By Gene Ostrowski

Saint Johns, PA -December 13, 2005- From Turn 4 at Nazareth to fast times at Flemington, to the bullring at Mahoning Valley came the open-faced helmet and bandana wearing, enduro loving, thriller throttle jockey, Richard Petey.

Although Petey currently competes as a regular in the thriller division at Mountain Speedway, his love and desire for enduro racing is what got the talented driver behind the wheel some time ago.

“Since my first race at Nazareth back when it was dirt I’ve always loved this sport,” noted Petey. He recalls, “There were three hundred cars that took the green that day. I didn’t finish, but man was that a brutal race!” From then on Petey was officially hooked on this thing called enduro racing.

The enduromaniac competed at venues up and down the east coast. With the turn of the millennium Petey’s home track (Flemington Speedway) shut the doors on its racers, which left the proven racer hunting for another speedway. His newfound home was in the enduro division at Mahoning Valley Speedway. Petey toured the ¼ mile bullring throughout the ’01 and ’02 seasons, but was eager to travel and try different venues.

At the end of the ’02 season Mountain Speedway’s co-promoter, Billy Bartley, decided to hold a few enduros at Mountain Speedway. Their success led to the birth of the North East Enduro Tour Series (NEETS) for the following season (2003). Along with many others, touring a number of tracks while racing enduros sounded like a great idea and Petey jumped on to the NEETS enduro trial tour.

As NEETS matured over the following seasons, he turned down no one who asked advice of their ‘uncle’ Petey. The series and its drivers helped bring enduro racing back to life and without a doubt; Petey played a major part in that.

Petey’s career statistics are nothing to sneeze at, as he’s finished in the top ten 80% of the time. Most recently Petey finished 3rd, 4th and 10th respectively in the ’03, ‘04 and ‘05 NEETS overall point standings. He often laughs about his decades of driving experience and stated that he once raced a chariot with Ben Hur. Petey stated, “Seriously, I’ve raced against a ton of talent who have proven themselves in even the modified ranks. What other kind of racing (beside enduros) will give you that much track time and that amount of laps time and time again? That’s what gaining experience is all about”.

He gives many people credit for his success, including his wife Gale, along with his crew, Craig Norwich and Larry Cele.

With 3 wins and a record-tying (with runner-up, Howie Bott) (14) top 5 and (17) top 10 finishes, Petey can now add his name to the list of champions at Mountain Speedway, nailing down the thriller championship after the finale of ’05.

So, next time you see that #43 on the speedway, picture the dusty turn four at Nazareth, the backstretch at Flemington, the re-birth of enduros, and mainly the talented, kind-hearted racer who is truly the king….the king of enduros. Hey, judging by the Mountain Speedway champion’s photo, if the hat fits, wear it!


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