Stock Car Legends of the Oval Track - Richard Petty

I was a huge Dale Earnhardt fan when i was growing up-a Wrangler wearing, card carrying member of his fan club. Being from New Jersey, Pocono and Dover were the two tracks my family would frequent.

However, in February of 1985 my father got tickets to Richmond. I was naturally excited because Earnhardt was having a fan club meeting that weekend.

We left early (really early) Saturday morning and got there in time for the meeting. That evening Dad asked the person at the front desk at our hotel for a good place to eat. He recommended a steak house not far from the track. Now this was during an era in NASCAR before multi-million dollar motorhomes and guarded private campgrounds. Drivers and crews would stay in regular hotels and go out to dinner, just like the rest of us.

When we got to the restaurant there was a pretty good wait for a table, not surprising considering there was a NASCAR race in town and it was Saturday night. What did surprise me was the number of drivers that were in this restaurant. Some were eating, some were waiting, and some were hanging out in the bar. For a 15-year-old race fan, it was a dream come true. I ran out to the car to get the race program I had bought earlier in the day. I started collecting autographs as soon as I got back inside, Allison, Waltrip, Bonnett (who by the way really impressed my Mom when he held the door for her), and more.

Being the loyal Earnhardt fan that I was, I had on my yellow and blue T-shirt and my Wrangler denim jacket. I saw Richard Petty waiting with his wife Lynda not 10 feet from where we were standing so I ventured up to get the King's autograph. He signed my race program just as he had for the hundreds of thousands of fans who came before and then looked down at my shirt. "Hey son, you know Earnhardt's here," said Petty to me. "He is?" I questioned. "Come on," and Petty grabbed me by the shoulder and walked into the restaurant. "What's your name?"he asked me. "Rob," I told him still in awe of what was going on. He dragged me right up to Earnhardt's table where Dale and Teresa were having dinner. "Hey Earnhardt, got one of your fans here, his name is Rob." Earnhardt happily stopped eating and started a conversation with me while Petty stood by. The three of us talked about the upcoming race, Richmond and what I liked to do in my spare time back home.

I spent the rest of the evening in disbelief about what had happened earlier in the night. I had to be one of the luckiest young fans in the history of the sport I remember thinking. After all, not only did I get a slew of autographs that night, but I got to meet my favorite driver and was introduced to him by Richard Petty. Petty didn't have to take the time to do that. He could have very easily signed the autograph and then went about his way, after all while we were talking with Earnhardt Lynda had been seated. But the fact that he did take the time and was genuinely interested in one young fan wearing another driver's color is the very reason that the King is the King.