Kyle at 200 M.P.H.: A Sizzling Season in the Petty/NASCAR Dynasty

In the history of stock-car racing, 1991 was a landmark year. Richard Petty, who had amassed almost twice as many wins as any other driver, retired, while his son, Kyle, began to make his mark, winning the fifth ranking for the season. Gaillard ( Watermelon Wine ) and Kyle Petty explain how this third-generation member of a family of racing stars achieved his best season. Petty, a man with many interests, including music and reading, entered NASCAR racing in 1981, but he suffered a serious accident early in 1991 and was incapacitated for the rest of that season. Driving for a team sponsored principally by Felix Sabates, the Cuban-American head of Nintendo, he won two races and finished in the top ten 18 times. As well as pointing out the contrast between the taciturn, undemonstrative father and his sensitive son, the authors show how this sport, dependent on machinery and, to a lesser degree, the skill of other drivers, ``could break a man's heart.'' Photos not seen by PW. (Oct.)