Engine builder, crew chief, driver

Inaugural class inductee MSHFA inductee Richard Petty collected 198 of his record 200 NASCAR victories because brother Maurice built 198 race-winning engines. Many more because Maurice also built race-winning engines for his father, 1996 inductee Lee Petty, and other Petty Enterprises drivers like 2008 inductee Buddy Baker, Pete Hamilton and Jim Paschal. Petty was the head engine builder for Petty Enterprises for more than 30 years. His mechanical wizardry led to seven NASCAR Cup Series championships, eight DAYTONA 500 victories and one incredible stretch in 1967 that saw the team post 27 wins — including 10 in a row. Less well-known is that Maurice served as crew chief for Hamilton during the New Englander’s breakout 1970 season with the team. Hamilton won that year’s DAYTONA 500 and both Talladega races with Maurice atop his pit box. Petty also made 26 starts as a driver, earning 16 Top 10 finishes, his best a third in 1961 at Spartanburg. Maurice was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2014.