Petty Museum moving back home: The Richard Petty Museum is coming home. After 10 years of being located in downtown Randleman, North Carolina, the museum that holds memorabilia and personal collections of the most decorated American stock car driver in history is going back home to Level Cross. The Museum will be located on the site of the original Petty Engineering and later Petty Enterprises race shop. The site currently is the home of Pettys Garage and the Petty Family Foundation. The Museum was founded at the race shop in Level Cross in 1988 by Lynda Petty but moved to Randleman in 2003 after space demands of the expanding race operation. Randleman, the neighboring city where Richard Petty went to high school, then became the home of museum. With the race operation, Richard Petty Motorsports, now operating in Concord, North Carolina, it was decided to move the museum back to its original location. After its relocation and renovation, the museum will not only recover its spot in the building first built to house Kyle Pettys race program but will eventually expand to include the Reaper Shed, first home of Petty Engineering where Lee Petty found the family dynasty. The museum will also include the Dodge Barn, built in the days of the teams close connection to Dodge and Plymouth. Finally, fans will be able to also visit the Lee Petty House, birthplace of both The King and his brother Maurice. The new-look museum will also feature exhibits of the Petty familys four members in the Hall of Fame (Lee, Richard, Dale Inman and Maurice), of Mr. and Mrs. The King from the Pixar film Cars and of the familys many contributions to the sport of stock car racing. The move is effective immediately, and while the new exhibits will not open until February of 2014, the museum will provide limited tour opportunities at the Level Cross facility during the move and renovation period.
Posted on: Tue, 05 Nov 2013 20:03:12 +0000