Seth and Sutton Sharp

May 25, 2017

Word Association. If I say “Richard Petty”, two of the most common answers would be “No. 43” and “STP”. Petty drove the No. 43 STP car full-time from 1972 until he retired at the end of the 1992 Winston Cup season. Throughout the years, Petty’s number and sponsor became iconic, as he won four titles with the pair during the 1970s. When the Winston Cup Series arrived at Charlotte in 1986 for the Coca-Cola 600, everything seemed business as usual, until Friday afternoon.

While practicing for the race on Friday, Petty’s car blew a right front tire and slammed into the third-turn wall before careening off and hitting it once again. An on-looker, Bobby Batson, witnessed the crash from the entrance of pit road. “Flames were coming from under the hood when he passed me. It honestly didn’t look like he was steering the car, it was just rolling.”

The accident knocked Petty unconscious and sent him to the hospital. When he was eventually released from the hospital, Petty explained what happened. “I was dropping into the corner and turning the car. I was turning it more and more and the car kept going straight. I said, ‘This is going to hurt’. I don’t remember anything after that until I woke up in the hospital.”

Although Petty mentioned that he didn’t remember anything, his sense of humor and grit didn’t seem to disappear. According to the track workers who helped Petty following the accident, Petty joked “Last time I was in one of these things you dropped me!” as he was being wheeled into the hospital on a stretcher. “Don’t drop me. I’m not hurt now, so don’t hurt me!”

Petty was diagnosed with a concussion and a bruised leg. He was checked hourly during the night because of his head injury to see if he remained coherent. According to the hospital, Petty recovered so well by 4 AM that they stopped his hourly checks and alerted him that he would be released in the morning. While he rested in the hospital, NASCAR announced that he would not be allowed to use a back-up car.

The crash left Petty, attempting to make his 434th consecutive start, without a ride for the race, as his iconic No. 43 car was destroyed. Crew chief Dale Inman withdrew the No. 43 from the race, in-turn making Petty sit out his first Cup race since 1971.

Fellow competitor D.K. Ulrich stepped up and offered Petty his ride and spot in the field for the 600 mile event. Ulrich’s green and white No. 6 Monte Carlo, qualified in the 37th position. Petty’s familiar STP logos were placed on the green and white car before the race.

Unfortunately for Petty, his second chance to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 didn’t go as planned. The No. 6 car blew an engine on lap-123, leaving Petty with a disappointing 38th place finish.

(Quotes obtained from the Chicago Tribune and also the New York Times.)