‘It Was Hard to Swallow’: Richard Petty Reflects on the Heartbreaking Loss That Changed His Life Over a Decade Ago

Richard Petty, a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and the sport’s enduring icon, has lived through wins that cemented his legend. Yet, he has also endured heartbreaks that tested him far more than any race ever could.

Speaking with Jeff Gluck recently, Petty reflected on the hardest chapter of his life, recalling the loss of his wife. He acknowledged that while losing his grandson Adam in the 2000 crash at New Hampshire was devastating, the most difficult burden came years later.

He revealed, “My wife (Lynda) went down with cancer. For four or five years, she kept getting worse and worse and then died (in 2014). Just me and her lived in that big old house. All of a sudden, I lived by myself, and so I had to change my way of thinking, my way of doing stuff.”

“That’s probably the biggest disappointment in my whole life. Even though I lost my mother, my daddy, and my brother, (the marriage) was something I lived with 55 years. So it was really hard to swallow.”

In his 2014 appearance on the 12 Questions series, just six months after Lynda’s passing, Petty admitted he felt as though he had to relearn everything. His wife had handled so much of his daily life, and adjusting without her was no easy task.

Over a decade later, he explained how the transition unfolded, saying, “Well, I was fortunate. I have three daughters who run things now for me, and I’ve got a lady who looks after the house, one helps around the farm, one that goes with me from time to time and makes sure I can get my right food and right medicines or whatever it is.

“So really, I think I’ve got six or seven people taking care of me. Where it used to be one: Lynda Gayle took care of me. So it took a bunch of people to do the same job she was doing.”

Lynda Petty passed away in March 2014 at age 72 after a lengthy seven-year battle with cancer. Beyond her role as Petty‘s partner, she left a lasting mark on the NASCAR community.

She helped launch the Racing Wives Auxiliary, a benevolent fund created by the wives of drivers, crew members, and sponsors to aid those injured within the sport.