Aged 81, NASCAR Hall of Famer Maurice Petty died Saturday morning. He is the brother of Richard Petty Motorsports’s owner Richard Petty.
Maurice is the first engine builder to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. As an engine builder, he has 212 Cup series wins to his name.
According to CEO and Chairman Jim France:
“The ‘Chief’ was one of the most talented mechanics in NASCAR history. He provided the power that helped Petty Enterprises define dominance in sports. While he was known for his work under the hood, Maurice played multiple ‘behind-the-scenes; roles, doing whatever it took to help deliver his cars to Victory Lane. On behalf of the France family, I offer my condolences to the friends and family of Maurice Petty, a true NASCAR giant.”
Hall of Fame executive director Winston Kelley paid tribute to Maurice in a statement by saying that Maurice should have more wins to his credit than the official statistics.
“Maurice Petty was one of the true pioneers in NASCAR who helped build one of NASCAR’s dominant teams in Petty Enterprises. Although the record shows 212 victories, Petty has well over 250 wins to his credit considering all the engines he built for his competitors. Chief will forever be remember as one of the best to build power plants in NASCAR.”
The cause of death was not disclosed.