NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty’s appearance at the Richmond International Speedway in Richmond, Va. marked his first major public outing since his wife Lynda died nearly one month ago.

Since the heartbreaking loss, Petty has relied on the love and support of his close family to get through this difficult time.

“Been fortunate all the kids [and grandkids] came home for Easter,” said Petty. “That really made things good.”

When asked about how he has been doing since losing his wife, Petty said that he was “still surviving”.

He acknowledged that life after wife Lynda is going to be “different”. He says he’s got to “start all over again.”

Understandably, Petty needed to take a considerable amount of time away from NASCAR to contemplate his lost love and the new direction his life will take without her.

Said Petty, “I’m just going to have to live.”

The NASCAR legend shared that he is ready to get “back in the saddle” and is looking to make a welcome return to the sport.

Petty’s team was also enthusiastic to see him return.

“He’s our leader, he’s the face of our race team,” said Richard Petty Motorsports driver Aric Almirola.

“To have him back and have him back on top of the trailer, back in the garage area is going to be big for me as a driver.”

Almirola also expects that the return of Petty will be a huge boost to the entire team.

Richard Petty says he has to "learn to live all over again" after wife's death http://t.co/yGp5acJgLX #askMRN #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/jbTtQNHR93

— Motor Racing Network (@MRNRadio) April 25, 2014

Petty himself seems to feel that a NASCAR return will serve to be somewhat therapeutic.

He admits that he has been deeply touched by all the support he has received from the NASCAR community. Fans have been eager to know how Petty has been getting along in recent weeks.

It’s very likely that the road ahead for the NASCAR legend will be a difficult one. He was married to wife Lynda for over 55 years. She was 72-years-old when she passed away on March 25th.

Richard Petty is the “King” of NASCAR. But his castle was ruled by “Mrs. Lynda.” http://t.co/smdEZI900W pic.twitter.com/M5dVSV50Lu

— Jim Utter (@jim_utter) March 25, 2014

Image via Wikimedia Commons