Fit for a King : Atlanta Adds 12,000 Seats for Richard Petty’s Final Race

Richard Petty’s last race has been such a hot ticket item that Atlanta Motor Speedway says it is adding a 12,000-seat grandstand outside the second turn for the Nov. 15 NASCAR Hooters 500.

“We felt compelled to build this grandstand in time for Richard Petty’s final race,” speedway president Bruton Smith said Wednesday.

Petty, who began his career in 1958, announced that this would be his last year to race, ending a storied career that has seen him post a record 200 victories, including 27 in one season and 10 in a row during one stretch.

Petty has won six events at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The speedway plans to price the grandstand tickets at $75 and $65.

Track officials said last year’s final race of the season drew 122,300--the largest crowd ever to watch a sporting event in Georgia--with most of them jammed into the 72-acre infield.