BOURCIER: Here Comes The King

INDIANAPOLIS — Sixty years ago this month, it all began to change for Richard Petty.

He pulled into Daytona Int’l Speedway as the most promising young driver in stock car racing. Three weeks later, he headed north with the Daytona 500 trophy — his first of seven — and a solid start on becoming the most important driver in NASCAR history, with a million-dollar smile, unmatched people skills and the kind of nickname that sticks in the brain: King Richard.