As a physician, North Carolina neurosurgeon Dr. Jerry Petty ranks among the top of his field. He also ranks highly in the minds of many NASCAR drivers, officials and industry members – both past and present – whom he’s cared for during his 46-year medical career. For those contributions, and his enduring commitment to the sport, Dr. Petty is being honored during this week’s 2006 Champions Week festivities in New York City.

He’ll receive the Bill France NASCAR Award of Excellence during Friday’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Awards Ceremony in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel’s historic Grand Ballroom. The Bill France NASCAR Award of Excellence spotlights career or lifetime achievements, and Dr. Petty’s longtime contributions have been crucial to the growth of NASCAR’s safety program.

Dr. Petty, 71, has treated innumerable NASCAR participants since 1968 – the year he joined his Charlotte, N.C.-based practice. A Gastonia, N.C., native, he began his medical career in 1960 as an assistant neurological surgery resident at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. He ended his tenure there as a senior resident in 1967, and joined Charlotte Neurosurgery and Spine Center in Charlotte, N.C., in 1968.

As an at-track medical presence, Dr. Petty has treated many NASCAR greats, team members and employees. His home track is Lowe’s Motor Speedway, where he’s worked the infield care center since 1970, but he’s equally renowned for his neurological skill and experience off-track, and at other NASCAR venues. Also, Dr. Petty has been a consultant for NASCAR’s medical liaison program since 2002, and his reservoir of experience and familiarity provides valuable long-term data and continuity.

A University of North Carolina alumnus and 1960 graduate of the UNC Medical School, Dr. Petty served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force’s medical corps from 1961-63. He and his wife, Audrey, have four children and 11 grandchildren. Son Scott is a radiologist in Franklin, N.C. Daughter Mary Key is a speech pathologist and daughters Kate Boyd and Laura Barrett are registered nurses. Dr. Petty also serves as a team physician for the Carolina Panthers; he’s done so since their inaugural 1995 season.

[NASCAR PR]