Petty is a renowned former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver. He is most well-known for winning the NASCAR Championship seven times (Dale Earnhardt was the only other driver to accomplish this feat), winning 200 races during his career, and winning a record of 27 wins in the 1967 season alone (ten races in a row).

He also collected a record number of poles (127) and over 700 top-ten finishes in his 1,185 starts, including 513 consecutive starts from 1971-1989. He also won seven Daytona 500s and nine Most Popular Driver awards.