Maurice Petty (March 27, 1939July 25, 2020) was an American

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

crew chief and engine builder for Petty Enterprises, of which he was part owner. He was inducted into the

International Motorsports Hall of Fame The International Motorsports Hall of Fame (IMHOF) is a hall of fame located adjacent to the Talladega Superspeedway (formerly Alabama International Motor Speedway) located in Talladega County, east central Alabama. It enshrines those who have c ...

in 2011. He was subsequently enshrined into the

NASCAR Hall of Fame The NASCAR Hall of Fame, located in Charlotte, North Carolina, honors drivers who have shown expert skill at NASCAR driving, all-time great crew chiefs and owners, broadcasters and other major contributors to competition within the sanctioning ...

in 2014. He was the first engine builder to be inducted into that Hall.

Early life

Petty was born in Level Cross,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, on March 27, 1939. As a child, he would follow his father,

Lee Petty Lee Arnold Petty (March 14, 1914 – April 5, 2000) was an American stock car racing driver who competed during the 1950s and 1960s. He was one of the pioneers of NASCAR and one of its first superstars. He was NASCAR's first three-time Cup ch ...

, to the race track. The younger Petty's mechanical skills were credited as having played an "integral part" in his father's success. Although he himself started 26 times in the

NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971, ...

between 1960 and 1964, he soon elected to focus on engine building.

Career

Petty Enterprises was founded by Lee Petty and his two sons. The Petty family, working together as a team, corporately won over 250 races. Maurice primarily served the organization as engine builder and crew chief. He raced for the organization in 26 competitions from 1960 to 1964. As a driver, his best finish was third place at the Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds in

Spartanburg, South Carolina Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat, seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest c ...

in 1961. In 1970, Petty was the crew chief for

Pete Hamilton Peter Goodwill Hamilton (July 20, 1942 – March 21, 2017) was an American professional stock car racing driver. He competed in NASCAR for six years, where he won four times in his career (including the 1970 Daytona 500), three times driving ...

, who won three races for Petty Enterprises, including the 1970 Daytona 500 and both races at

Talladega Superspeedway Talladega Superspeedway, nicknamed “'Dega”, and formerly named Alabama International Motor Speedway (AIMS) from 1969 to 1989, is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base ...

. As an engine builder, Maurice built the motors that helped his brother Richard win a record 200 victories, along with seven Cup Series championships. In 2011, Maurice Petty was inducted into the

Talladega, Alabama Talladega (, also ) is the county seat of Talladega County, Alabama, United States. It was incorporated in 1835. At the 2020 census, the population was 15,861. Talladega is approximately east of one of the state’s biggest cities, Birmingham. ...

, in recognition of his career as a team owner, engine builder, crew chief, and driver. Three years later, he was enshrined into the

. He became the first engine builder to be inducted into that Hall, as well as the fourth member from Petty Enterprises.

Personal life and Death

Petty was the younger brother of

Richard Petty Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937), nicknamed "The King", is an American former stock car racing driver who raced from 1958 to 1992 in the former NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notabl ...

, who depended on his engines throughout the latter's career. He was also the uncle of

Kyle Petty Kyle Eugene Petty (born June 2, 1960) is an American former stock car racing driver, and current racing commentator. He is the son of racer Richard Petty, grandson of racer Lee Petty, and father of racer Adam Petty, who was killed in a crash dur ...

and

Trent Owens Trent T. Owens (born January 4, 1975) is an American stock car racing driver and crew chief who works for Kaulig Racing as the crew chief for their No. 31 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in the NASCAR Cup Series, driven by Justin Haley. He was prev ...

, and the great uncle of

Adam Petty Adam Kyler Petty (July 10, 1980 – May 12, 2000) was an American professional stock car racing driver. He was the fourth generation from the Petty family to drive in races in the highest division of NASCAR racing, mostly in what was then kno ...

. Maurice was married to Patricia for 52 years, until her death in 2014. Petty suffered from polio as a child, and ongoing effects of the illness resulted in him becoming less mobile, which played a role in his retirement from the Petty Enterprises team. Petty died on the morning of July 25, 2020, at age 81. The cause of death was undisclosed.

Honors and awards

* 2011:

inductee * 2013:

nominee * 2014: NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2014

Motorsports career results

Source:

NASCAR

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Grand National Series

References

External links

* *
"2 Minutes With.." Interview Video
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petty, Maurice 1939 births 2020 deaths Petty family Kyle Petty Richard Petty NASCAR crew chiefs People from Randolph County, North Carolina Racing drivers from North Carolina NASCAR drivers NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductees