Race Shop Review: Richard Petty Motorsports in Statesville, North Carolina

Richard Petty Motorsports was previously located in Mooresville, North Carolina. After the team merged with Gillette-Evernham, they took over the old buildings in Statesville, North Carolina. On our recent trip to the Charlotte area, we took time out from our busy day to visit their race shop. Those who are interested in visiting for themselves should know that it's quite a drive to Statesville and the shop is located in a remote area off the highway.

Richard Petty Motorsports has three buildings that are open to the public and very little parking. Each building has parking in front, but on both of our trips those parking lots were full. They do have side parking lots available and the walk isn't very far. They also offer free hero cards for each of their drivers.

The first building we entered had an AJ Allmendinger car on display as well as a Kasey Kahne car out. They also had a small display set up with different fire suits and race paraphernalia on display. The second building was completely empty. Last year they had a Kahne and Elliot Sadler car in the building, but this year it was empty.

The last building is the one that most people would find interesting. This larger building houses the gift shop, displays and the race shop itself. AJ Allmendinger was sadly misrepresented in the gift shop, though the other drivers including Reed Sorenson had a lot of different things out. They also sell autographed merchandise and have a display of 1:24 scale diecast cars driven by the team since its start. Additionally they have a Richard Petty car out that the King actually drove during his career.

The race shop at Richard Petty Motorsports is sadly disappointing. They have several viewing windows, which give visitors an inside look at the shop. When we were there, they were doing a lot of work, but it was hard to figure out exactly what they were doing. With the exception of one Allmendinger car, most were unpainted or only covered in primer. It's also disappointing because they use a wire mesh over all of the windows. This wire mesh makes it even harder to see inside and it turns up in the pictures.

However when we were there we had the chance to meet AJ Allmendinger. He just happened to be walking by one of the buildings that we were inside and he actually stopped to talk to us. He was extremely nice and sweet and didn't hesitate to pause for a picture, though it was clear that he was busy.

All in all though Richard Petty Motorsports was fairly disappointing. It's a very long drive and there's not a whole lot to see or do. It's one of those places that you can visit once and then never feel as though you need to return again.