner after NASCAR officials spent three days studying still photos and newsreel footage of the finish. (AZCentral -- Sports)
Today marks the 50th running of the 500, a race that has seen a little bit of everything Feb 17, 2008
Lee Petty and Johnny Beauchamp were both lapping Joe Weatherly as they came to the finish, and after initially declaring Beauchamp the winner, Daytona officials spent three days reviewing film and photos of the finish before giving the race to Petty, by a couple of feet. Convertibles ran in that first Daytona 500 -- the only time they were a part of the race. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA -- Sports)
Driver's wildest dream Feb 17, 2008
The first in 1959 ended in a photo finish between Lee Petty and Johnny Beauchamp. It took NASCAR three days to finally pick a winner. (Florida Times-Union)
Memories abound for The King as Daytona 500 runs its 50th Feb 15, 2008
In its first 50 years, no man has enjoyed more success than Petty, who has been to victory lane seven times as a driver and once as an owner after watching his father, Lee Petty, win the inaugural race. Befitting the intrigue that surrounds the Daytona 500, no one was sure that Lee Petty actually won that first race Feb. 22, 1959. (USA Today -- Sports)
NASCAR is banking on popular drivers like the fiery, combative Tony Stewart, who is as compelling as any race he competes in. Feb 15, 2008
Feb. 22, 1959: Lee Petty wins the first running of the Daytona 500, prevailing over Johnny Beauchamp in a photo finish that took three days to decide. Top Photo Galleries. (SportsIllustrated.CNN -- Racing)
50 years of Daytona: 50 things to know before Sunday's big 5-0 Feb 12, 2008
Three days later, a clip of newsreel proved that Lee Petty and his No. 42 Oldsmobile actually won by about two feet ... Lee Petty set the latter (two feet) in 1959 ... "3 Richard Petty, right, winner of a record seven Daytona 500s, competed in the inaugural Daytona 500 in the No. 43 Oldsmobile convertible. Petty completed only eight laps en route to finishing 57th among 59 starters.4 Project engineer Charles H. Moneypenny and his crew dug up 44 acres of dirt to mold DIS' east and west banking.5... (Yahoo News -- Auto Racing)
NASCAR puts changes on display Feb 11, 2008
Not bad considering that Lee Petty, who won the inaugural Daytona 500, collected $19,050 in 1959. We've come a long way, baby. (Yahoo News -- Auto Racing)
Kevin Harvick opened the 2007 season with a victory at the Daytona 500 but finished just 10th in the overall points standings. Feb 7, 2008
Lee Petty was the first to double up in 1959, following up his win in the inaugural Daytona 500 with a Cup title. Lee's son, Richard Petty, raced four seasons in which he won both (1964, 1971, 1974, 1979). (SportsIllustrated.CNN -- Racing)
PAY NASCAR $2 AND GO RACING Jan 23, 2008
"We went to the track either on Tuesday or Wednesday, and qualified on Thursday. So we were there five or six days."A lot of drivers, including Lee Petty (winner of the 1959 Daytona 500), said he was afraid of it. I think some of them were afraid of going that fast, because we had never been on a track that size. (Brookneal Union Star, VA)
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In the first Daytona 500, in 1959, winner Lee Petty drove an Oldsmobile in an untelevised race for a purse worth $67,760. Today, Olds no longer exists, 30 million people are expected to tune in, and the $18 million-plus pot reflects NASCAR's expansion into a multibillion-dollar business. (FastCompany)
REAL AMERICAN HEROES: THE PETTYS Jan 1, 2008
Lee Petty founded Petty Enterprises, the winningest racing organization in American Motorsports ... Lee Petty died April 5, 2000 at the age of 86. (Brookneal Union Star, VA)
LEARY: NASCAR Racing 101... Too Cool for School! Dec 20, 2007
DRIVER ~~~ WINS Richard Petty - 200 David Pearson - 105 Bobby Allison - 85 Darrell Waltrip - 84 Cale Yarborough - 83 Jeff Gordon - 81 Dale Earnhardt - 76 Rusty Wallace - 55 Lee Petty - 54 Junior Johnson - 50 Ned Jarrett - 50. How did you do. (Yahoo News -- Auto Racing)
Johnson's best is yetto come Nov 20, 2007
Gordon has four and Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarborough, David Pearson, and Lee Petty three. And then there's a group of eight drivers with two including Johnson. (MSNBC -- Sports)
Dale Jr. sees time at DEI come to rough end Nov 19, 2007
The others who captured two straight crowns before missing out on the three-peat quest are Jeff Gordon (6th in 1999), Dale Earnhardt (2nd in 1995, 12th in 1992, 3rd in 1988), Darrell Waltrip (2nd in 1983), Richard Petty (2nd in 1976, 5th in 1973), David Pearson (23rd in 1970), Joe Weatherly (48th in 1964, the year he was killed in an early season crash at Riverside Speedway), Lee Petty (6th in 1960) and Buck Baker (2nd in 1958). Yarborough was fourth in the 1979 standings, when he sought a... (MSNBC -- Sports)
Petty plans to relocate race shop Nov 8, 2007
The racing operation dates to 1949 and was founded by Richard's father, Lee Petty, in a machinery shed next to his house. Although the team has fallen on hard times in recent years, with only three wins since 1983 and none since 1999, Petty Enterprises has won 268 races in NASCAR's top series, 10 championships and nine Daytona 500s, mostly with cars built and maintained at the Level Cross shop. (News & Observer -- Sports)
Clint Bowyer joins 2 teammates in Chase Championship Sep 23, 2007
North Carolina natives like Lee Petty, Richard Petty, Benny Parsons, Dale Earnhardt, Dale Jarrett and Dale Earnhardt Jr. all won in a streak that dates back to 1949. Junior, Jarrett, Brian Vickers, Kyle Petty, David Ragan and Scott Riggs are the only hope to keep the streak going over the final nine races. (San Diego Union-Tribune -- Sports)
Johnson living the dream with back-to-back titles in sights Sep 12, 2007
Johnson living the dream with Chase repeat in sights - USATODAY.com. Buy and sell tickets to premium and sold out events. (USA Today -- Sports)
Petty named North Carolinian of the Year Jul 28, 2007
The organization was founded in 1949 by his late father, Lee Petty. Kyle Petty, Richard Petty's son, drives the No. 45 Dodge for Petty Enterprises. (News & Observer -- Sports)
NASCAR - Busch - Meijer 300 Preview Jun 13, 2007
On August 29, 1954, Lee Petty won the 200 lap race at the one-half mile dirt Corbin Speedway in Corbin, Kentucky. In 2005, Carl Edwards dominated this race, leading 89 of the first 100 laps, but still needed to pass Martin Truex Jr on the white flag lap to win the 2005 Meijer 300 by less than a second over Truex Jr. The win was the third of Edwards' five-win season, helping him to a third-place finish in the final Busch points standings. (News & Observer -- Sports)
Petty still leaving for broadcast booth Jun 3, 2007
Patriarch Lee Petty ran in his first NASCAR race in 1949 and "King" Richard Petty won 200 races during a career that cemented the family as stock car racing's first true dynasty. The name should have carried on around the track for decades, but fourth-generation driver Adam Petty, Kyle's son, was killed in a crash during a routine practice in 2000 at New Hampshire International Speedway. (News & Observer -- Sports)
Kyle Petty: No Regrets About Move To Booth Jun 3, 2007
" When former driver Benny Parsons died of lung cancer complications in January it opened a spot on the TNT broadcast team. Petty dabbled in broadcasting before this year and said he wasn't necessarily looking to make the move into TV until this opportunity came up. About the only thing tougher than hitching a ride with a NASCAR team might be finding a spot in a two- or three-man broadcast team. "When the music stopped, I had to jump on a deal," Petty said. Petty's absence from the cockpit... (Tampa Bay Online, FL -- Sports)
Petty looking at road ahead Jun 3, 2007
"Craftsman Truck Series driver Chad McCumbee, a native of Suppy, will fill in for Petty next week at Pocono Raceway, with John Andretti filling in for the other four races. Petty will both drive and announce in the June 24 race at Infineon Raceway.While Petty acknowledges his days as a driver are likely ending, he's not ready to blow out the candles on his career quite yet.Petty's absence from the cockpit brings the hard realization that the Petty name that has meant so much to NASCAR for... (The Morning Star)
Students who flew next to TB patient call act 'reckless' Jun 1, 2007
"Both students initially thought they were on the same row as Speaker, but said they learned Thursday afternoon they were 21 rows away.Wiggins and Vik were tested and expect results possibly by Friday.Speaker was infected with a particularly drug-resistant strain of TB and ignored doctor's advice and took two trans-Atlantic flights on his way to being married and returning."He did not need to be on a plane. That's just wrong, selfish," said Vik, 21.He also was also angry at Air France, the... (The Morning Star)
Border inspector removed in TB case Jun 1, 2007
"Speaker said in a newspaper interview that he knew he had TB when he flew from Atlanta to Europe in mid-May for his wedding and honeymoon, but that he did not find out until he was already in Rome that it was an extensively drug-resistant strain considered especially dangerous.Despite warnings from federal health officials not to board another long flight, he flew home for treatment, fearing he wouldn't survive if he didn't reach the U.S., he said. He said he tried to sneak home by way of... (The Morning Star)
How driver stacks up against all-time greats May 26, 2007
Great year has Jeff Gordon feeling giddy - USATODAY.com. Buy and sell tickets to premium and sold out events. (USA Today -- Sports)
Great year has Jeff Gordon feeling giddy May 26, 2007
Buy and sell tickets to premium and sold out events. Search by events or regions. (USA Today -- Sports)
Seahawks' sports grew larger five decades ago May 20, 2007
Lee Petty, Oldsmobile. 25 years ago in wilmington. (The Morning Star)
Petty makes light of young drivers' plight May 12, 2007
So the young ones shouldn't look for sympathy from a man who first came here with his father, NASCAR pioneer Lee Petty, for the first Darlington race, 57 years ago, for cars that essentially were taken out of showrooms and prepared for racing by having their hubcaps knocked off. "We had the Cars of Yesterday here in what? 1950?" Petty cracked, correctly. (Los Angeles Times)
Burton becomes 1st to repeat at Texas Apr 17, 2007
When Richmond opened in 1953, there were eight races before inaugural winner Lee Petty won again in 1960. Kenseth and Mark Martin, who finished third after sitting out two races, are former Texas winners. (News & Observer -- Sports)
Don't mess with Burton Apr 16, 2007
I feel like a guy that just came back," said Burton, who turns 40 in June. "I didn't forget how to drive. Some other people forgot I could drive. (The Morning Star)
Fun in the sun for Burton Apr 16, 2007
When Richmond opened in 1953, there were eight races before inaugural winner Lee Petty won again in 1960. Jamie McMurray finished, followed Greg Biffle, Martin Truex Jr., Montoya, Denny Hamlin and David Stremme. (Columbia Daily Herald, TN)
Johnson, team look to extend streaks Apr 15, 2007
When Richmond opened in 1953, there were eight races before inaugural winner Lee Petty became the first repeat winner in 1960. The Texas streak is already four races longer. (News & Observer -- Sports)
Petty: It's the best and worst of times in NASCAR Apr 9, 2007
His grandfather, Lee Petty, won the first Daytona 500 and his father, Richard Petty, is the sport's all-time winner with 200 victories. Petty talked about his role in the sport as a car owner and driver, as well as issues that face the future of the Nextel Cup Series during an interview at the Martinsville Speedway. (Florida Times-Union)
Franchising Is Pettys' Best Hope Apr 4, 2007
As they are franchised, you get a lot of people's ideas thrown in the middle of the thing and in the long run it winds up better for everybody. " In other major sports, even the lowliest teams can dream of a championship. The New Orleans Saints almost got to the Super Bowl this winter, and the Detroit Tigers won the American League in October, three seasons after losing 119 games. Economic factors still put teams such as the Devil Rays at a disadvantage, but there are at least equalization... (Tampa Bay Online, FL -- Sports)
Daytona 500 highlights Feb 19, 2007
Josh Yost: Jackman on Jeff Burton's team tears his left Achilles' tendon coming over the wall at the start of a pit stop. but completes the stop by hopping on one foot while carrying the jack before being rushed to the hospital. (San Diego Union-Tribune -- Sports)
A knock-out ending Feb 19, 2007
Harvick comes out of nowhere to edge Martin at Daytona as wrecks eliminate favorites. By Bill Center UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER. (San Diego Union-Tribune -- Sports)
Harvick crashes party at Daytona 500 Feb 19, 2007
But history cannot know whether it was the closest 500 ever, because there was no definitive photo of Lee Petty and Johnny Beauchamp crossing the line in '59. That's why it took three days for NASCAR to view various photos from different angles and declare Petty the winner. (Sun-Sentinel.com)
From a humble start Feb 19, 2007
At least that s what Lee Petty, sire of the Level Cross, N.C., clan said. I ve also read that Richard Petty, who would have been 11 years old, was there with his papa. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Sports)
Harvick edges ahead at finish to win Daytona 500 Feb 19, 2007
free sports contests you can play every week to earn raffle tickets and bid for prizes. Each week of the Nextel Cup season, choose who you think will finish in the top 5. (Orlando Sentinel)
49 reasons to watch the race Feb 18, 2007
Lee Petty in the inaugural race in 1959. 26. (Florida Today)
Johnson on defense Feb 16, 2007
Lee Petty, Richard Petty (three times), Yarborough and Jeff Gordon have all been in the position and fallen short. Yarborough came the closest when he finished second to Bobby Allison at the 1978 Daytona 500 en route to his third and final Cup crown. (USA Today -- Sports)
Parsons tours Daytona Jan 17, 2007
It came two years later, after Lee Petty, Richard's father, launched his Plymouth into the swamp during the 1961 race. When I was in the Navy and on a destroyer at sea, fighter jets would sometimes playfully buzz the ship's deck. (SportsIllustrated.CNN -- Racing)
