Back in the 1970s, I enjoyed working corner at Sports Car Club of America events. I worked a number of race weekends at Charlotte Motor Speedway. During Charlotte’s Speed Week in 1978, SCCA hosted a Can-Am race, but that’s a whole different story...

The event was an appetizer held just before the World 600. Can-Am cars were about as different from a NASCAR machine as you could get. I was walking the pits taking a few photos and enjoying a break between races when I noticed a stranger in a strange land. Richard Petty, the King of Stock Cars, was visiting Al Holbert’s Busch Can-Am pit area. He was clearly amazed at the size and power of the Can-Am cars, smiling and laughing at the idea of a person going that fast in something that small.

That weekend Petty finished eighth and Holbert finished fourth in their respective races. An 18-year-old Kyle Petty is seen here also.

More photos of Petty are posted here.