The most celebrated and cherished NASCAR driver, Richard Petty, and his wife, Lynda Owens, were considered the king and queen of NASCAR.
Former stock car racing driver Richard Lee Petty was born on July 2, 1937, in Randolph County, North Carolina.
Nicknamed “The King,” Richard competed in the former NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series (now NASCAR Cup Series) from 1958 to 1992.
During his illustrious career, he accumulated 200 victories in the NASCAR series and was the first driver to win the Cup Series championship seven times.
When Lynda Was Just 17 Years Old, She Became The Wife Of The King Of NASCAR, Richard Petty!
Besides his well-decorated professional life, Richard was also a loving and devoted husband.
In 1958, Petty tied the knot with Lynda Gale Owens. The couple were high school sweethearts.
Richard and Lynda’s love story is the epitome of great love, as Lynda was with her husband long before all the fame and name.
Moreover, she played an instrumental role in Petty’s illustrious racing career. Petty has always credited his success to his wife.
When Lynda was 17, and Richard was 21, they decided to marry each other. They eloped in South Carolina and kept their marriage a secret until Richard could afford an engagement ring.
Petty told FOX Sports,
“I brought her home, dumped her out in the middle of town, she went into her house and I went home. I took me three or four months to get a diamond for her, and by the time we got the money, I bought a diamond and told everybody we were married.”
This shows their unconditional love, loyalty, and patience towards one another.
Despite their young age, both Richard and Lynda build a beautiful family together and help each other to flourish in their respective ways.
While Petty was busy with his budding racing career, Lynda became a homemaker, in charge of disciplining their children and instilling good values in them.
In a 2009 interview, Lynda opened up about her experience of being a homemaker and mother,
“I was the one, and you can ask them … you’d ask Kyle, ‘Did your daddy ever whip you?’ and he’d say, ‘No, but my mother wailed the daylights out of me.’ I disciplined and I never even bothered Richard with it. I didn’t want to put the fear of God in him that he was going to beat his children to death for doing something, so I took care of them and they loved him to death and still do.”
Lynda Owen’s Favorite Sport Was Football, And She Was Not A Race Fan!
Besides her nurturing and maternal side, Lynda also had another significant role in her family’s life.
Born on March 6th, 1942, Lynda devoted her school years as a Red Cross Volunteer.
Often known as NASCAR’s “First Lady”, Lynda was also the founder of the Richard Petty Museum in 1988. She established the museum to honor and dedicate Richard’s contributions and achievements in NASCAR.
Besides that, she also started the Racing Wives Auxiliary while taking care of her household.
Richard and Lynda were happily married for 54 years. Sadly, Lynda succumbed to cancer and passed away on March 25th, 2014, at the age of 72.
Her demise deeply wounded Richard as she was the backbone and source of his inspiration and encouragement.
After being diagnosed with central nervous system lymphoma, Lynda was unable to attend many of Richard’s races. However, she still watched racing on TV in her later years.
Even though she was not a race fan and loved football, she actively traveled with him to attend every race and cheer for her husband.
“I don’t think I’ve ever liked it, and I have to be very honest in saying that. Richard, when we were first married, I was 17 years old. And, of course, anywhere Richard went and I could be with him, I was happy.”
After her demise, her grandson Austin Petty gave a heartfelt statement regarding Lynda,
“We have lost my grandmother, but my family and our Victory Junction family are grateful to have had her love and wisdom for so many years. It was no secret that she was the cornerstone of the Petty family; a woman of humility and extraordinary strength. While we mourn her death, we also celebrate her life and the profound impact she had on those who knew her. The pride she had in her children, her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren was shared with us through her unconditional love. Her strong example of leadership outside of her home was most recently acknowledged by the Association of Fundraising Professionals when she, along with my grandfather, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement in Philanthropy Award for her personal commitment to seriously ill children and to our American troops. We honor my grandmother’s legacy of inspiration and enduring love at Victory Junction today and always.”
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Richard Petty’s father, Lee Arnold Petty, was also a NASCAR driver and the older brother of NASCAR personality Maurice Petty.
- In 1955, Petty enrolled in a business course at Greensboro Junior College, then started working for his father’s racing company, Petty Enterprises.
- Lynda’s brother, Randy Owens, was a member of Petty’s pit crew. He sadly passed away at 19 during a pit road accident when a water tank exploded during the 1975 Winston 500.
