NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty honored with unique “King’s Hat” statue April 26-28

Richard Petty, NASCAR's undisputed "King," will be honored at Dover Motor Speedway during its upcoming April 26-28 events as the celebration continues around the Petty Family's 75th anniversary in NASCAR.

Throughout the weekend, the "King's Hat" monument is sure to be a gathering place for families and a top photo opportunity. The six-foot tall, 1,000-pound fiberglass and concrete statue, to be placed near the Monster Monument, features a collection of photos of Richard Petty and his son Kyle at Dover, including from Richard's 199th career NASCAR Cup Series victory in May 1984.

LEGACY MOTOR CLUB (LEGACY M.C.), co-owned by Jimmie Johnson, is partnering with NASCAR tracks across the country to produce one-of-a-kind sculptures featuring "The King's" famous cowboy hat. Richard serves as LEGACY M.C.'s Club Ambassador.

The design of each hat is unique to each facility and honors Petty's family racing legacy, which began when Richard's father Lee entered the June 1949 race in Charlotte - the first event sanctioned by NASCAR.

"This is really for the fans to enjoy something unique to our family, our history, and our contributions to the tracks and NASCAR," Petty said. "It took a lot of people, time, and effort to make this happen and our family is honored by that."

Petty, his longtime crew chief Dale Inman, and fellow NASCAR Hall of Famer Donnie Allison are scheduled to make an appearance on the Monster Monument at noon on Sunday, April 28, and with Petty and Inman visiting the "King's Hat" for a photo opportunity at 12:30 p.m.

Richard made an early mark at the Monster Mile in 1969, winning Dover's inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race, the Mason-Dixon 300, by six laps, an event he later called "NASCAR's invasion of the North." Richard won seven NASCAR Cup Series races at Dover, with the last coming in 1984 for his 199th career victory.

Kyle's last NASCAR Cup Series victory came in the Monster Mile's debut weekend with a concrete surface in 1995 while Kyle's son Adam made two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Dover in 1999. Inman was Richard's crew chief for three decades, 198 race wins and seven NASCAR Cup Series titles. Inman earned his eighth title with Terry Labonte in 1984 and was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2012.

"You can't talk about the story of Dover Motor Speedway without mentioning Richard Petty and his family's contributions," said Mike Tatoian, Dover Motor Speedway's president and general manager. "We are honored that "The King" is part of our free, fun festivities surrounding our NASCAR weekend and look forward to seeing his legion of fans honor his achievements."

Meanwhile, 11-time Monster Mile winner Johnson will make his first Dover Motor Speedway Cup Series start since 2020 in the Würth 400 NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday, April 28 (2 p.m., FS1).

The newly inducted NASCAR Hall-of-Famer and seven-time NASCAR champion is driving the No. 84 Toyota part-time for LEGACY M.C. this season. Johnson's 83rd and final Cup Series victory to date came at Dover in the AAA 400 Drive for Autism on June 4, 2017.

Johnson is scheduled to make an appearance on the Monster Monument at 11:45 a.m. on Sunday, April 28, along with defending Würth 400 champion Martin Truex Jr.

The King's Hats are hand-crafted by TivoliToo, Inc., the same company that designed and built the Charles Schulz Peanuts® character tribute in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn.

Fans are encouraged to use #PETTY75 when they visit Dover's statue and post photos socially. Visit www.LEGACYMOTORCLUB.com for more information.

A limited-capacity suite honoring Petty's 75th anniversary, the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB FAN SUITE, which includes meet-and-greets with Petty and Johnson, sold out earlier this spring.

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