NASCAR Cup Series legend Richard Petty was present for Sunday’s Xfinity 500 at the Martinsville Raceway. Ahead of a race with massive implications — and eventually won by William Byron — Petty visited with each of the remaining eight drivers in the playoff field.
Petty met with Byron, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, and Christopher Bell and handed them a signature $43 Richard Petty bill.
The bill is on sale both online and at Petty’s museum, which contains a bevy of unique artifacts, in Level Cross, North Carolina. The $43 bill has a picture of Petty’s famous No. 43 car and boasts his signature.
“Something brand new has landed at the Petty Museum!” Petty wrote on his site when he announced the bill earlier this year.
“The $43 Bill was an idea straight from The King, with every detail shaped by his vision. Each bill comes in a protective sleeve and has been signed by The King. Get yours this weekend for $10 each, only at the Petty Museum.”
Petty, 88, commemorated the moment on Instagram with photos alongside each of the eight drivers. “Who of these 8 do you have winning the championship? Before the race today, The King gave every driver his new $43 bill!” he captioned the post.
Petty is a seven-time Cup Series champion, most of which came when it was called the Winston Cup, a mark tied for the most all-time with Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson.
He boasts the most individual Cup Series race wins and was named the circuit’s most popular driver on nine occasions. Petty was a member of the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame and was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992.
Byron needed to win on Sunday in Martinsville to clinch his spot in the Championship Four alongside Hamlin, Briscoe, and Larson next week in Phoenix.
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“Damn, I got a lot to say,” he said post-race. “Things have a way of working out. God really tests your resilience a lot of times. We’ve been tested. Just unbelievable. I’m out of breath.”
“Thank you, fans, for coming out. Bad-ass crowd. I watched my first NASCAR race up there just before the start-finish line. Man, I am just so thankful, excited to see my family, just celebrate this one. We obviously go to Phoenix. Just go try to kick ass there.”