Mooresville Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) announced today that its race operations would relocate from Concord, North Carolina to Mooresville, North Carolina at the end of the 2014 NASCAR race season. RPM's new address will be 112 Byers Creek Road in Mooresville, inside Talbert Pointe. The facility is approximately 25 minutes from downtown Charlotte.
"We are very excited about this opportunity not only to join the staff and players at UNC-Pembroke, but also to be able to provide our fans and customers with the best racing experience possible," said Richard Petty. "Talbert Pointe is a great location for us with excellent road and street course testing facilities."
The team will continue to operate out of its current headquarters in Concord during its transition to Mooresville. RPM has announced that all current employees will be offered employment contracts by December 31, 2013. No word yet on whether or not former teammate Jeff Gordon will be joining them at their new home in Mooresville.
RPM was founded in 1986 by Richard Petty to support his career as a driver/owner. Over the years, the team has won five championships - three with Gordon and two with Jeff Burton - and has been involved in some major events including the 2001 Daytona 500, where it was awarded the victory after NASCAR determined that Dale Earnhardt had caused a wreck on purpose to help Gordon win his first race.
Petty's Garage is headquartered in Level Cross, North Carolina, and is housed in the famed Petty factory, which has produced winning stock cars for more than 70 years. When Petty Enterprise, the previous race team, relocated to Mooresville, North Carolina, Richard Petty devised a new strategy for the iconic facility. Rather than build a new garage for each race, he decided to share one with two work areas. The first area is where the engines are rebuilt and modified before being shipped back to the racing shop for the final preparation ahead of time. The second area is where the cars are repaired after each race.
Petty's Garage is a landmark in auto racing that continues to produce winners today. The facility has also been used as a set for several Hollywood movies including NASCAR 007: Nightfire and Monster's Ball.
You can visit Petty's Garage during race weekends or anytime by appointment. You won't be able to go inside the facilities due to safety regulations but you can enjoy viewing clips from past events on YouTube.
Here are some other famous garages: Mario Andretti's former garage is located at the Ferrari World headquarters in Casinei, Italy. It is a museum dedicated to Andretti's career as a driver and engineer. Al Unser Jr.'s former garage is located next to his house in Beverly Hills, California. It is known as "The Lab" and houses many awards and trophies that belong to Unser Jr.
The King was allowed to express himself through high-performance automobiles as a new age began. Petty bought several cars from different manufacturers and had them modified by Carl Kiekhaefer at his own shop in Richmond, Virginia. He then hired drivers who were willing to drive those cars to satisfy his need for speed.
Petty's first car was a Ford Torino GT that he purchased from Bill France Jr. (the father of NASCAR founder Bill France). The King also owned a Chevrolet Corvette, a Porsche 914, and a Maserati Quattroporte. In addition, he also had a BMW 2002 Turbo parked outside his house during his retirement years.
Petty Enterprises became one of the most successful teams in NASCAR history, winning over 100 races throughout their decades-long run. They also earned 11 championships during that time period. In 1993, Petty Enterprises merged with Ralph Wilson's J.J. Newberry Company to form BNK Racing, which is still active today. Richard Petty remains the only driver to win the prestigious Daytona 500, World Series Championship, and the All-American 400 in the same year.
RPAC Racing, LLC, dba Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM), is a professional stock car racing team based in the United States that presently participates in the NASCAR Cup Series. Richard Petty, a seven-time NASCAR winner, and New York billionaire Andrew M. Murstein own the team. It was founded in 2004 by Richard Petty after he retired from full-time driving to focus on his family's business.
In 2005, RPM made its debut at the Daytona 500 with driver Mike Bliss, who had previously won the 2001 Rookie of the Year Award. Bliss finished 21st after being involved in several accidents during the race. The following year, RPM returned to the race with John Andretti as their driver and sponsored by GoDaddy.com. He also finished 21st after suffering from transmission problems most of the race.
In 2008, RPM added Kevin Harvick to their lineup and they became the first team to announce their intention to enter the 2009 season with all four major sponsors still attached to their cars. They went on to win the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup and claim their first championship title. In 2009, Harvick left RPM to drive for Tony Stewart's team and was replaced by Jeff Gordon. Gordon stayed with the team for one more season before moving to the upstart Ford Fusion team that RPM had formed with a few months left in the season. Gordon ended up winning the 2010 championship title at the age of 40 years old.
Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM), co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and wealthy business magnate Andrew Murstein, is one of motorsports' most recognizable companies. The team has won five NASCAR Cup Series championships over the course of its existence.
Petty sold his share of the company to Murstein in 1998, two years after he retired from full-time racing. However, he remains involved with the team through a voting position on its board of directors.
He also owns stock in several other sports teams including the Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Hawks, and Georgia Bulldogs.
Petty received a trophy in 1999 that was created in honor of him by his partner Murstein. It's called the "Richard Petty Award" and can be given to female drivers who have shown courage and bravery while competing in NASCAR races.
There are four women who have won the award so far: Jennifer Jo Cobb, Danica Patrick, Daryn Pittman, and Sarah Jones.
Jones won the award in April when she was still driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. That makes her the first woman to win an annual race at the highest level of NASCAR. She had been competing in part time events before that victory, but now plans to make it her full time career.
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