Richard Petty is King of NASCAR and autographs

LEVEL CROSS, N.C. — Much of Richard Petty’s life has been defined by The Autograph.

Twenty-five years after he last drove a race car, he still signs his name hundreds of times a week. Using an admittedly unscientific formula, Richard Petty Motorsports team officials estimate he has signed his name for fans more than 2 million times since those early on-track days.

His appearances often are basically two-hour autograph sessions, with attendees thrilled to go home with a photo, a diecast car or a duck — yes, he has signed a duck — with the King’s signature.

Rebecca Moffitt, Petty’s youngest daughter and executive director of the Petty Family Foundation, handles much of her father’s scheduling. Moffitt already is filling in dates on the 2018 calendar. Recently, she told USA TODAY Sports, he requested a minor modification.

“He’s been doing two-hour autograph sessions, but, going forward, he wanted me to let everybody know he’s only going to do an hour and a half,” she said.

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Has the king of autographs ever requested one? Once.

“The only autograph I ever got was (Green Bay Packers quarterback) Bart Starr,” Petty told USA TODAY Sports. “I got it for Kyle (Petty’s son). We were in Dallas, and they were playing there, and I ran into him at the hotel. (Son) Kyle was a big Green Bay fan. Bart and I started talking, and I said, ‘Hey, give me an autograph for my son.’ ”

It’s a line Petty has said once — and heard thousands of times.

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