Published: May 14, 2008 03:26 pm            

King Richard's hat makes it to Iraq

With 200 wins and seven championship in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition, "The King" Richard Petty is firmly woven into the fabric of Americana as a true icon.

While those numbers place him at the top of his profession, "The King" is dually noted for his generous giving of time and energy in support of others.

As a member of the Dodge Motorsports family, Petty routinely takes part in Dodge's satellite conference calls over the Freedom Calls Satellite network.

The video conference calls connect men and women on the front lines of Iraq with their favorite Dodge NASCAR drivers before certain races.

While at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March, Petty was involved in one such call with a group of U.S. Army engineers from the Coalition Network Operations and Security Center (CNOSC). When the group commented on Petty's signature cowboy hat, he made sure that the group had one of their own.

"Our soldiers sacrifice so much to allow us to live in a free country," said Petty. "When they asked me to send them one of my Charley One Horse hats I thought that was the least I could do. It meant the world to me that one of my hats could provide them with a little relief from what they deal with on a daily basis."

Petty is also heavily involved with the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), which works to maximize the quality of life for its members and all people with spinal cord injury and dysfunction (SCI/D) as a leading advocate for health care, SCI/D research and education, veterans' benefits and rights, accessibility and the removal of architectural barriers, sports programs, and disability rights.

"Race car drivers are often called heroes, but the men and women of our military are the real heroes," said Petty. "Not only do they need our support when overseas, but also when they return to their lives back home."

        

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