Kyle Petty Voted Worst Dressed Athlete

Kyle Petty is The Worst Dressed Athlete

The world of professional racing is certainly something that is unique in and of itself. Unlike any other sport, the athletes that make it up tend to be unlike any other athletes as well. Think Ricky Bobby. Race car driving is known for its speed and dare devil mentality –but not for its fashion. Most race car drivers embrace the NASCAR approved fashion quota of racing stripes and company endorsements. Kyle Petty is a racing great, but he tops our list for the worst dressed athletes of all time. His days in NASCAR certainly proved that his approach to fashion and style could have used a pit crew of fashionistas at the helm for a head to toe makeover. Petty’s standout pitfalls are outlined below and while some can be a reflection of the times, others are pure and simple stylistic blunders.


Logo Overload
Logos, logos and more logos. Kyle Petty seemed to live in his racing suit which was a patchwork frenzy of one endorsement after another coupled with a baseball hat with yes -another logo. Indeed, just about every piece of clothing Petty was seen wearing during his time racing in NASCAR featured multiple logos and corporate sponsorships. Race car driving embraces these endorsements and they undoubtedly define an esoteric aesthetic but there’s also time on and off the job. Kyle Petty is a legend, an icon and there’s something to be said for the theory of “cleaning up nicely.” We wish we could of seen Petty in just about anything else than his racing workwear.


The Rat Tail
Petty had a distinct hair style that pivoted around a riley, mismanaged rat tail. The dubious term makes us cringe let alone the mental image of this hideous hair style that is associated with a heehaw /hillbilly deep south Americana style. This choice of hair style furthered the NASCAR stereotype that the sport was for beer drinking, cursing, denim vesting, rat tailing enthusiasts. Petty loved his rat tail and it was a predominant component to his look yet no one has ever uttered these words, "Wow, he can really pull the rat tail off!" about anyone and especially not the Kyle Petty.

What to Avoid
The lessons to learn from Kyle Petty are no matter how fast you can drive, you can never outrun your monumental fashion blunders like the logo heavy racing onesie or the non-anatomical rat tail. Petty’s fashion proclivities rooted him in the negative stereotype of his sport and won him the top spot of our worst dressed list. No matter your successes and talents, always acknowledge the fact that you’re in the public eye and every major fashion mishap could be recorded on the internet, on Facebook or by a an ordinary fashion copy editor.

Other Worst Dressed Athletes:
Deion Sanders: The 2nd Worst Dressed Athlete of All Time
4th on Our Wost Dressed List: Michael Irvin