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NASCAR: Richard Petty’s grandson Thad Moffitt still looking for success in ARCA

By Tyler Callaway

JOLIET, IL - SEPTEMBER 15: NASCAR Hall of Famer and team owner Richard Petty stands in the garage area during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Tales of the Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on September 15, 2017 in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
JOLIET, IL - SEPTEMBER 15: NASCAR Hall of Famer and team owner Richard Petty stands in the garage area during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Tales of the Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on September 15, 2017 in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) /
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Thad Moffitt, the grandson of Richard Petty, made his fourth career start in the ARCA Series on Saturday and left some fans a bit disappointed, but is it time to panic yet?

Last Saturday, the drivers of the ARCA Racing Series took to Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville, Tennessee for the Music City 200 where future stars such as Zane Smith, Chandler Smith, Sheldon Creed, and Natalie Decker showed off their skills in a stock car.

Of all these young stars, there was one with royal blood that many fans were keeping an eye on during the race. It was Richard Petty’s grandson Thad Moffitt. Unfortunately, anyone hoping to see Petty Blue up near the front was disappointed, as the highest position Moffitt reached was 11th place before he finished 14th.

I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt;it was only his fourth career start in ARCA. In these four starts driving with Empire Racing Group with Richard Petty Motorsports backing, he has yet to come home with a top 10 finish.

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Before coming to ARCA, he found success in the Southeast Limited Late Model Series, where he won the 2016 championship. He has talent, but is it the type of talent that leads a driver to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series?I t’s too early to tell.

That being said, it’s extremely disappointing for any Petty family fans when you compare him to rising stars such as Ty Majeski, Harrison Burton, Todd Gilliland, Riley Herbst, and Chase Purdy, who have better stats after four starts in ARCA or the K&N Series. Most were younger than Moffitt is now at the time as well.

Maybe it’s just how spoiled we are by young stars winning early, and whenever we see a 17-year old struggling to reach the top 10, it can be disheartening. We need to remember there are such things as late bloomers and some guys need more development than others do.

The development of Moffitt is something everyone at Richard Petty Motorsports seems to be taking their time on. Based on his first few starts, I’d say as much seat time as possible is something Moffitt would benefit greatly from.

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Only time will tell if we’ll see a fourth generation Petty reach the NASCAR Cup Series, but Thad Moffitt will have plenty more opportunities this season and many seasons after this.

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