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Racing legends set to speak
at tribute to Richard Petty

Special to The Odessa File

WATKINS GLEN, July 30 -- Auto racing legends Kyle Petty, Dale Inman, Chip Ganassi and Bobby Rahal and current Richard Petty Motorsports drivers Aric Almirola and Sam Hornish Jr. will be at the podium in tribute to Richard Petty on Aug. 6 when he receives the Cameron R. Argetsinger Award for Outstanding Contributions to Motorsports.

Petty will receive the award from the International Motor Racing Research Center at a dinner presented by NASCAR, International Speedway Corp. and Watkins Glen International at the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, N.Y.

The award memorializes Cameron R. Argetsinger, founder and organizer of the first races at Watkins Glen. Chip Ganassi, multi-team owner (NASCAR, IMSA, INDYCAR and Global Rallycross) and former driver, was the first recipient of the Argetsinger Award in 2014.

Petty, the winningest driver in NASCAR, is being honored for his impact on racing as both a driver and team owner and for his ongoing philanthropic work.

The IMRRC Award Dinner is open to the public, but tickets are limited. The ticket price is $250 per person.

Tickets may be purchased online at http://racingarchives.org/special_event.php or by calling the IMRRC at (607) 535-9044. Ticket sales end on Friday, July 31. Full details about the event can be viewed at www.racingarchives.org.

Longtime race reporter Dr. Jerry Punch will be the master of ceremonies for the program with its stellar speakers, who also will include Michael Printup, president of Watkins Glen International, and Bob Weber, Smithfield Foods vice president of corporate marketing.

Rahal, Indy 500 champion, INDYCAR team owner and chairman of the Governing Council of the IMRRC, and J.C. Argetsinger, son of Cameron Argetsinger and president of the IMRRC, will speak on behalf of the internationally recognized motorsports archival and research facility.

The evening also will include the auction of an original Randy Owens painting depicting Petty's 200th win at Daytona International Speedway on July 4, 1984.

A silent auction will offer an array of vintage Petty photographs, Petty memorabilia and other items, including Finger Lakes wine and a piece of glass art created by Corning Museum of Glass designers.

Some unique glimpses into Petty's life and career will come with comments from the outstanding speakers.

Almirola joined Richard Petty Motorsports in 2012 and drives the No. 43 Smithfield Ford. He won the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway in 2014 and ended the 2014 season with the No. 43 team, earning seven top-10 and two top-five finishes. He finished 16th in the championship point standings.

Almirola will be racing in the Cheez-It 355 at The Glen NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International on Aug. 9.

Hornish drives the No. 9 Twisted Tea Ford in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Richard Petty Motorsports. He is new to the team this year, continuing a racing career that has included three INDYCAR Series championships. He, too, is racing at The Glen in the Cheez-It 355.

Inman has been credited as the foundation of Petty's successful career. In his 30 years in racing, Inman set crew chief records for most wins at 193 and most championships at eight. Seven of those championships were with Petty. Inman's standout year was 1967, when Petty won a NASCAR-record 27 races, 10 of them consecutively. All 27 victories were in a car built a year earlier.

Inman was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2012.

Kyle Petty started his 30-year NASCAR career as a Sprint Cup driver in 1979 at age 19, following in the footsteps of his father and his grandfather, the legendary Lee Petty. He made 829 starts in NASCAR's premier series. Among his victories was the 1992 Winston Cup race at Watkins Glen, which was Richard Petty's final appearance at The Glen.

Kyle Petty returns to The Glen for the Cheez-It 355 as an analyst for NBC Sports.

Richard Petty earned a record 200 career race wins and seven NASCAR Cup championships during his 30-year driving career. He competed in eight NASCAR races at Watkins Glen, including July 19, 1964, when both he and his father were on the track. It was Lee Petty's final career race.

He was a member of the inaugural class inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010.

In addition to NASCAR, ISC and WGI, award dinner sponsors include Smithfield Foods, Corning Incorporated, Glenora Wine Cellars, Chip Ganassi Racing, Sports Car Club of America, Welliver, and Elmira Savings Bank. IMRRC Governing Council members Larry Kessler, Robert Newman and Archie Urciuoli also are event sponsors.

The evening's proceeds will benefit the IMRRC, an archival and research library dedicated to the preservation and sharing of the history of motorsports, of all series and all venues, through its collections of books, periodicals, films, photographs, fine art and other materials. The IMRRC is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

For more information about the Center's work and its programs, visit www.racingarchives.org or call 607-535-9044. The Center also is on Facebook at International Motor Racing Research Center.

Photo in text: Richard Petty (Photo provided)