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Coffee with Kyle: Story behind debut of Plymouth’s NASCAR Superbird

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Richard Petty and Dale Inman join Kyle to discuss winning the 6th annual Daytona 500 in 1964, their 1967 winning streak and how racing for Ford influenced the emergence of the 'Superbird' car.

One of the most famous cars in NASCAR history, the Plymouth Superbird, was created to lure Richard Petty back from Ford, Richard Petty recounts in the second part of Kyle Petty’s conversation with his father and Dale Inman in “Coffee with Kyle.”

PART 1: Richard Petty: Racing ‘took us to the real world’

In 1969, the Dodge Daytona featured a large rear wing and aerodynamic advantage. Richard Petty said he went to Plymouth and said: “Are we going to get a wing? They said no. I said, can I have a Dodge? They said you’re a Plymouth man, you’re winning all these races anyway, you don’t need a wing.

“If I can’t have a Dodge and you’re not going to fix the Plymouth, then I’m going to go across the street and talk to Ford. We went the same day, went all the way to the top and had a deal when we came back down. All in one day.”

Months later, the tone changed at Plymouth.

“April of (1969), the head guy at Plymouth came down to the house, came down to our shop and we had won a race or two already with a Ford. He said what’s it going to take to get you back in a Plymouth. I said give me a wing. They built the Superbird.”

That’s just part of the stroll through history Kyle takes with his father and Inman. Other stories include Richard Petty’s first Daytona 500 win 1964 and the battles Richard had with the Wood Brothers and David Pearson, Bobby Allison and Cale Yarborough. Also, Inman and Richard Petty share a humorous tale of Kyle Petty’s first racing experience.

For more, watch the video above.

Click here to watch “Coffee with Kyle” episode with Tony Stewart