Try to picture the chaos of Darlington Raceway in 1970, where the Rebel 400 turned into a heart-stopping moment that still echoes through NASCAR history. Richard Petty, already a legend in the making, was behind the wheel of his iconic Plymouth Superbird, pushing the limits as always. But on lap 176, disaster struck—his car got loose coming out of turn four, slammed into the outside wall, and flipped violently, landing on its roof in a crumpled heap.
The crowd held its breath as Petty’s limp body hung halfway out the window, his arm dangling lifelessly while the car sat upside down, a stark reminder of how dangerous this sport can be. Miraculously, Petty walked away from that wreck with just a fractured shoulder, a testament to his toughness and the kind of grit that earned him the nickname “The King.”
That Darlington crash wasn’t just a close call—it sparked a safety revolution in NASCAR, leading to the introduction of window nets that are now standard in every race car. Petty, with his shoulder taped up, didn’t let the injury keep him down for long. He missed the next five races but came roaring back to win two more that season, finishing with 18 victories in 1970 alone. It’s the kind of comeback story that defines a legend, showing why Petty’s name is synonymous with resilience and why fans still talk about that day with a mix of awe and disbelief.
Even today, Petty’s still proving why he’s the King, not with a steering wheel in his hands, but with words that cut straight to the heart of what made him a seven-time champion.
Richard Petty reveals the mindset of a champion
In a recent interview, the 88-year-old NASCAR icon sat down with Graham Bensinger and opened up about the mindset that carried him through a career filled with crashes, injuries, and personal battles. Richard Petty peeled back the layers of his legendary career, revealing the mental toughness that made him “The King.” When asked about his extraordinary tolerance for pain, Petty didn’t hesitate, saying, “The Strongest thing a person has is his mind, it’s the mindset thing. No matter how bad you was hurt, your job was to get in that race car and do the best you could with it. So between the obligations you had to you and your family and then the people that you worked with in your mind you just went and done it. You didn’t think about it.”
He drove the point home with a five-word mantra that sums up his philosophy: “Got to do the job,” he said, explaining how injuries never stopped him. “If you had a broke leg, you got into the car, if your ribs broke, you got into the car, if your shoulder broke? They just tape the damn thing up and put you in the car and you went.” That unyielding commitment to his craft, no matter the cost, left Bensinger and fans in awe of the mindset that drove Petty to seven championships.
Petty’s words aren’t just talk—they’re backed by a career full of moments that prove his grit. Take 1979, when he was battling severe stomach pain, which turned out to be much worse than anyone thought. Doctors ended up removing 40% of his stomach, a surgery that would’ve sidelined most people for months. But Petty? He was back in the car in less than two months, against all medical advice, and went on to win his sixth Daytona 500. It was the first live flag-by-flag broadcast of the NASCAR race on CBS, and Petty redeemed his title as the King of NASCAR.
Luck played a part that day, as race leaders Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison wrecked each other on the last lap, leaving Petty to cruise to victory. “They chopped it out a couple months ago,” Petty said at the time, hand on his stomach, as if it were no big deal. That win sparked a fire in him, leading to his seventh and final Cup Series title that year, a comeback for the ages that showed why his mind-over-matter approach made him unstoppable.
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The interview took an even deeper turn when Bensinger asked about Petty’s refusal to take pain medication, even for something as simple as a dental visit. “Well, that’s just teaching my mind,” Petty replied, doubling down on his belief in mental strength. “I am a real strong believer of mind over matter and that’s what it all is. So from that standpoint I guess I learnt from early age and when you got an obligation to do, you ain’t got time to be sick or you ain’t got to hurt, you got to do the job.”
That philosophy carried him through another life-threatening challenge in 1995, when a routine check-up revealed prostate cancer. At 57, Petty underwent a two-hour surgery, keeping the diagnosis private until it was successful. The cancer hadn’t spread, and though he stepped back briefly from his role at Richard Petty Motorsports, his spirit never wavered, proving once again that his mind was his greatest asset.
Dale Earnhardt’s grit echoes Petty’s Resilience
Petty’s tales of toughness bring to mind another NASCAR icon who shared that same iron will: Dale Earnhardt. Back in 1976, Dale Sr., while working in his father’s shop, cut his head and had a piece of shrapnel stuck inside his head. Now, ideally, anyone would rush to a nearby hospital or ER, undergo surgery and remove this shard of metal. But, Earnhart being himself, didn’t bother about it until 2001 when he felt he needed to get the metal removed.
After the surgery, a piece of shrapnel, measuring 1/8th of an inch, was removed from Dale Earnhardt’s head. This story was brought to light by the ‘NASCARMAN’ account on X. The page shared the article from Knight Rider Newspaper, which at the time was the second-largest newspaper in the country. The headline perfectly captured Earnhardt’s personality and his approach towards racing. “Dale Earnhardt proves his mettle again.”
Funny enough, Bobby Allison would give the Intimidator another nickname, and after this incident, the 7-time NASCAR champion was also known as Ironhead. This story once again goes to show that NASCAR’s prominent heroes were willing to brave the pain to reach their goals and objectives, and for most of them, nothing could keep them from racing on Sundays.
The post Richard Petty’s 5-Words Prove Why He’s Called “The King” as He Reveals His ‘Inner Mentality’ appeared first on EssentiallySports.