Richard Petty to Serve as Grand Marshal of NASCAR Race at Iowa Speedway
Apr 13, 2009
Richard Petty, considered by many the greatest NASCAR driver of all time, will serve as Grand Marshal of Iowa Speedway’s NASCAR Camping World East/West Series race Sunday, May 17 in Newton, Iowa.
Petty, an American icon referred to as “The King” by a legion of racing fans, retired from competitive driving in 1992 with 200 career wins including seven NASCAR Cup Championships. During his 32 years of racing on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit, Petty saw the sport grow from the dirt tracks of North Carolina to multi-million dollar state-of-the-art tracks like Iowa Speedway.
Here’s what “The King” has to say about his trip to Iowa:
“This should be a lot of fun. I know there are a lot of great race fans in Iowa and now that all of them have a place to come watch the Nationwide Series I’m sure there will be a full house. I’ve seen some races at the track and it looks to be a great place to watch a race. If I wasn’t the Grand Marshal I’d buy a ticket myself.”
Stan Clement, Chief Executive Officer of Iowa Speedway, said Petty’s arrival in Iowa next month for the first of four NASCAR races in 2009 brings unprecedented star power to Iowa Speedway.
“Richard Petty represents the very best in racing and we are honored to have him serve as the Grand Marshal for our NASCAR East/West race here at Iowa Speedway. His name is synonymous with NASCAR and winning and we are privileged to have him with us here in Iowa,” Clement said.
In addition to Petty, Kyle Busch, the hottest driver in NASCAR Series races today, will also be in Iowa next month. Busch is scheduled to race in the NASCAR Camping World East/West Series race, Sunday May 17, following the Saturday Night Sprint All Star Race in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“This is a terrific kick-off to the 2009 season at Iowa Speedway, and an opportunity for our fans to see ‘The King.’” Clement said.
Iowa Speedway will also host the Iowa Corn Indy 250, Sunday June 21; Prairie Meadows 200 ARCA RE/MAX Series race, Saturday July 11; NASCAR Nationwide Series race, Saturday August 1; NASCAR Camping World West Series race, Friday September 4; NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, Saturday September 5 and USAR Pro Cup Series race on Saturday September 19. Track officials say tickets are available for all remaining races.
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