NASCAR: 'The King' Richard Petty Receives COVID-19 Vaccine

One of NASCAR's legendary drivers has officially received his COVID-19 vaccine. Seven-time [...]

One of NASCAR's legendary drivers has officially received his COVID-19 vaccine. Seven-time champion Richard Petty, the man with the most wins (200) in NASCAR history, went to a drive-through vaccination location this week and got the needle in his arm. The 83-year-old then spoke about his experience in a video published by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

"I talked to my doctor, and he said he would highly recommend that I go ahead and get a shot," Petty said in the video. "It not only helps me, but it also helps my family around me and all the people I associate with. You're not only helping yourself, you're helping your neighbors also." Petty also said that he was initially hesitant to get the shot, but he examined the statistics and saw that people were "getting along pretty good with it."

"That's great to hear. The King is in great shape, but the vaccine makes it that much safer for him to go around. I hope that this mess will be over as soon as it can be, so he could interact with his fans once again, because from what I've seen... It's very important for him," one Twitter user commented on social media. Several others weighed in and said that they were happy to see The King get his shot.

Normally a prominent figure at NASCAR races, Petty remained away from the track throughout the 2020 Cup Series season due to the coronavirus. There were concerns about his age and how the virus would affect him if he tested positive. Even with a car competing in the Cup Series each week, he continued to remain in a safe area.

The only time that he joined the other teams during the 2020 season was at the Geico 500 when he showed up to support then-Richard Petty Motorsports driver Bubba Wallace. Petty embraced his driver and joined all of the NASCAR figures at Talladega Superspeedway as they pushed Wallace's No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro to the front of the pit road.

The moment occurred after a member of the RPM pit crew found a garage door rope pull in the shape of a noose., which prompted an FBI investigation. The authorities ultimately determined that the noose was a coincidence and not a targeted hate crime toward Wallace.

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