After winning the postponed race at Texas World Speedway, Richard Petty, arguably the biggest name of NASCAR of his time and perhaps of all time, along with a few other drivers including Cale Yarborough headed to Vietnam to visit the American war veterans at the U.S. military bases. The other drivers included Don Garlits from NHRA drag racing; Wally Dallenbach Sr., Art Pollard, and Bill Vukovich Jr. from USAC open-wheel racing; and Butch Hartman from USAC’s stock car division.
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For Petty, the experience was eye-opening. In a conversation with The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck, Petty said, “We went to Vietnam for a few weeks for one of them Christmas deals (visiting troops) and I really enjoyed that.”
“It was kind of miserable to do it but to see what these guys in the service have to go through, it gives you a different perspective when you see them and talk to them and thank them for being able to do what we want to do,” he added.
December 8, 1968: Cale Yarborough began a three-week trip to Vietnam to visit troops during the war
That year's Daytona 500 winner had stops at Da Nang, the Mekong Delta, Saigon, at hospitals in Binh Thuy and Pleiku, time on PBR boats, and a tour of the USS Hornet. pic.twitter.com/wGlsqoXME0
— nascarman (@nascarman_rr) December 8, 2023
Richard Petty’s Vietnam visit got him a coveted award
When the interviewer expressed to Petty how he was awestruck by the fact that his visit to Vietnam actually happened during the Vietnam War, Petty confirmed the same, adding, “It was 1970 I think (actually 1971). There were four or five different guys who went over there, so we spent 20-some days over there.” Although the primary motive behind the visit was to share the goodwill and some joy from home with the troops who could not go home for Christmas, Richard Petty’s visit to show his respect and support for the troops, backed with a visit to the Nixon White House went a long way in earning him the prestigious 1971 Myers Brothers Award on January 17, 1972.
Richard Petty’s father Lee Petty accepted the award on behalf of The King as the latter was already en route to Riverside, California by way of Chicago and Los Angeles where he mapped out the details of the now legendary partnership with STP.
This tale from the past not only goes to show how legendary Richard Petty is, but also just how ingrained NASCAR is within America’s consciousness, especially from that period.
