By 1971, Richard Petty was well established as "The King " based on his performance over the several years previous. The early '70's were a time of change in NASCAR. 1970 was the last year of major factory teams, of which Richard had been one, for Plymouth. Thanks to his strong performance over the years, Chrysler, who had committed to back only one Plymouth team, continued with him through the year.
But, as the factory dollars dried up, both NASCAR and individual teams had to reassess how they were going to pay for their racing. Just as today, the purse might cover tire costs if you made the top ten... and factory involvement in the mid-late '60's had taken the technology to a whole new, expensive, level.
NASCAR changed by tying in with major corporate sponsorship, through Winston, and the "WINSTON CUP" was born.
Race teams went looking for sponsors with deeper pockets than the typical regional sponsorships that had sufficed over the years. Richard Petty's outfit was no exception.
This was to be the last year that the Petty cars would run in their pristine PETTY BLUE, which had been a constant since about 1960. 1972 would see the debut of one of the longest-running team sponsorships in NASCAR, or any other area of motorsport, for that matter, with Andy Granatelli's nationally-recognized STP brand coming on board. The now-familiar PETTY BLUE/STP RED livery was unveiled in 1972, and the world of corporate sponsorship never looked back!
The model pictured, then, is the last pure Petty blue stock car he drove, and one of the most dominating. It was constructed by combining the rollcage and front reinforcing stubs of a Monogram '83 -'85 T-bird kit with the pan chassis of a Monogram 1971 Satellite. The body and engine used were also from the Satellite kit, being 1/24th. Significant work had to be done to modify the rollcage to fit as the Satellite had a much lower profile. The stock suspension from the Satellite kit was used, with Monogram NASCAR wheels and tires. Body and chassis were painted in Grabber Blue automotive touch-up lacquer, circa 1970 Ford, which is a close match to Petty Blue, and which, for some inexplicable reason, is still routinely available in spraycans at Canadian Tire stores. Decals are from Fred Cady, and JNJ, as needed.
In spite of having to adapt to a new body style for 1971 (1970 had been the Superbird), Richard and his Road Runner went on a tear, winning 21 of 48 races, and the National Championship once again.
