petty country
TRANSCRIPT
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8/10/2019 Petty Country
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Friends
and Miracles
At
some
of
the smaller, local
races
tracks,
the
promoters
didn't
like
the idea
of
a religious
service
being
held.
This
was
overcome
when Richard
Petty,
Bobby
Allison,
and
a few
others,
like
Roy
Maine,
formed
The
Chapel,Inc.
Back
then,
Grand
National
drivers
would
attend
races
at these
small tracks
during
the week
and
would
receive
"appearance
money"
for
showing
up.
Having
Bobby
Allison
and
Richard
Petty
race
at
your
Thursday
night
event guaranteed
a
packed
grand
stand.
So
when
these
promoters
saw that
these
same
drivers were
behind The
Chapel,Inc.,
they
became
very
gracious to
Brother
Bill
and
suddenly
"found
religion"
themselves.
Bobby
Allison
also helped
Bill in
other
ways.
Sometimes,
he
would
help with
direct financial
suppolt,
especially
when
he was
doing
well
at the races.
Bobby
was
also one
of
the
few
drivers who
would
fly
himself
to race
events,
and he
would
often take
his
friends,
like
Bill,
with
him. This was
at
a time
when
even
the
top
drivers
would
fly
commercial airlines to
a
distant
race
if
they
didn't
drive.
Once, while
racing
in
Michigan,
Bobby
even flew
Bitl
to
a
church
dinner
in
Minnesota
where
he was
to
speak.
When
Bill
had
initially
arrived
on the
racing
scene,
much was
being
made
about
the feud
between
Richard
Petty
and
Bobby
Allison.
The grudge
was
real
and
would
often
spill
over
from
the
track
into
the
pits.
But
even
though
the
rivalry was
sometimes
called
downright bitter, the
one
thing that could bring both
men
together
was
God.
Bobby
liked
the
way
Richard
Petty visibly
sup-
ported
the
ministry
and
the way
he
publicly
acknowledged
his rela-
tionship
with
Jesus Christ.
He
was
pleased
that
Richard was
very
conspicuous
about
going
to
the
chapel
service
and knew
it
set
a
sood
example
for
others.
One
way
that
Richard
Petty
helped
bring
rn
money
for
the
ministry
was
a
promotion
where people
could
luy
one square
inch
of
"Petty Country"
for two
dollars.
The idea
rctually
came
from
a friend
of
Bill's
in
Alabama
who
had
done
the
'ame
thing
to raise
campaign
funds
for
Governor
George Wallace.
The
one inch
square
pieces
of
Petty's property
at the
Level
Cross
:ace
compound
were
actually
deeded,
and
each
person
received
a
iice
certificate
with
their
purchase.
All
of
the money went
to
The
Chapel,
Inc.
Bobby
Allison
joined
the
effort,
and
advertisements
,\ere
run
in
Stock
Car Magazine
that
proclaimed,
"Bobby
Allison
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8/10/2019 Petty Country
2/3
Witlt
God You're
Alwavs
a
Winner
owns
a
piece
of Petty
Country,
and
you
can,
tion
got
good
response,
and
the
money
helped
expenses
on the road.
too " The
promL-
Bill with
his livin:
"Richard
Petty
and Bobby
Allison present
Martinsville
Track
Orvner,
CIay Earls, rvith
a
piece
of Petty
Country
as
Bill
looks
on."
(Bobby
Allison still
owns his
piece
of
Petty Counrry to
this
very
day
and
jokes
that he wants
Richard
to take
good
care
of
it
for
him.
On
hearing
this,
Richard
laughed
and
said ro
tell
Bobby
that
he
still
keeps
that
one
inch
nice
and
trimmed.)
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8/10/2019 Petty Country
3/3
Friends
and
Miracles
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This
combined
effor-t
by normally
fierce
competitors
went
along
rvith
a
constant
theme
that Brother
Bill
preached
to the
drivers
over
and
over
again. That
is,
once
you
leave
a
race
track, you
should
leave
behind what happened.At every new
race,
it
is
a
new start,
and
:rudges should
not be
carried
over race
to
race.
Bill
didn't
just
speak
the
words
but would
actually
go
talk
to the feuding parties
when
trouble
broke
out
between
different
race
teams.
As Bill
was
a neutral
Darty
who
was
trusted,
he
became
very
effective
at mending
fences.
In
addition
to
Richard
and
Bobby,
another
driver who
became
:lose
with
Bill
early on was
Bobby
Isaac.
Isaac
had
won
the
1970
NASCAR
championship,
driving
for
:
rew
chief
Harry Hyde,
and often
Bill would
be
part
of
the crew for
.saac,
sometimes
serving
as a
jack
man.
Isaac
felt
uncomfortable
with
his
lack
of
education,
having
to
-:Lit
school
at age
twelve
to
go
to work
in
a mill.
He
was
very quiet
.:d
would
keep to himself.
Bill
noticed
that Bobby
never
sat
with
'::
other
drivers
at Bill's
services
but
would
always
stand in the
":ck.