This weekend the Cup Series heads to the Chicagoland Speedway. One of the newer tracks on the circuit, this week HardcoreRaceFans.com has chosen to focus on a very special occasion taking place this weekend instead of featuring a race from Chicagoland's past.

Saturday, July 12th will mark the 50th anniversary of Richard Petty's first career start in NASCAR competition. The first race for the man forever known as 'The King' was a far cry from the type of racinseen today. So this week we take a look back at that first start on July 12, 1958 at the Columbia Speedway in Columbia, S.C.

Back then, NASCAR was broken up into the Grand National Division (today's Cup Series) and the Convertible Series. While father Lee was in Asheville, N.C. earning his fifteenth top-5 of the year in the Grand National Division, 21-year-old Richard Petty was driving his No. 43 Oldsmobile Convertible against some of the sport's best.

Richard started the day from the 13th-spot and chased pole sitter Fireball Roberts at the drop of the green flag. The rookie driver quickly made his way through the field and finished in the 6th-spot, five laps down, earning a hefty $200. NASCAR legend Bob Welborn took the win on the half-mile dirt track, with Roberts coming home in second. Twenty-five cars started the event that day, but after 100-miles, only ten remained running.

"That was fun, a lot of fun," Petty said of his first outing. "I've been watching my dad race all these years. It feels good that he trusted me, Dale [Inman] and Red [Myler] to come down here and race. I'm glad he had a good run in Asheville. For us to come home sixth, man, that feels like a win. It was real muddy, real slick out there. I learned a lot though. With a little more experience I think I can compete with these guys."

Petty went on to not only just "compete with these guys" but instead wrote the book on how to do it. 'The King' dominated the sport of auto racing for years, compiling 200 career wins, seven championships, seven Daytona 500 victories, 555 top-5's and 712 top-10's.

The day Petty made his final start - the 1992 Hooters 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway - is one of the greatest days this sport has ever seen. The race featured one of the closest battles to the championship between Alan Kulwicki and Bill Elliot and was the first Cup Series start for a kid named Jeff Gordon.

"Probably the coolest thing that I carry with me was the driver's meeting," Gordon remembered of that day. "It was very unique. And still to this day, I don't remember a driver's meeting quite like that. They introduce, whether it is a celebrity and official from a big company and that day it was all about Richard (Petty) and he spoke. I can't really remember the things that he said, but I remember him handing out these money clips that had an insignia of him with his cowboy hat and each starting position was inscribed on there. I have one that has 21 on it. I still have it. To me that was the coolest part of the day was just to be able to be a part of that. I know that I am one of a very few guys, I think, that has one of those money clips. I never used it, but I still have it. I believe Richard Petty had the greatest impact on our sport. He was dominant during his prime, became a household name and had the respect of the competitors, the media and the fans."

'The King' went out in a blaze of glory that day, getting caught up in an accident and catching fire. That didn't stop the sport's biggest name from finishing the race and taking a one last lap around the track to thank the fans for a great ride.

Since stepping out of the driver's seat, Petty has gone on to grow Petty Enterprises where it is today. Last year, the team moved from Randleman, N.C. to Mooresville, N.C. and just last month the team announced a partnership with the equity firm Boston Ventures. Away from the track, Petty has worked to grow the Victory Junction Gang Camp with his son, Kyle.

Petty is one of the most iconic and recognizable figure in all of sports and is unmatched when it comes to caring for the fans.  Former president and general manager of Lowe's Motor Speedway, H.A. 'Humpy' Wheeler explained, "Richard Petty is NASCAR's Arnold Palmer. Stars drive ticket sales in everything and his very celebrity took us from a regional to a national sport; a sport that transcended all others in popularity growth in the nineties. To say he is perhaps the most important figure in our history would not be far reaching. His 200 wins will never be exceeded and his famous autograph - an icon of calligraphy - and his accessibility to the fan will never be matched."

To say Richard Petty has left his footprint on NASCAR would be a gross understatement. 'The King' is a figure forever linked to the sport of auto racing, and to think he got his start on a small dirt track in Columbia, S.C. racing a convertible to a sixth-place finish is quite amazing. Mr. Petty, congratulations on 50 years and thanks for all of the memories.