PERSUING A LEGACY FIT FOR A KING

Growing-up as racing royalty, Thaddeus “Thad” Moffitt was born to race. As soon as his feet could reach a pedal, be assured that Moffitt was going fast. The grandson of Richard “The King” Petty, Moffitt was poised to carry on the Petty legacy. “I may not have the last name 'Petty,' but I'm as Petty as they come,” Moffitt said. Born to Brian and Rebecca Petty-Moffitt, youngest daughter of Richard Petty, Moffitt has always been attracted to vehicles with a motor and go fast on land or water. It was never uncommon to see Moffitt pushing the limits on a jet ski, dirt bike, snowmobile or even the family lawnmower. As he grew older, Moffitt, like most pre-teen boys, began to play organized sports. It was football where Moffitt shined for his local Pop Warner and school. But, once Moffitt started racing a quarter-midget and then a go-kart, he knew that's what he wanted to focus on. “I still love football, baseball, basketball and all sports, but nothing is as much fun as racing,” Moffitt said. “I just started racing at the local tracks and I loved it. It was natural and now it's my profession.” Never being pushed into the sport, Moffitt became serious about racing when competing in karts. He raced in different divisions at the Ace Speedway, Liberty Raceway Park, Stateline Speedway and Colridge Raceway, all with the familiar Petty Blue paint scheme. Moffitt began winning and running up-front. Knowing that many of today's successful drivers are groomed in Late Models, Moffitt moved to a Limited Late Model in 2016. He quickly made himself a champion in the Southeast Limited Late Model Series. Moffitt quickly advanced to Late Model competition and scored top finishes across the southeast and its historic tracks. “It was a quick progression to Late Models, but we had success,” Moffitt said. “We didn't want to stay in one series too long, so it was time to move to ARCA.” And that's what Moffitt did in 2017, making three starts on the short tracks. He finished in the 11th-place in his third-career ARCA Menards Series start and in only his sixth start scored a top-10 finish. To start the 2019 season, Moffitt made his Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway debut in style. He started his first superspeedway race on the front row. He raced in the top-five before a tire issue ended his race. Moffitt is always mindful of his family history. He has the genes and the passion and now it's time to make his own history.