NASCAR legend Petty to place car in Indy 500

"I don't think there were any discussions on the paint scheme," said Petty, who joked the car's colors were so bright he needed his trademark sunglasses to see it. "The 43 and the paint scheme were going to be automatic if I was going to be involved."

The decision means three current NASCAR owners -- Roger Penske, Chip Ganassi and Petty -- will compete in Indy.

It also gives Petty a chance to reunite with A.J. Foyt, the four-time Indy winner and 1972 Daytona champion. Foyt also owns an IndyCar team.

Now more than four decades and a whole generation of IndyCars after Foyt tried to entice the tall, lanky Petty to get into an open-wheel car, Petty is finally coming to the 2.5-mile oval to compete in the speedway's signature race.

Indy Racing League fans will embrace Petty's entry for another reason: They'll get to see the 46-year-old nephew of 1969 race winner Mario Andretti attempt to make his 10th career Indy start. His best finish, fifth, came in 1991.

And it will turn the month of May into a family reunion.

Mario Andretti's grandson, 22-year-old Marco, will also try to qualify for the race. He drives for Andretti Green Racing, which is co-owned by Michael Andretti, Marco's father.

The twin brothers, Mario and Aldo, John's father, are expected to be here, too.

In fact, it was John Andretti who spent a year trying to get the deal in place. He has already driven for two of the most famous names in Indy circles, Andy Granatelli and Foyt, and drove for Petty's NASCAR team from 1998 till the middle of the 2003 season.

"For me, driving for two icons and driving for people who have won championships and won races is different than driving for guys who haven't because they understand the trials," John Andretti said. "I remember when we were out in Phoenix one time and things weren't going very well, and Richard came over, patted me on the head and said, 'Don't worry, it's gonna be all right.' And we went out and won the pole.

"Our goal is going to be to make him late to Charlotte."

Andretti has been driving for Front Row Motorsports on the Cup circuit, starting the first seven races this season without a top-10 finish. He said that team will need to find a replacement driver for the two points races he expects to miss -- Darlington and Charlotte -- before returning at Dover.

But if Petty's first foray into IndyCars delivers a victory, it may not be the last appearance for Petty at an IndyCar event.

"The basic deal right now is that it's an isolated deal," he said. "If it was at Homestead or something else, I probably wouldn't be here. But this is the Indy 500, and the best way to get me involved [in IndyCars] is winning the race. Then I'll be there."