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Kyle Petty has touched upon the Petty family's legacy in NASCAR before the sport gears itself up for the Coke Zero Suger 400 on Saturday. The 64-year-old reflected on his son Adam's death at the age of just 19.
NASCAR is all set to host its 25th race of the 2024 season, the stage can't get bigger than the Coke Zero Suger 400 at Daytona International Speedway. And when it comes to races in Daytona, there is none but one name that always comes to the forefront, and that is Richard Petty.
With seven Daytona victories to his name, "The King" was in a class of his own. The Pettys, which also include the monumental presence of Kyle Petty, an eight-time race winner, carried forward the legacy of the 'winningest' family in NASCAR history.
Richard Petty and his son, Kyle Petty, who has a net worth of $20 million(as per Celebrity Net Worth), came together to speak about their family's legacy with Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass ahead of the Coke Zero Sugar 400. In the recently surfaced "You Kids Don't Know The Petty Legacy" video on X, the two opened up about their 75-year racing history, including the tragic death of Kyle Petty's son, Adam Petty.
"Adam's death and Adam's accident was an end point for where we were from a driver's line, but I never saw it as an end point for where we were as our family in the sport," Kyle Petty said, as he recalled the fateful incident.
"Racing death was a part of the sport in the 60s. Death was a part of the sport in the early 70s. It's just something that, in a callous way, is just something that you lived with as part of the sport," he added.
On May 12, 2000, Adam Petty suffered a fatal crash during the Busch 200 practice session at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Petty's throttle had stuck wide open just before the turn 3 of the track, and he could not brake. As a result, he hit the wall head-on and suffered a life-ending basilar skull fracture. He was 19 years old when he breathed his last.
The Petty family, including Kyle Petty, to serve as Grand Marshals at Daytona
The Petty family, one of NASCAR's iconic families, are all set to serve as Grand Marshals for Saturday's Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. The Pettys are given the duty of commanding the drivers to start their engines before the race.
"As we continue to celebrate one of NASCAR’s greatest legacies, we’re thrilled to welcome the Petty family to help us get the Coke Zero Sugar 400 started,” said DIS Frank Kelleher. “Our history here at Daytona International Speedway and NASCAR goes hand-in-hand with the Petty family’s history, beginning when Lee won the very first DAYTONA 500 in 1959. With all the significant racing moments that came from their family in the years to follow, we’re honored to have the Pettys return to Daytona as our Grand Marshals.”
Besides Richard Petty and Kyle Petty, Timmy, Mark, and Ritchie Petty will accompany them to the track. They are Richard Petty's three nephews and the sons of the 87-year-old's brother, Maurice Petty. The latter is a NASCAR Hall of Famer and his three sons are directly connected to the sport.
