With Michael Waltrip making his 1,000th NASCAR national series start this weekend at Atlanta, it's a good time to look back at Richard Petty's final Cup start: the 1992 Hooters 500.

At first glance, the careers of Petty and Waltrip appear to as different as night and day. The King scored 200 victories -- 201 if you count his 1959 convertible series win at Columbia, S.C. -- compared to 15 for Waltrip, four of those at the Cup level. Both have won NASCAR's biggest race, although Petty has seven Harley J. Earl trophies for winning the Daytona 500, to Waltrip's two. And championships? That's also decidedly in Petty's favor.

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But there are more similarities than meets the eye. Both followed in the footsteps of a famous family member -- Richard as the second-generation driver of father Lee's Petty Enterprises operation, Michael as the younger brother of three-time Cup champion Darrell Waltrip.

Both drivers know the day-to-day responsibilities of running a racing team. And both are well-recognized for their off-track personalities and the amount of fan involvement.

So how impressive is Petty's 1,184 career Cup starts? If Waltrip -- who will make start No. 722 in Sunday's Pep Boys Auto 500 -- continued to drive full-time in a 36-race schedule, he could conceivably catch and pass Petty's mark in 2021, at the age of 58.

The King's last race at Atlanta might be most remembered for all the wrong reasons.

After receiving a standing ovation before the race from a standing-room only crowd, Petty rolled off 39th with the intention of giving the fans one more memory. Little did he know it would be so unusual.

Just before the field completed 100 laps, Petty found himself right in the path of the spinning cars of Ken Schrader and Dick Trickle. The ensuing accident severely damaged the No. 43 Pontiac, knocking loose the oil cooler and creating an inferno underneath the hood.

"I got down to the end of pit road and figured I had better find me a firetruck," Petty said. "I drove down beside a firetruck and I think all those cats wanted to get an autograph because they didn't bring a fire extinguisher out there. I sent them back to get one."

It wasn't surprising that Petty was even able to joke about his misfortune afterward.

"I was trying to stay out of everybody's way and danged if I didn't get in a wreck anyway," he said. "I went out in a blaze, but I forgot about the glory part."

Petty and his crew had every right to pack up what was left of the damaged car and prepare the hauler for the trip back to North Carolina. Instead, they went to work on the machine in an effort to get Petty back on the track for the final time.

While Bill Elliott was holding off Alan Kulwicki for the victory, the battered No. 43 rolled slowly back down pit road and Petty took the checkered flag, then one more lap around the track to show his appreciation for the fans who had supported him since his Cup debut in 1958.

"We pulled one of them Hollywood deals and came back for the last lap," Petty said. "But that was OK because that's what everybody wanted."

And when he pulled into the garage area, Petty was almost at a loss for words.

"I don't think it will sink in for a few weeks," he said. "I just want to say thanks to all the fans. It is beyond words how I feel. It still would be a wonderful life if I fell over right here."

Petty's unusual and emotional day couldn't overshadow the amazing conclusion to the race, and season. Even though Elliott won the race, Kulwicki captured the championship by 10 points. Because Kulwicki led 103 laps to Elliott's 102, the five-point bonus -- and the title -- went to the driver of the No. 7 Ford. And Davey Allison, who led Kulwicki by 30 points heading into the season-finale, had his title hopes dashed when he crashed early in the event.

While The King was stepping down from his throne, another future champion was picking up the mantle, in a way. Jeff Gordon made his Cup debut in that race, starting 21st and finishing 31st in Rick Hendrick's No. 24 Chevrolet.

Michael Waltrip
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