Bedminster, NJ August 11, 2023 -- Former President Donald Trump at the first tee before the opening round of the 2023 LIV Golf Tournament at Trump National in Bedminster, NJ on August 11, 2023. Syndication: The Record

Donald Trump didn’t exactly receive a warm reception at the Libertarian convention over the weekend, so he went to a place he knew he might receive a warmer reception and that’s the race track.

Trump was spotted with “The King” Richard Petty at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the Coca-Cola 600. Petty greeted Trump with smile and enthusiasm, which he rarely receives, especially from big celebrities.

It shouldn’t be a shock to anyone. Petty is a lifelong Republican who clearly backs Trump, and he is probably one of the few former or current drivers who do back the former president.

Petty has been a Trump supporter since 2016 and back then, he talked about his support for then-candidate Trump and why he supported him.

“When Obama got in, his big deal was change. But the changes have gone the wrong way, so there needs to be more change. I’m not looking forward to anything staying the same. I’m looking for the changes that Obama promised. The deal with Trump is that nobody knows deep down what his decisions might be. They wouldn’t concern just the people in the United States; they’d concern Russia and Korea, too. Those people wouldn’t know when he’d pull the plug on them, and that’s good. We need that (uncertainty) because it’s gotten like, ‘Well, the United States isn’t going to do anything, so we’ll just do what we want to do. At least, they’ll keep sending us money.’ Well, if nothing else, Trump would quit sending money, and they’d dry up.”

Most of the drivers on the NASCAR circuit have managed to keep themselves out of the political talk and with good reason. With the country being divided the way it is right now, it’s best to keep your feelings to yourself or face losing not only fans but potential sponsors.

Also, a lot of NASCAR fans were disappointed to see Petty taint his legacy by hanging out with the former President.

Petty has been outspoken about his political views in the past, but this is a new day and NASCAR is trying its best to attract a more diverse and younger fan base despite Petty endorsing Trump, it probably won’t attract new voters to Trump’s side.

{Autoweek, Richard Petty}

About Stacey Mickles

Stacey is a 1995 graduate of the University of Alabama who has previously worked for other publications such as Sportskeeda and Saturday Down South.