Level Cross, North Carolina | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 35°53′16″N79°48′28″W / 35.887659°N 79.807863°W | |
Country | United States |
State | North Carolina |
County | Randolph |
Elevation | 820 ft (250 m) |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
Area code | 336 |
GNIS feature ID | 988368 [1] |
Level Cross is an unincorporated community in Randolph County, North Carolina. [1] It is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 220 with Branson Mill Road. Level Cross is located a few miles north of Randleman.
The community was named on account of its flat main intersection, or level crossroads. [2]
Level Cross is the hometown of the Petty racing family, beginning with patriarch Lee and his sons, driver Richard and engine builder Maurice. Richard was born in Level Cross in 1937 [3] and his brother Maurice was born there in 1939. [4] It was also the birthplace of their cousin, crew chief Dale Inman in 1936. [5]
Richard Lee Petty, nicknamed "the King", is an American former stock car racing driver who competed from 1958 to 1992 in the former NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series, most notably driving the No. 43 Plymouth/Pontiac for Petty Enterprises. He is a member of the Petty racing family. He was the first driver to win the Cup Series championship seven times, while also winning a record 200 races during his career. This included winning the Daytona 500 a record seven times and winning a record 27 races in one season (1967).
Randolph County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 144,171. Its county seat is Asheboro.
Randleman is a city in Randolph County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,113 at the 2010 census. It is the home of NASCAR's Petty family, the Victory Junction Gang Camp and was the location of the Richard Petty Museum from 2003 to 2014.
Lee Arnold Petty was an American stock car racing driver who competed during the 1950s and 1960s. He is the patriarch of the Petty racing family. He was one of the early pioneers of NASCAR and one of its first superstars. He was NASCAR's first three-time Cup champion. He is the father of Richard Petty, who went on to become the winningest driver in NASCAR Cup Series history and one of the most successful stock car racing drivers of all time. He is also the grandfather of Kyle Petty and great grandfather of Adam Petty.
Joey Arrington is an American former NASCAR driver, team owner, and crew chief from Rocky Mount, Virginia. He made nine Winston Cup Series starts with a best finish of 12th. He made his first start in 1974 as a 17-year-old and raced until 1980.
Randleman High School is a high school in the Randolph County Schools system in the U.S. state of North Carolina.
The 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 31st season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 8th modern-era Cup series. It began on Sunday, January 14, and ended on Sunday, November 18. Richard Petty won his seventh and final Winston Cup championship, winning by 11 points over Darrell Waltrip. Dale Earnhardt was crowned NASCAR Rookie of the Year.
Dale Inman is a retired NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup Series crew chief from Level Cross, Randolph County, North Carolina. He is best known for being the crew chief of Richard Petty at Petty Enterprises during three decades. They won 188 races and seven championships together. Inman spent most of his career working for Petty Enterprises. He also was the crew chief for Terry Labonte's 1984 championship with Hagan Racing. NASCAR.com contributor Rick Houston said that if the best crew chief was "settled on statistics and statistics alone, Dale Inman is the greatest crew chief of all time." He is credited for starting the main duties of the position including preparation, and driver-pit communication. Inman has the most victories as a NASCAR crew chief at 193, 188 of which were with Richard Petty. Inman won five additional races from 1982 to 1984 with Tim Richmond and Terry Labonte.
Robert Douglas Yates is a race car engine builder, former NASCAR team owner, and mechanic. He is the son of championship team owner and NASCAR Hall of Fame member Robert Yates and formerly operated Yates Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. Yates currently is the President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines, the primary builder of Ford engines in the top-two NASCAR series ; as well as Ford Performance teams in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Series. Yates has a wife, Whitney, and four children.
The 1968 Fireball 300 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on May 5, 1968, at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway in Weaverville, North Carolina.
The 1984 Firecracker 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on July 4, 1984, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
The 1969 Myers Brothers 250 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on August 22, 1969, at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The 1974 National 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on October 6, 1974, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.
The 1967 Carolina 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on June 18, 1967, at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina.
The 1972 World 600, the 13th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that was held on May 28, 1972, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Wendell Scott was promised a good car, what he actually got was a hunk of junk. In practice, the car was 9 miles per hour off the pace; this led to jeers from his fellow drivers that he just could not drive the best level of equipment that was available at the time. Bobby Allison climbed in the car afterward and went the same speed while Wendell did the best he could with it until the engine grenaded. This resulted in Wendell obtaining a result of 22nd place DNF on lap 283.
The 1973 Gwyn Staley 400 was a NASCAR NASCAR Cup Series racing event that took place at North Wilkesboro Speedway on April 8, 1973, in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
The 1979 Northwestern Bank 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on March 25, 1979, at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
The 1973 Southern 500, the 24th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event held on September 3, 1973, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.
Maurice Petty was an American NASCAR crew chief and engine builder for Petty Enterprises, of which he was part owner. He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2011. He was subsequently enshrined into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2014. He was the first engine builder to be inducted into that Hall.
The Richard Petty Museum, sometimes known as the Petty Museum is dedicated to the Petty family's NASCAR legacy. The museum is located on Branson Mill Rd., in the family's home town of Level Cross, North Carolina. The museum was established in 1998 as a look into the life and career of Richard Petty, and includes items from the family's own collections, a kids' "pit stop" where children can design their own race cars. Among the vintage cars is a rare Plymouth Superbird.