Team owner Richard Petty works the pit area during the NAPA 500 at Atlanta International Speedway during the 1995 NASCAR season, three years after his retirement as a driver. (David Taylor / Getty Images)
Richard Petty, as team owner, gets a ride by victorious driver John Andretti after the Goodys Body Pain 500 in Martinsville, Va., in 1999. (Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
Ever ready to talk to fans, Richard Petty wears his trademark hat and big smile during an appearance recently at the Coke Zero 400 fan zone at Daytona. (John Raoux / Associated Press)
Before NASCAR became a nationwide sensation, Richard Petty helped foster his sport’s popularity by signing autographs after races. Today, he still roams among the spectators and obliges those who seek his autograph. (Tim Boyd / Associated Press)
Richard Petty has struggled as a team owner in today’s big-business market, so he sold control of Petty Enterprises -- which began with his father in 1949 -- to Boston Ventures and Managing Director Andy Davis. (Chuck Burton / Associated Press)
Richard Petty joins Kevin Costner and his band, Modern West, before the start of the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. (Chris O’Meara / Associated Press)
