I am a Richard Petty fan. Anyone who knows me knows that. Anyone who has been in my office certainly knows that. As I type this I am being stared at by a bookshelf that contains a bronze bust of Petty, next to a pair of Petty bobbleheads, next to a framed photo of Petty with Arnold Palmer -- the Kings -- and all those Pettys are standing watch over a handful of Petty diecast race cars.
I am often asked why I grew up a Richard Petty fan. The short version is that I was born in Rockingham, North Carolina, just down the road from where he lived and home to a racetrack where he seemingly won every year. But the long version is the real reason, and it is really long. Like 40-something years long. My whole life has been spent watching and learning about The King, and the list of reasons to love him has never stopped growing. Getting to know him a little over that time has only made me dig in more.
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