| Kyle Petty
Get revved up for the Daytona 500! NASCAR star Kyle Petty answered your questions as Weekly Reader's February celebrity.
Questions & Answers: Kyle Petty
1. How do you win races? —Jas, age 12 Kyle Petty: That's a good question. There are a lot of factors that go into winning a race, but having a fast car is going to help a lot. But that's not as easy as it seems either. Our race cars have a lot of different parts and pieces to them. They all have to be working perfectly at the same time to make the car go fast. Then, if you have a fast car, you have to have a good race. Our races are sometimes 500 miles. That's about three hours long. Anything can happen. You can get a flat tire, have an accident, or break a piece. You just need everything to come together just right to win a race. A little luck doesn't hurt either!" 2. How fast does your car usually go in your races? —Siraj, age 11 Kyle Petty: You know what, that really depends on what race track we are at. We race at the Daytona International Speedway with big banking in the turns. We can go as fast as 200 miles per hour there. That's pretty fast! But, we can go to a place like Martinsville Speedway where you have a small track. We maybe only go 90 miles per hour there. So it just depends on the track. 3. Have you ever got hurt in a race? —Makenzi, age 7 Kyle Petty: Our cars are pretty safe, but sometimes you can get an injury. I broke my leg in a crash once. Just like if you broke an arm, leg or anything you have to get it healed. I had to wear a cast and do exercises to help it heal. It did and now it's fine." 4. What was it like to be on a race track for the first time? What is it like to be on a race track with all the other drivers? —Brianna, age 11 Kyle Petty: Brianna, that's kinda funny for me. I grew up in racing. My grandfather raced, my father raced and now I race. I never really thought about it when I started to race. It was just what my family did. Being on the track with the other drivers is pretty fun. I want to race and try to be faster than everyone out there. The more the guys to try to beat the more fun it is. 5. Are you ever scared before races? —Sophie, age 12 Kyle Petty: I've been racing for a long time. We have a lot of safety equipment around us. It's a lot of fun to race and I still love getting in the car each weekend. You just think about going out on the track and going fast! 6. What is it like to follow your father's footsteps? —Mariah, age 12 Kyle Petty: Mariah, people ask me that question a lot. I tell everyone the same thing. Richard Petty was different than his father and I'm different than Richard. We are just our own person, but we all love racing and have made a living out of it. I've been to victory lane a lot of times with my dad and it was always fun. I had a lot of neat experiences growing up. 7. What is your favorite part of your job? —Kathryn, age 9 Kyle Petty: Oh, I think it's the people you work with. Maybe you have certain friends you hang out with. That's what it's like at my job every weekend. We get to see all our friends each week. It's a lot of fun to be around them. That's probably the best part. 8. What are some of the most memorable moments of your career? What kinds of challenges did you face and how did you manage to overcome them? —Stefania, age 13 Kyle Petty: Good question. I've been racing for a long time. I don't know if there is one certain moment that stands out. There have been a lot of good times in racing for us. We have had our challenges too. You just do the best you can and move forward. You always want to do the 'right' things in life. 9. Who inspired you most? —Addrienne, age 10 Kyle Petty: You know, I don't know. It was probably my parents. They taught me what was 'right' and 'wrong' and guided me. I was blessed to have a strong mother. She made my sisters and I do a lot of things. I think that helped. 10. What did it feel like when you won your first race? Do you like racing and did you ever want to be anything else? —Brittney, age 12 Kyle Petty: Brittney, I've been racing for a long, long time. I did some country music singing when I was younger, but I've been racing ever since. I love racing cars and it's something that I grew up with. Winning races is a great feeling. It's so hard to win a race, but when you do it's really exciting. I was pretty excited when I first won. Find out more!
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