Petty began racing at a young age and made his major-league stock car debut at the age of 18. He won his first at the 1979 Daytona ARCA 200 in a Dodge Magnum, at the time becoming the youngest driver to win a major-league stock car race. Later in the season, he made his Winston Cup Series debut (after several attempts to qualify, usually crashing out) driving the #42 STP Dodge Magnum for his family's team. He ran five races and had a ninth-place finish in his first series race at Talladega. In 1980, he made a total of fifteen starts in the #42 (after crashing his Dodge Magnum in one of the Daytona 125 qualifying races) and had six top-ten finishes, garnering a twenty-eighth place points finish. He began the 1981 season driving his father's #43 for one race, before running a full schedule in his regular #42, finishing in the top-ten ten times and finishing twelfth in points. He began the 1982 season with two top-ten finishes, but later began splitting time between his #42 and the #1 UNO/STP car owned by Hoss Ellington, and ended the season fifteenth in points.
In 1983, he picked up funding from 7-Eleven and switched his number to #7 accordingly. He had only two top-ten finishes but improved to thirteenth in the standings. He followed that season up with six top-tens the following year, but fell three spots in points.
Petty took his number and sponsorship to Wood Brothers Racing in 1985, where he had a then career-high seven top-fives and his first top-ten points finish. The next season, he won his first career race at Richmond and finished tenth in the final standings. In 1987, he switched to the #21 and received new sponsorship from Citgo, as well as picking up a win at Charlotte. He failed to pick up a win in 1988, and fell to thirteenth in points, causing him to be released from the ride.
He signed on to a part-time schedule in 1989 for the new SABCO Racing team. Originally beginning the season unsponsored, he and SABCO later picked up sponsorship from Peak Antifreeze after he drove their car to a top-ten finish at the Daytona 500, filling in for Eddie Bierschwale, as well as Ames Department Stores. Petty and the #42 Pontiac team competed in nineteen races that season, his best finish being a 4th at Atlanta. Peak became the team's full-time sponsor in 1990, and Petty finished eleventh in points after winning the spring race at North Carolina Speedway with a 26 second margin of victory. Mello Yello would replace Peak as sponsor of the #42 in 1991, and Petty was running eleventh in points when he suffered a broken leg at a crash at Talladega, causing him to miss the next eleven races. His abbreviated schedule combined with only one top-ten in the second half of the season caused him to finish the season 30th in points.
No speeding in the Park. Bicycles are allowed on all two tracked trails. Do not bike on single tracked trails. Wheels yield to feet, (Hikers and horses). Hikers yield to horses.
Cache placement approved by Martin Morse, Park Service Specialist. Obey all speed limits. Do not block gates. All wheels off the pavement.