Kyle Petty Learns New Stories About Darius Rucker, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Pitbull, and Others in New TV Show

Kyle Petty has been a household name practically his entire life. He's the son of NASCAR royalty, Richard Petty, he himself had a very successful racing career, and now the ponytailed son of the King is a staple in the commentator booth for race coverage. And while Petty is no stranger to our television screens, his new show on Circle will take viewers on a whole new kind of ride along.

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Dinner Drive with Kyle Petty premiered last night on Circle (check local listings here) and the veteran racer takes us along on the road as he visits some famous friends and learns their stories over a shared meal. "I went, I don't want a racing show. Everybody expects me to do a racing show," Petty shared with Southern Living in a recent chat. "There are so many car shows and there are so many people shows. There's so much out there now, you know. How do you differentiate yourself? And I wanted to know the emotional attachment. The emotional attachment to a plane, train, automobile."

Petty went to the hometowns of famous faces like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Herschel Walker, Ric Flair, and even Pitbull to hear the stories behind their success. He wanted to talk cars but in a way that evoked the memories that shaped each person. And the best ways he knows how to do get to the real stories is through drive down memory lane and sharing a meal.

"My main goal was conversation. My doorway in was the car, the truck or the automobile or the plane that was my entry to have the conversation and the icing on the cake was the food. And that's kinda the way it played out," Petty said.

While some of the faces Petty meets will be familiar to racing fans like Dale Jr. and even Kyle's dad, Richard Petty, some will surprise you. Petty strums a guitar with Darius Rucker, and he shares some Cuban cuisine with Pitbull. The diversity of folks Petty speaks with is no accident.

Petty wanted to showcase the melting pot that is the South. He makes a parallel to what Darius Rucker has done in his career, going from front man of a pop band to solo country artist.

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"I think stepping from one genre of music to another and then being over the moon successful at it, but at the same time, the success was the end result of {that} passion. And I think that's what you take from Darius when you talk to him about it. I like that. Because I like somebody that's not afraid to step out. Not afraid to be who they are and not afraid to go down a different route just because the world thinks this is the road you should travel, and they've already slotted you into that category. You show the world you can be something more. And Darius has shown everyone that he can be something more… The south can be so much more. And I think that's what that shows. That we can be. We can be who we are and still be relevant and be different. And still keep our identity."

In another showcase of variety, just look at the plate of food Petty has in front of him in each episode. He goes from BBQ with Davis Love III in Georgia to having beans and rice and fried plantains with Pitbull in Miami.

"That is to me, that is the culture of the South," he said.

When asked about a second season and his dream guests, Petty was quick to suggest the likes of Charles Barkley and Sheryl Crow. So, we'll go ahead and put those both out into the universe because we wouldn't mind pulling up a chair at either of those dinner tables ourselves.