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NASCAR Mourns the Death of ‘The Chief’ Maurice Petty

Published 07/27/2020, 4:00 AM EDT

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Maurice Petty, who was the part of the stock car racing family that incorporates father Lee and sibling Richard, died on Saturday. He was the primary engine manufacturer to be enlisted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. He was 81.

Petty helped his family win 198 races and seven titles in NASCAR’s chief arrangement. Maurice Petty likewise manufactured engines that the Hall of Famer Buddy Baker, Jim Paschal, and Pete Hamilton drove to triumph.

The stock-vehicle hustling maestro additionally filled in as the Group Chief and was later the group’s Senior Supervisor.

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He made 26 career starts in the NASCAR Cup Series from 1960 to 1964. He went on to compete in the best five-seven times with 16 Top-10 finishes during his career.

In any case, he immediately chose to concentrate on making the engine instead of being in the driver’s seat. That move proved to be a decent one for his more established sibling.

He was dependent on the motors made by Maurice during his time of predominance.

“I have welded, swept the floor”, Maurice Petty

NASCAR reports: “I was one of the first (engine builders), so it makes you like a pioneer or something,” Petty said in 2013. “We had three or four guys helping out, but not the whole time. We did it the hard way.

“I came along and I have welded, swept the floors and I drove. I did it all up until a point — in 1964, that’s when I turned it all into building the engines.”

While his dad and sibling were stars for their capacity in the driver’s seat, Maurice Petty was known more for his mechanical astuteness.

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“The ‘Chief’ was one of the most talented mechanics in NASCAR history,” Jim France, NASCAR Chairman, and CEO said in a statement.

“He provided the power that helped Petty Enterprises define dominance in sports. While he was known for his work under the hood. Maurice played multiple “behind-the-scenes” roles, doing whatever it took to help deliver his cars to Victory Lane.

“On behalf of the France family, I offer my condolences to the friends and family of Maurice Petty, a true NASCAR giant.”

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SOURCE- NASCAR, Twitter

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Written by:

Abhay Aggarwal

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Abhay Aggarwal is sports analyst at EssentiallySports. Having joined ES in early 2020, he has over 300 NASCAR, Formula 1, and Tennis articles to his name. Abhay has been an avid motorsports fan for over a decade, and he even attended the inaugural Indian Grand Prix in 2011.
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