NASCAR legend Richard Petty has responded to criticism from fans regarding the weekend action at Kansas Speedway with his characteristic bluntness. As NASCAR Nation took to social media to express disappointment over what many perceived as a lackluster event, “The King” offered his assessment of the Advent Health 400.
The Kansas race, which Kyle Larson dominated by leading 221 laps, was labeled “boring” by many fans. However, Petty’s perspective provided a more nuanced view of the event, highlighting the differences between watching a race on television versus experiencing it in person at the track.
Richard Petty Defends Excitement of AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway
When a fan (@jeff_gluck) asked Petty directly on X if Kansas was a good race, his answer was simple but straight to the point: “Overall yes, okay, because it was always that chance of that second-place car catching that first place car.”
Petty’s former crew chief Dale Inman added his own thoughts on the AdventHealth 400, saying: “Yes, it was a good race, and it was interesting. Television only lets you see what they show, but if you were sitting in the grandstand, you could look somewhere and find someone really racing.”
FAN QUESTION: Was Kansas a good race?
Via X user, @jeff_gluck.
Full Race Recap and more answers to fan questions available on the Petty Family Racing YouTube channel tomorrow at 8am EST. pic.twitter.com/vU8hq54rYJ
— Richard Petty (@therichardpetty)
This isn’t the first time Petty has defended races that others criticized. As a seven-time NASCAR champion, “The King” has seen countless races over his decades in the sport. It gives him a unique perspective on things.
While many fans focus solely on lead changes and dramatic moments, Petty’s assessment comes from understanding the complete racing experience and appreciating the effort throughout the entire field.
Debating Television Racing vs. Live Racing
Petty has gone on record with his thoughts comparing watching live NASCAR racing versus seeing it on television plenty of times. Fans aren’t seeing everything that happens when watching it from their couch.
“You watch on TV, then it’s hard for them to get off the front-runners to get back to where the race is,” Petty said after an April race at Darlington, via Athlon Sports. “You have to go to the race track itself to see the racing. It don’t show the real race on TV.”
Petty believes TV cameras miss a lot of the action where drivers “drive their fanny off every lap” fighting for positions throughout the pack.
Again, Inman agreed with his assessment: “If you’ve sat in the grandstand, you could look somewhere and find somebody really racing.”
Petty’s message is pretty clear – there’s more to NASCAR than just who’s winning. While Larson might have dominated the race, Petty thinks the possibility of a late challenge and the battles happening elsewhere on the track made the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway worth watching.