Dedication
ceremony fit for “The King”: Richard
Petty to be honored with a marquee
plaque on the Monster Monument on
Sept. 20, 2008
DOVER, Del.
–
On July
6, 1969, Richard Petty took the
first checkered flag at a new,
high-banked racetrack in Dover, Del.
Piloting his No. 43 Ford, Petty
started the race in the third
position and went on to lead 150 of
300 laps en route to a dominating
win in the inaugural Mason-Dixon
300.
40
years, and seven Dover International
Speedway wins later, Petty will be
honored with a marquee plaque on the
Monster Monument at Victory Plaza,
presented by AAA, on Saturday, Sept.
20, 2008 at Dover International
Speedway. The 46-foot monument was
unveiled in May 2008 and created a
new focal point for race fans
visiting the concrete, one-mile
oval.
Petty
joins Bobby Allison as the only
drivers honored with a marquee
plaque on the monument, located
outside of Turn 4 at the Speedway.
The special four-foot high granite
plaque will be mounted on the
monument’s base and will include
Petty’s career and Dover highlights
and an engraved image of the driver,
in a section reserved for retired
drivers who’ve established their
legacy at the Monster Mile.
A
dedication ceremony for Petty is
scheduled to begin at 1p.m. near the
monument, and fans are invited to
watch a special question-and-answer
session hosted by NASCAR on Fox’s
Mike Joy and Dover President & CEO
Denis McGlynn. The ceremony is part
of several attractions planned to
celebrate Dover's 40th anniversary
season during the Sept. 19-21, 2008
race weekend. Free fan additions
include strolling entertainment,
live music, the Aqua String Mummers
band, free autograph sessions and
more.
Petty
will also participate in a free
autograph session for race ticket
holders following the ceremony at 2
p.m. near the monument. Autographs
will be available on a first-come,
first-served basis.
The
undisputed king of stock-car racing,
with 200 career NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series wins, notched his 199th win
of his career at Dover on May 20,
1984. This achievement set him up
for career win No. 200 at Daytona
just weeks later.
Petty
won seven NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
championships during his 35-year
career spanning from 1958 to 1992
and ranks first in a variety of
NASCAR records including: all-time
wins (200), races started (1,184),
top-five finishes (555), top-10
finishes (712), pole positions
(126), laps completed (307,836),
laps led (52,194), races led (599)
and consecutive races won (10).
On
Sept. 20 at Dover, Petty will have
his legacy enshrined on the Monster
Monument at Victory Plaza, presented
by AAA
–
another supreme accomplishment by a
member of NASCAR royalty.
“The
Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup”
returns to the Monster Mile Sept. 19
–
21, 2008. For more information, or
to purchase tickets, call
800-441-RACE or visit
DoverSpeedway.com.
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