CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A well-known doctor in Charlotte who worked with the Carolina Panthers and NASCAR has died.
“We are honored to stand on the foundation he built,” Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine posted on X when announcing the passing of Dr. Jerry M. Petty. “Thank you, Dr. Petty. Your life’s work continues to guide and inspire us all.”
Petty grew up in Gastonia and graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill’s medical school. He moved to Charlotte in 1968 after briefly working as a surgeon in St. Louis.
Petty worked as the principal medical consultant for NASCAR starting in 1970, and became the first Neurosurgical Consultant to the Panthers from 1995-2013.
From 2013 until his retirement in 2021, Petty was an Unaffiliated Neurosurgical Consultant at most Panthers games under the NFL.
“Dr. Petty helped so many patients in his career, but I will remember him for being a friend to the Nascar industry and helping so many drivers through all sorts of injuries,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. posted on X. “Above all that, he was a kind, amazing person. Always cracking a joke and keeping spirits high. He left a very positive impression on this world and will be missed.”