In the world of motorsports, where speed is king, tempers can sometimes hit the roof. Take it from racing legends like Dale Earnhardt Sr and Richard Petty – they were known for their fiery approach, both on and off the track. Likewise, remember the time Richard Petty and Tony Stewart got into a spat over Danica Patrick? Petty made a quip, saying she’d only win if everybody else stayed home, while Tony Stewart jumped to her defense. He even challenged Petty to race against Patrick, hinting that Petty’s success was more about his top-notch cars than his skill.
But surprisingly, behind the scenes, it seems like a different story with Petty. His secretary revealed that Richard Petty and his team were nothing but polite and respectful towards her. Despite being the only woman in the garage area, aside from Mrs. Petty herself, she never felt out of place or disrespected. Well, it seems sometimes the trackside drama doesn’t tell the whole story.
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Richard Petty’s former secretary fondly recalls life in Petty’s garage
In the latest video from the 2023 Petty Enterprises reunion dinner, Kyle Petty had a heart-to-heart with Martha Jane Bonkemeyer, Richard Petty’s former secretary. She reminisced about her days working there, saying, “The attitude of everybody that had worked here was still on top. I mean every person that came through this company I think they loved their job and they loved it because it was a family that asked them to come to work here the same way as Mrs. Petty reaching over that counter and saying, ‘Will you come to work for us?’. It was an opportunity to be with people that cared for you.”
She went on to share how well she was treated by everyone, “I worked around a lot of men and never once did I walk through this garage that I was shown any disrespect. And I appreciated that so much because for the longest time, it was just me and Mrs. Petty and then when they began to increase their, you know employment, it was more than just me and Mrs. Petty.”
As per Martha Jane Bonkemeyer’s statements, one can conclude that Richard Petty might have been open to women working in the garage, as secretaries, or in other roles, which was a bit of a stir in itself. But, a few other instances prove despite him believing that women did not have a place behind the wheel of those high-powered NASCAR machines, he and his team always tried helping Martha Jane.
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Martha Jane Bonkemeyer talks about how the team brought her a word processor
Chatting about her time with the team, she fondly recalled a heartwarming moment during her second stint there. She was genuinely touched when the team went the extra mile and got her a word processor. With a chuckle, she remembered, “I had a typewriter that had a correcting tape on it, that I used for correcting, but they did finally break down. And the only reason they broke down was because of Doug Patterson.”
Now, it’s no secret Richard Petty has been vocal about his views on women not racing on the track. But here’s the interesting bit – Petty Enterprises was actually a trailblazer in welcoming female engineers and mechanics into their fold. The move was a pretty big deal, painting a different picture than what one might expect from Petty’s comments.
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Rohan Karnad