At 89, Richard Petty Admits The 5 Biggest Cheaters In NASCAR History

Richard Petty has spent seventy years inside NASCAR, and he understands the sport’s garage culture better than almost anyone alive. In this documentary, we go through five controversies that show how racing really worked behind the scenes, from the thin rulebooks of the early days to the highest-stakes scandals of the modern era. We look at Junior Johnson, the innovator who always seemed one step ahead of inspectors. Smokey Yunick, the legendary mechanic whose fuel tank story still divides fans. Chad Knaus, the crew chief who pushed technical limits across seven championships with Jimmie Johnson. The 2013 Richmond scandal involving Michael Waltrip Racing. And the 1983 Talladega race where Petty’s own winning car failed inspection. Where does innovation end and cheating begin? The answer says a lot about NASCAR’s legends and the gray zone they competed in. Petty himself has described that era as a world where the real competition ran seven days a week, not just on Sundays. Subscribe now for more stories the official record books left out.