Petty Enterprises was founded by Lee Petty in 1949 as Lee Petty Engineering, operating out of Level Cross, North Carolina. The No. 43 made its first appearance under the Petty banner in 1954, when Lee expanded to a two-car operation and placed Bob Welborn in the seat for a pair of races. The number returned in 1957 and again briefly in 1959 before Richard Petty assumed permanent occupancy that year.
The Petty Blue color associated with the car was created by accident. According to Richard Petty, the family did not have enough white or dark blue paint to cover the entire car before an early race, so the two colors were mixed together. The resulting pale blue hue became the Petty family's signature and has remained on the No. 43 throughout the decades since.
Richard Petty made his first ten starts in the No. 43 in 1959, earning five top-ten finishes and the Rookie of the Year award. His early career showed consistent improvement: he scored his first Cup win in 1960 at Charlotte Fairgrounds Speedway and tallied ten wins across 1961 and 1962.
The breakout came in 1963, when Petty won fourteen races and finished second in championship standings. His first Grand National title arrived in 1964, accompanied by his first Daytona 500 victory. Petty sat out most of 1965 in solidarity with Chrysler's boycott of NASCAR over the banning of the Hemi engine, spending much of the year drag racing.
The 1967 season stands as the single most dominant year in NASCAR history. Petty won 27 races from 48 starts in the No. 43, including an unbroken run of ten consecutive victories. That record winning streak remains unmatched in Cup competition. The season produced his second championship and established Petty as the sport's dominant force.
STP became the team's primary sponsor in 1972, introducing the distinctive half-Petty Blue, half-STP red livery that became arguably the most recognized paint scheme in NASCAR's history. The partnership coincided with Petty's fourth championship — the inaugural Winston Cup title — and extended through the height of his career. He won his fifth championship in 1974, sixth in 1975, and seventh and final championship in 1979.
The 1976 Daytona 500 produced one of the most famous finishes in the race's history, though not in Petty's favor. He and David Pearson were battling on the final lap when both drivers crashed exiting the final turn. Pearson's car limped across the finish line while Petty stalled yards short of the start-finish line, handing Pearson the victory.
Petty won his seventh Daytona 500 in 1981 through a strategic late-race pit stop, which remains a record for wins in that race. His 200th career victory — and final Cup win — came at Daytona International Speedway on July 4, 1984, in the Firecracker 400. President Ronald Reagan attended that race, the first sitting U.S. president to attend a NASCAR event.
Richard Petty announced his retirement in October 1991 and drove a farewell "Fan Appreciation Tour" through the 1992 season, receiving special ceremonies at every track on the circuit. His final race came at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the Hooters 500, where he was involved in an accident but the crew restored the car to allow him to complete two additional laps at the finish.
After Richard Petty's retirement, the No. 43 continued under Petty Enterprises with a succession of drivers. Rick Wilson drove in 1993 with limited success, and Wally Dallenbach Jr. shared the seat in 1994 before John Andretti took over late that season. Bobby Hamilton drove the car from 1995 to 1997, scoring the team's first win since 1983 by winning at Phoenix in 1996 and adding a victory at Rockingham in 1997. John Andretti returned in 1998 and delivered the team's final win as Petty Enterprises at Martinsville in 1999.
The team struggled through the 2000s, cycling through drivers including Christian Fittipaldi, Jeff Green, and Bobby Labonte without finding competitiveness. Sponsorship difficulties proved insurmountable, and in January 2009 Petty Enterprises merged with Gillett Evernham Motorsports to form Richard Petty Motorsports. The No. 43 was absorbed into the merged organization, eventually moving to Petty GMS Motorsports in 2021 and then Legacy Motor Club in 2023 with Erik Jones at the wheel.
At the time Petty Enterprises folded in 2009, the organization had accumulated 268 Cup Series victories over 61 years, a record it had held since 1960. That record stood until the 2021 Coca-Cola 600, when Hendrick Motorsports won its 269th race.
Richard Petty's 200 wins in the No. 43 represent a mark so far beyond any other driver — second on the all-time list is David Pearson with 105 — that it is widely considered untouchable in the modern era. The seven championships, seven Daytona 500 victories, record 27 wins in a single season, and ten consecutive victories are among the most significant statistical achievements in American motorsport history. Petty was part of the inaugural class inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010. The No. 43 in Petty Blue remains in active competition, the longest-running continuous car number in NASCAR's premier series.