Richard Petty's Aggressive Hit and Run Highway Maneuvers

09/23/96

Reuters has reported that Richard Petty, the "King" of stock car racing and the Republican candidate for the North Carolina's Secretary of State, was charged last Wednesday with reckless driving and hit and run property damage. Petty allegedly put his stock car racing tactics to use on the highway, bumping repeatedly into the back of a motorist he was trying to pass on Interstate 85 in Cabarrus County, North Carolina.

Petty allegedly bumped, James Rassette, who stopped a state trooper at a rest stop and reported the incident and Petty's license plate number. Police are investigating the incident.

A police statement indicated that the length of time between the incident and the formal citations being handed to Petty is common, given Rassette's minimal damage assessment. Petty, now a NASCAR team owner, had been in Delaware over the weekend for the NASCAR MBNA 500 race.

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel