The King Replies!

Richard Petty

Reference date: June 17th





Usually when people in America say "The King", Elvis Presley is the first person that comes to mind. Well, I'm not expecting a letter from Elvis anytime soon. The other guy known as "The King" is NASCAR legend Richard Petty, one of the winningest drivers of all time. I wrote him a letter a few months ago, and he was kind enough to take the time to reply personally. He even signed it on the bottom with a flourish. (I've been told that it takes forgers ten minutes to reproduce his autograph. You can see an example of it above.) This is what "The King" had to say:

Dear Chris,

Thank you for the kind words.

The most encouragement I had in my early years came from my parents. If you are true to God first and then yourself and stay true to who you are, then most things will fall into place.

Life is our mentor if we will listen to the ones along the way that went before us.

Love what you do and it will help you to stay focused. Never let money be your motivation.

Life is a lesson every day.

I happened to come along at the right time and right place for what I needed to succeed in life.

With Regards,

Richard Petty

I sent him a thank you the next day.