Richard Petty was an absolute force in his era, especially during his prime years with Plymouth, where he dominated the sport with multiple championships, season win totals that will likely never be touched, and a level of consistency that defined NASCAR’s golden age. At a time when cars routinely pushed into the 200 mph range on massive superspeedways, Petty and the winged Plymouth Superbird became symbols of pure, unfiltered speed.

And in an era without digital telemetry or today’s strict aero regulations, Petty recently gave fans a rare firsthand look at what “fast” really meant back then.

220 mph in a Superbird at Talladega

Richard Petty has spent a lifetime answering questions about speed, danger, and how far a stock car could really go. Every once in a while, though, someone would

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