When you think of iconic names in the annals of NASCAR history, you'd be hard-pressed to find many more impactful names than Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip.
The two legendary NASCAR Hall of Fame drivers, who combined to win 10 NASCAR Cup Series championships and 284 race wins, will serve as co-grand marshals for the upcoming NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 21st.
Speedway Motorsports made the announcement on Thursday in a press release.
“Returning to North Wilkesboro Speedway during NASCAR’s 75th anniversary season will be the most nostalgic highlight of a year where we remember the past by paying tribute in the present,” said Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith. “We are honored to recognize and celebrate two true icons of NASCAR’s history, Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip, during an All-Star Race weekend that will feature the rebirth of one of our sport’s original race tracks.”
In addition to their historical numbers in the all-time record books of NASCAR, Petty and Waltrip are the winningest NASCAR Cup Series drivers in the history of the 0.625-mile short track, which was a fixture on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule from 1949 to 1996.
Petty recorded an all-time record 15 wins at the facility, while Waltrip added 10 wins at Wilkesboro as well. Waltrip was also the inaugural winner of the NASCAR All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1985.
Since retiring from his driving duties at the conclusion of the 1992 NASCAR Cup Series season, Petty has remained active in the sport as a team owner and now as a team ambassador for the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team.
Waltrip, who retired from driving in the NASCAR Cup Series at the conclusion of the 2000 season, served as the NASCAR on FOX color analyst from 2001 to 2019.
As the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro draws closer, Speedway Motorsports will begin revealing additional dignitaries and the race's format.
Photo Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images for NASCAR
