Richard Petty is the undeniable “King” of NASCAR. But, like Michael Schumacher once said, “Records are there to be beaten.” While no one on the current Cup Series field is anywhere close to beating Petty’s seven championships, there is a separate record of his that a driver has beaten by dominating at Daytona earlier. And he did it on only two wheels.

Eli Tomac boasts his eighth Daytona win

Supercross legend Eli Tomac once again proved himself at Daytona, winning the event for the eighth time. This is the most times a driver has won a race on the track. Even Richard Petty’s record stood tall for four decades with seven wins, making Tomac’s record more iconic.

“Yeah, just count my blessings. To get eight here is it’s hard to believe. So count my blessings on that and this,” Tomac said. “He has seven. Well, it’s nice to beat him,” he said about breaking Petty’s record.

Winning NASCAR’s Daytona 500 is considered to be a huge deal. Even someone like Petty, with unbelievable Cup records, only managed to win it seven times. But the challenge that stood ahead of Tomac was even more unique. Supercross is difficult. The drivers need perfect accuracy through the bumps on the dirt course, and even the smallest slip-up can end the race for good. Winning it for a whopping eight times sounds impossible, but Eli Tomac managed to achieve the feat.

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Daytona’s challenge isn’t confined to cars. The speedway has long influenced other riders in Supercross as well. Aaron Plessinger is one such name. One of the sport’s most charismatic figures is outspoken about his admiration for NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt. His fandom for the legend reflects NASCAR’s Daytona legacy.

For riders across the sport, it is more than just a track, and any record made or broken there stays for a long time. And even though Richard Petty’s long-standing record is now broken, he still is the King of NASCAR.

Why Petty remains the King of NASCAR

Petty’s NASCAR legacy is defined by records and longevity that few have ever come close to. He holds the most career race wins with 200 victory lane visits throughout his career. The only driver that comes close is David Pearson, who won 105 Cup races.

The huge margin just showcases how Petty dominated the sport, not for a short time, but for decades. There seemed to be no other driver who could take the spotlight away from him.

He also has quite a few other remarkable achievements to his name, with the fans calling his 1967 season ‘perfect’ owing to a whopping 27 race wins. In today’s numbers, it would be one race more than the regular season before the Chase begins. Understandably, his extreme dominance earned him the championships because of the whole-season point system that was followed back in the day.

But even without it, it is argued that Petty would still have been a dominant force on the field if the playoff system existed back in the day. Hence, even though one of his longest-standing records is now shattered, Richard Petty continues to be the King of NASCAR.