Richard Petty and Kyle Petty continued the family legacy of the No. 43 and No. 42 cars for decades. Richard amassed the majority of his 200 career NASCAR wins in the No. 43 car, while his son Kyle raced for years in the Petty family’s No. 42 car, just as his grandfather Lee did during NASCAR’s formulative years.
As iconic and recognizable as Richard’s No. 43 and Kyle’s No. 42 cars were, the father-son duo spent one afternoon in Southern California racing each other’s signature cars. In the opening event of the 1981 season at Riverside, the Petty Enterprises team, which fielded both cars, wanted to get Kyle’s No. 42 into NASCAR’s “Winner’s Circle” incentive program. Because that race marked the start of Kyle’s first full season in the NASCAR Cup Series, Richard’s championship-winning experience was the key to get Kyle’s car into the program. It was then decided that Richard Petty would take the reins of Kyle’s No. 42, while Kyle would drive his father’s No. 43 at Riverside.
At the end of the grueling race on the Riverside road course, Richard Petty took his son’s No. 42 car to a fifth-place finish, while Kyle brought the No. 43 home in 20th position. After the event, both drivers returned to their respective iconic numbers as the “Winner’s Circle” rules changed. Richard Petty returned to his iconic No. 43 and went on to win two more races that season. Kyle Petty went to the No. 42 car for the remainder of the year and scored 10 top-10 finishes during his first full season of NASCAR Cup Series competition.
- Kyle's 1981 STP #43 Riverside Paint Scheme
- Precision-Engineered
- Diecast Metal Body and Plastic Chassis
- Measures Approximately 3.25" x 1.25" x .75"
