‘Life Long Conservative’ Richard Petty Caught in a Political Divide as He Backs Out of Republican Endorsement

Published 02/27/2024, 12:04 PM EST

Richard Petty, a 2010 NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee, is not endorsing Republican candidate Christian Castelli’s 2024 campaign, according to his family. As a result, the King became the seventh Republican to withdraw an endorsement in North Carolina’s 6th Congressional District race. Petty led a glittering racing career with 200 Cup Series wins across a wide variety of venues. And just as he proudly stands by his treasure trove of victories on the racetrack, he does so with his political ideologies as well.

He holds his head up as a conservative, in line with other NASCAR drivers. For instance, nine of 10 drivers in the Chase endorsed George W. Bush before the 2004 presidential election. But recently Petty may have thrown a wrench in the electoral plans of Castelli.

Richard Petty not endorsing any candidate for Republican Primary

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Just as a race ensues with unexpected twists and turns, the congressional campaign in North Carolina has wound in unpredictable curves. Petty’s family has denied him supporting Christian Castelli’s Republican campaign, and the latter was not too happy about it.

A video featuring Richard Petty calling Castelli “a leader who will fight for North Carolina values” was being used by Castelli’s electoral team. But this same video was purportedly posted way back in August 2022 before Castelli lost the 2022 election to Rep. Kathy Manning, a Democrat from Greensboro. Rebecca Petty Moffitt, Petty’s daughter, firmly confirmed the family’s stance on the matter.

“Richard Petty has not endorsed any candidate for the 2024 Republican Primary,” Moffitt said talking to the American publishing company, McClatchy. “Richard is a life-long conservative and has always been heavily involved in Republican politics but he has not made any primary endorsements in this election.” This then irked Castelli, who also retorted back strongly.

Castelli said, “I don’t want to be mischaracterized or anybody to make implications that I have lied or I’m presenting endorsements that I don’t have. That’s not what I do. That’s what Mark Walker does.”

Mark Walker is Castelli’s rival in the electoral campaign. Although he is closely connected with ‘The King’ in light of their social media photos together, it is not clear if Petty is endorsing him.

Petty has always backed conservatives in the US realm of politics and despite him not endorsing a Republican Primary in this election, his ties with the party go way back.

Petty’s ties with Republicans go deep

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Richard Petty, besides breaking records on the racetrack, has also actively shown his diehard support for Republicans. He ran unsuccessfully for North Carolina secretary of state in 1996. But he spent 16 years as a county commissioner.

Petty’s contributions to North Carolina have been priceless. He served on the Randolph County Board of Commissioners and supports Republicans through a political action committee. He has also given over $40,000 worth of financial aid to federal candidates outside the PAC.

His conservative affiliations are linked to the racetrack. Back in 2012, Petty told USA TODAY Sports, “You go to the racetrack, and the majority of the people I associate with are conservative because they make their own decisions on what to do on the race car, when to make pit stops. They’re very individual people.”

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But the recent announcement by Petty’s family means he is not making any endorsements in this election.

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Written by:

Sumedha Mukherjee is a NASCAR Writer at EssentiallySports who is known for her in-depth track analysis as well as her lifestyle coverage of Cup drivers like Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick. Inspired by the Kiwi's journey so far, Sumedha has also written pieces on Shane Van Gisbergen, predicting how the Supercars Champion would do in the new and unfamiliar American setting. Pairing her research skills with her vast experience as a writer, Sumedha creates stories her readers can easily get lost in.

Edited by:

Rohan Karnad

‘Life Long Conservative’ Richard Petty Caught in a Political Divide as He Backs Out of Republican Endorsement

Richard Petty not endorsing any candidate for Republican Primary

Petty’s ties with Republicans go deep

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