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NC declares "Richard Petty Day" on March 31, honoring iconic NASCAR driver

North Carolina's iconic homegrown NASCAR driver Richard Petty has a new honor to add to his list — Gov. Pat McCrory declared March 31 "Richard Petty Day."

On Tuesday, McCrory spoke about Petty’s success as a NASCAR driver, including being the most decorated driver of all time.

Petty was named NASCAR Rookie of the Year when he began in 1959, and he raced until 1992. During this time, Petty received more than 200 medals for his victories, including seven NASCAR Cup championships.

Petty, nicknamed “the King,” was not just honored for being skilled at driving around a track. McCrory explained how he and his family had made many contributions to the state outside of racing.

“One such contribution is Victory Junction,” said McCrory. “A camp which has brought joy to thousands of families of children with serious illnesses and medical conditions.”

Victory Junction is located in Randleman, N.C. and opened to campers in 2004. The camp was created in memory of Adam Petty, Richard Petty’s grandson who died at age 19 in a car accident while practicing for an upcoming NASCAR race.

Although many NASCAR fans were excited about having a day honoring Richard Perry, a few wished the date was different — noting that April 3 could be more symbolic because it represented the number of the car he drove, 43.

Many sports fans nationwide decided to honor him on April 3 as well, tweeting pictures of Richard Petty and replicas of his signature car.

state@dailytarheel.com

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