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GREENVILLE, N.C. (WBTV) – A NASCAR legend joined President Donald Trump for a rally in North Carolina and a ride on Air Force One on Tuesday.
Richard Petty, known as “The King” in the NASCAR world, apparently hitched a ride on the president’s plane on Oct. 20.
Pictures of Petty with the president aboard Air Force One were posted to his social media accounts, and he got off the airplane with Trump ahead of a rally in Greenville, N.C.
Then during the rally where Trump was working to build support for Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley, the president called Petty onstage.
“We have a legend here,” Trump told the crowd. “Should I call him up? The great Richard Petty. The King. Come on up, Richard … He’s unbelievable. I said did you win 44 races? No, [he] won 200. How do you win 200 races? This is a real legend.”
Once on the stage, the seven-time Cup Series champion called Trump “a big racing fan.”
“I’m going to go through all this a little bit from a racing standpoint,” Petty said of Trump and the Senate race. “We’re in a big race here, guys, when we look at it. I’m going to use him as the driver. This is the best driver we’ve ever had, OK? So you have got to pick out the best pit crew for him. So we’ve got to have the best crew. And that’s what all this is about.
“Let’s get out and let’s get the very best pit crew we can for the best driver in the world … If we can do that, he’s a winner, the pit crew’s a winner, we’re all winners all over the world.”
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Trump called the pit crew analogy “pretty cool” after Petty’s brief remarks.
“That is a true legend and a great guy respected by everybody,” Trump said after Petty left the stage. “Thank you, my friend.”
The Oct. 20 rally was not Petty’s first appearance with Trump. He has previously spoken at rallies with Trump, and the two have been spotted together several times at NASCAR races the president has attended.
The 89-year-old’s 200 Cup wins are the most all-time, and his seven titles are tied for the most with Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Jimmie Johnson.
Petty is from Randleman, N.C., and still lives there now. He made his own run for office in 1996, when he ran to be North Carolina’s secretary of state. He lost to Elaine Marshall, who still holds the office in 2026.
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