Richard Petty

There’s probably not a crew chief out there who hasn’t tried something that seemed like a good idea.

He was at Richmond from the time I was a little boy. He was one of the originals in PR, in working with the drivers and the newspapers. He was one of the first to realize you don’t just stick up a sign and say we’re going to have a race Sunday. He went out, dug up PR and really got the job done. Any time we ran at Richmond, the place was always full.

When I first started racing, my father said, “Win the race as slow as you can.

If you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin’!

I think they called it ‘sucking up’ to begin with. They finally had to come up with another name.

The guys that don’t respect that history and tradition, I don’t think they’re going to be around all that long. And those guys who don’t know the history and tradition, I think it’s upon them to learn about it pretty quick if they want to be a success.

I can’t say I was. I wasn’t not a (Harry Porter) fan. I hadn’t read any of the books or anything. I read The Goblet of Fire when I was doing the other film, and I really liked that. I got through it in about two days. I’d say I’m a pretty big fan now.

I was advised by an American agent when I was about 19 to change my surname.

I was motivated by just thinking that if you had all this external success that everyone would love you and everything would be peaceful and wonderful.

My dream job is being a pianist.

I’ve had some pretty good experiences on everything, even if the film doesn’t always work.

Cats know, comin’ out of four, they better be standin’ on it, else they’ll be standin’ in it.

If being an egomaniac means I believe in what I do and in my art or music, then in that respect you can call me that… I believe in what I do, and I’ll say it.

Now they’re getting so politically correct you can’t even stick your tongue out at somebody.

The thing the sixties did was to show us the possibilities and the responsibility that we all had. It wasn’t the answer. It just gave us a glimpse of the possibility.

I hope we left you with something to put under your pillow.

I’ve just been so lucky, but also I’m acutely aware that I’m only a brushstroke in the whole piece.

I forgot better shit than you ever thought of.

Cocaine is God’s way of saying that you’re making too much money.

I see two or three cars that are really good, but they’re not dominant. There’s usually somebody who’s got one that’s a little bit better than everybody.

[On trying to get out of the part of June Carter Cash in Walk the Line] I called my attorney. My agent. My manager. I said “You know y’all, you’re serious about this? I’m really.. I gotta get out of this. Like can’t they call ‘Leann Rimes’? I mean she’s good.