| MOORESVILLE, N.C. (August 15, 2016) – Thad Moffitt, the 15-year-old grandson of “The King” Richard Petty, won his first stock car event Saturday night at the Anderson (S.C.) Motor Speedway. Moffitt took the pole and then the checkered during Saturday night’s Southeast Limited Late Model Daytona 1 Challenger Series race. In partnership with Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM), Empire Racing Group (ERG) is entering Moffitt in the Southeast Limited Late Model Challenger Series in 2016. It is the first year of the partnership and Moffitt is now leading the series championship after Saturday night’s win. Moffitt is the son of Brian and Rebecca Petty-Moffitt. He has previous experience racing quarter midgets and in karting at Ace Speedway. Moffitt won the race in the famous family color, Petty Blue. Moffitt races the No. 46 to continue the Petty family tradition started by his great grandfather Lee racing the No. 42. The team is supported by Jacob Construction, Design, and Technology, Transportation Impact and Hostetler Ranch.
“I wasn’t there, but I have heard all about it,” said Richard Petty. “Thad has been doing a good job all year of learning the cars and getting better and better. Everything lined up for him on Saturday and he won. I enjoy anything my grand kids are doing. I’m just like anyone else, I’m a proud granddaddy.”
“This has been a lot of hard work, but also a lot of fun, too,” said Moffitt. “I can’t do this without my team and our great supporters that help me. Nobody has given me any added pressure, it’s been all on myself. Saturday, things just went our way. I’m getting more experience and this will help my confidence. I have a great car and crew, so hopefully we can get more wins and a championship.”
Moffitt will next compete on the Southeast Limited Late Model Challenger Series on September 24.
About Richard Petty Motorsports
A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports, co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneur Andrew Murstein, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. With a history of over 200 wins and business partnerships with national and global leaders, today the race operation fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with drivers Aric Almirola and Brian Scott. Almirola will return to the iconic No. 43 Ford with partners Smithfield Foods, STP, United States Air Force and the “Fresh From Florida” campaign. Scott will make his debut with the team and drive the Petty Family No. 44 Ford. Albertsons Companies, Shore Lodge, Twisted Tea and GoBowling.com will join Scott as he competes for Rookie of the Year in his first full-time season in the Sprint Cup Series. Richard Petty Motorsports will also field the No. 43 Ford Mustang in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. The team is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C.
About Empire Racing Group Established in 2009, Empire Racing Group is a driver-development team that strives to identify young racing talent and assist them in the advancement of their careers. While ERG originally focused on the ARCA Racing Series with drivers Sean Corr (team owner) and Mason Mitchell, the team has since expanded its reach into other series thanks in part to its alliance with Grumpy’s Performance, Inc. Under the expertise of crew chief Mike ‘Grumpy’ Cheek, ERG now competes in various Late Model series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS). In 2016, the team will compete in multiple racing series including the ARCA Racing Series, NCWTS, and NASCAR Late Model Series at Caraway Speedway. Drivers for the 2016 season include notable rising stars Austin Hill and Dylan Martin, as well as racing veteran Sean Corr. To learn more about ERG, call (704) 664-8882 or visit www.empireracinggroup.com.
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The team is anxious to see what this hot rod can do on the 1.5 mile track. We’ll share the finished product when it’s ready to hit the track. She will have some new partners on board and we’re excited to share that news in the very near future.
