American race-car driver, continuing the tradition set by his dad and granddad, both championship drivers. In the 1999 racing season, he was driving in a Winston Cup series car. Both his dad and granddad own race cars and sponsor teams. Kyle had a total of eight wins to his credit and had taken over the running of the family business, priming his son Adam to continue the work. Adam had started racing in the Busch series in the 1998-’99 season, showing great potential and the drive that had fueled his granddad, Richard. Kyle’s dad, Richard Petty, was 22 when Kyle was born.
On 4/05/2000, Kyle’s grandfather, Lee Petty, the patriarch of the racing dynasty, died in Greensboro, N.C. weeks after undergoing surgery for a stomach aneurysm. Just four weeks after Lee died, there was another tragedy to the Petty family. Adam was killed in a crash during qualifying for the Busch series race in Loudon, NH. Spinning out and crashing into the wall, Adam was trapped in the car for 20 minutes before emergency crews could remove him thru the roof of the vehicle and fly him to the closest trauma center where he died of massive head trauma. Adam was 19 years old, a shining star of a four-generation racing family, snuffed before his time.
He had his first top-five finish in ten years at the 2007 Coca-Cola 600, finishing third in the Coke Zero Dodge. He now works as a color commentator for several NASCAR broadcasts.
Link to Wikipedia biography