Richard Petty experienced a major victory on Sunday at the 2022 Cook Out Southern 500, giving his Petty GMS Motorsports team their first victory of the year.
No. 43 Petty's first victory in that vehicle in eight years came from Erik Jones, who had not won a race since 2018.
Jones claimed in a post-game interview that Petty had promised to buy him a hat if he won the race. One of his renowned Charlie 1 Horse cowboy hats, but, not just any hat.
"He promised me a hat if I won," you say. Jones laughed as he stated. "Richard most likely hasn't visited victory lane in Darlington since he last triumphed here.
Because Jones had worked so hard all year, NASCAR fans praised him for his victory and praised his humility:
Jones finished in the top 10 six times in 2021 but never in the top five. He has eight top-10 finishes and one in the top five going into yesterday's race at Darlington.