#45 Team Past News and Rumors
NOTE: many of the links in the past news will be old and may not work
decided it was not worth the time to go thru each one on all the Team Past News pages
2007 News
Petty Enterprises migrates south hoping to improve: By Jan. 2, 2008 most of the move for Petty Enterprises will be complete as the NASCAR operation moves its headquarters 74 miles south from Level Cross, N.C., to the recently vacated Robert Yates Racing buildings in Mooresville, N.C., much closer to most of the other top race shops who call North Carolina home. The red moving trucks with the Petty Enterprises logos displayed prominently on the side have been rolling out of 311 Branson Mill Rd. (a Randleman, N.C. mailing address but actually located in Level Cross) for weeks now, heading south toward the RYR complex in Mooresville. On Wednesday, the fabrication shop and machine shop personnel and their equipment were scheduled to complete their move from the old facility to the new. On Dec. 31, the finished fabrication and suspension folks and all their machinery is scheduled to arrive at their new working address. Most of the rest of the Petty operation will move into the new digs by Jan. 2, followed by the assembly and setup teams for the group's two Sprint Cup cars by Jan. 8. The #45 car driven by Kyle Petty, Richard's son, will leave for the first week of testing at Daytona out of Level Cross but will return to the new shop in Mooresville on Jan. 10. The #43 car driven by Bobby Labonte will leave for the second week of Daytona testing out of Level Cross around the same time and return to its new base of operations for good on Jan. 17. Back in Level Cross, Petty wants to make it clear that he isn't vacating the old place completely. "I'm still going to operate out of here, as far as a bunch of stuff that I do," said Richard, owner of 200 of the race wins claimed by Petty Enterprises. "My secretary will still be here and all that stuff. I'll spend a lot of time going back and forth, seeing what's going on at the race shop. But all my scheduling and all my deals will be done out of here, so I'll spend half my time here and half my time over there. I've got some of the deal done for the body shop. I've got a bunch of cars for them to work on and stuff," Richard said. "We might move the museum back up here [from its current location in Randleman]; we might run a [Nationwide Series] car out of here. We don't know yet. Our main deal now is let's leave this place in limbo, and let's go get our [Cup] racecars going down at the new place, our new main deal. Then we'll figure out what we're going to do with what we've got left."(see full story at NASCAR.com)(12-27-2007)
No Petty/GEM merger: For the time being, Petty Enterprises will go it alone in the increasingly costly world of NASCAR. Kyle Petty said Tuesday that Richard Petty has decided not to merge with Gillett Evernham Motorsports. Not at this time, at least. Petty Enterprises and Gillett Evernham were said to be discussing a merger or partnership that would have allowed Petty to maintain its identity.(Kansas City Star)(11-28-2007)
PE donating the 'old' cars to schools: Sunday's Ford 400 marks the final time Nextel Cup Series teams will run the standard-model racecar, so theoretically those machines become obsolete the moment the checkered flag falls. Again, theoretically. While most teams plan to sell those cars to ARCA teams for 20 cents on the dollar, or reallocate them to Busch East or NASCAR West driver development programs, Petty Enterprises will take a unique reinvestment approach focused on grooming future racing engineers. "We're going to take some of the old cars and donate them to universities [that have] good engineering programs, and hopefully we can get some return back on from the engineering side," said Robbie Loomis, Petty Enterprises GM. The idea was hatched on a flight home from a race. Loomis was discussing with Richard and Kyle Petty how they'd discard all of those old cars, and the thought of donation was broached. "There's just not a big outlet to sell them to ARCA teams and things like that," Loomis said. "We'll sell some to those teams, but we feel like the biggest benefit would be for the whole community, for the racing world, is to tie into some colleges and universities with great engineering programs." Among those schools, Loomis said, is Virginia Tech, with which he said Dodge Motorsports has already forged a partnership. Loomis said Dodge's technical team is setting up a test facility at Virginia International Raceway that will include an 8-post shock dynamometer for suspension simulation work. "It's right there at the racetrack," he said. "So we're trying to grow it, and for now it worked out because of the school and the location. "Virginia Tech has a great engineering program. You see what they're doing with Dodge -- there's a lot of things to gain there in the future. In this sport we need an area where we can groom and shape engineers to really fit the racing model. There always seems to be a disconnect between the book engineer and the actual applicable engineer at the racetrack. So hopefully we can bring that together for the future." The biggest gain should be in chassis engineering, as it would give students a real-world, hands-on look at NASCAR chassis engineering. While body work on the old cars doesn't truly transfer to the COT, Loomis said chassis engineering does. "There's a couple of schools in North Carolina we'll give to that have great engineering programs, and Virginia Tech, again, because of the ties with Dodge," he said. "And I'm sure there will be a few others calling now."(ESPN.com)(11-18-2007)
Partnership in Petty's hands: The ball is in the court of Richard Petty as to whether there is a merger/partnership between Petty Enterprises and Gillett Evernham Motorsports. George Gillett, the majority owner of GEM, said he hoped to at least maintain a commercial relationship with the Pettys regarding their exchange of engines and chassis.
"Whether it goes further, that's up to Richard,'' Gillett said. Petty announced this past week that he is moving Petty Enterprises from Level Cross, N.C., into the Robert Yates Racing shop in Mooresville, N.C. He said the move is being made independent of talks with any organization wishing to partner with his. Gillett has expressed an interest in combining the two companies in a manner that would allow Petty Enterprises to maintain an identity. He would not say whether talks were ongoing, but did acknowledge a recent trip to the Victory Junction Gang Camp that the Pettys run for chronically ill children. "I don't know if I've cried as an adult as much as I did there,'' Gillett said.(ESPN.com)(11-12-2007)
Sponsor announcement for Petty's at Phoenix UPDATE PVA.org: Richard and Kyle Petty will be making a 2008 sponsorship announcement at Phoenix International Raceway on Friday morning, November 9th.(11-8-2007)
UPDATE: Petty Enterprises announced that the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) will serve as a primary sponsor on the #45 Dodge Avenger for two races during the 2008 Sprint Cup season. The events will be the May race at the Richmond International Raceway and the June race at the Pocono Raceway. The organization will be an associate sponsor on the #45 Dodge for the remaining 34 races of the season. Richard and Kyle Petty, along with PVA members Dianne Brunswick and Benjamin Garcia, were on hand at the Phoenix International Raceway to make the announcement. The PVA chose to make the announcement at Phoenix because it is Veteran's Day weekend. They feel that aligning themselves with an organization like Petty Enterprises would be a great way to honor the more than 19,000 men and women that comprise the membership of the PVA. For more information visit www.pva.org/petty.(Petty Racing/Moore Consulting Group PR)(11-9-2007)
New home for Petty's Cup teams to be announced UPDATE: on Wednesday Petty Enterprises will announce a new location for its Nextel Cup operation in 2008.(PE PR), past rumor has the new shop being Robert Yates Racing [Mooresville, NC], who will move to Concord near Roush Racing.(11-7-2007)
UPDATE: The winningest organization in NASCAR announces its first move since its inception in 1949. Richard and Kyle Petty, in efforts to garner continued wins and championships, have agreed to move Petty Enterprises closer to the center of NASCAR activities in the greater Charlotte, North Carolina area. They have reached a multi-year lease agreement for shop space located in the city of Mooresville. The space was formerly occupied by Robert Yates Racing and its two-car Nextel Cup operation. Petty Enterprises, founded by Richard's father, Lee, in 1949 as Lee Petty Engineering, is currently headquartered in Level Cross, North Carolina. At that location, the 60,000-square foot sprawling facility has become one of the most successful in motorsports' history. The organization has 268 Nextel Cup wins, 10 Nextel Cup titles and nine Daytona 500 trophies have been won from inside the hallowed ground. "Level Cross will always be the home of the wins and championships that the Petty family built," said team owner Richard Petty. "It is where Petty Enterprises was founded and where the team has won and built a legacy in NASCAR. Petty Enterprises and Level Cross are the same as Lambeau Field and the Green Bay Packers, Yankee Stadium and the New York Yankees and Boston Garden and the Boston Celtics." The move, to begin in December and completed by end of the year, includes the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge driven by Bobby Labonte and the #45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil/Wells Fargo/Tire Kingdom Dodge driven by Kyle Petty. It's another move in the forward direction since 2006 when Robbie Loomis was named Vice President of Race Operations and 2000 Nextel Cup champion Bobby Labonte was announced as driver of the famed 43 Dodge. It has not yet been determined how the current location of Petty Enterprises will be used in 2008.(Petty Enterprises PR)(11-7-2007)
McCumbee Could Attempt Homestead; Will Drive 5 Cup Races Next Year: Petty Enterprises General Manager Jerry Freeze said Chad McCumbee will attempt to qualify a third Petty Enterprises car for the season-ending Nextel Cup Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, or try to qualify for the Busch Series race that weekend. "If this Busch opportunity comes through, we may let him focus on that, along with his Truck Series commitment," Freeze said. "One way or the other, we'll run him at Homestead." McCumbee is likely to stick with Petty Enterprises next season. Freeze said there are plans for Petty to partner with an existing Busch team to have McCumbee drive in 22-24 races. McCumbee is also penciled in to drive Kyle Petty's Nextel Cup car for the five races he'll again skip to jump into the broadcast booth. Plus, there may be opportunities to qualify for a handful of other Cup races in a third Petty car without jeopardizing his rookie status.(Myrtle Beach Sun)(10-21-2007)
Labonte & Petty Could Switch Cars: Bobby Labonte could find himself in the #45 instead of the 43 at Petty Enterprises should Kyle Petty fall out of the top 35 in Nextel Cup owners' points over the next five weeks. Petty said he would consider switching cars with his teammate so both would be guaranteed a starting spot, him on Labonte's points [17th] and Labonte on his past champion's provisional, the remainder of this season. That also could help for next season if Labonte could race the #45 back into the top 35 that will be guaranteed a spot the first five races of 2008. "Yeah, we'd consider it," Petty said Saturday between practices at Martinsville Speedway. "I'm not gonna lie. Look, as long as they don't change the rules and the rulebook is written that way, we're in the business to run racecars. We have two racecars, the 43 and 45. Whatever it takes to get those in, I don't see the issue with it."(ESPN.com)(10-21-2007)
Petty to Move Into Top-Five in Career Starts: At Martinsville Speedway, #45-Kyle Petty becomes the driver with the fifth most starts all-time. He enters this weekend tied with Darrell Waltrip with 809 career starts. Petty has made 53 starts at Martinsville. He has five top-five and 15 top-ten finishes at the track. He also grabbed one pole at Martinsville,
which came in 1992. Petty's 23,817 laps completed at Martinsville are the most of any track in his career.(MCG Sports/Petty Racing PR)(10-16-2007)
GEM-Petty deal on hold? Alex Gillett still hopes to work out a partnership with Petty Enterprises, although he admits talks have slowed. "What you've got is one of the most storied people in the sport," the co-owner of Gillett Evernham Motorsports said. "There is a lot of emotion attached to what they want to do in the future and who they want to move into the future with. I can respect that. If that means give them space or not space. We did it with Ray." Negotiations to merge Gillett with owner Ray Evernham lasted at least four months longer than anticipated because an underground storage tank had to first be removed from Evernham's property in Statesville, N.C., for environmental reasons. "A lot of people criticized us for taking too long to close," Gillett said. "Well, nobody asked us the question of why. Each one of these has a life cycle. You can't push it." Meanwhile, Gillett said GEM officials are talking to two or three drivers to replace Scott Riggs in the #10 next season. He acknowledged that Canadian driver Patrick Carpentier is a strong candidate even though he has only one Nextel Cup start. David Stremme, who was not re-signed by Chip Ganassi Racing, also is a candidate. "I'm not sure if you bring somebody like a Patrick Carpentier and throw him right into Nextel Cup," Gillett said. "So we've got some other good options in the No. 10 car we're exploring. We'll see over the next couple of weeks where that ends up."(ESPN.cpm)(10-8-2007)
No Penalty for Petty: NASCAR will not penalize Kyle Petty for slapping the visor of Denny Hamlin in the garage area following their accident in Sunday's Dodge Dealers 400, a NASCAR spokesman said.(SceneDaily.com)(9-27-2007)
New Spotter for Kyle Petty: Veteran Nextel Cup spotter and crew member, Roman Pemberton will be taking over the spotting duties for the #45 Dodge's driven by Kyle Petty, for the remainder of the season, beginning with this weekend's race at the Kansas Speedway. Pemberton, an 18 year veteran of the sport has been serving as crew chief consultant and spotter the past few months for driver A.J. Frank in the Hooters Pro Cup series. Frank, taking advantage of recent Cup layoffs, put Pemberton to work the over the final few races and it paid off right away with his best run of the season, a second place finish at Lake Erie Speedway and followed that with a pair of top tens. Despite the enjoyment of the less pressured Hooters Pro Cup, Pemberton is glad to be back home at the Nextel Cup level. "I'm very excited to get back a top the spotters stand and try to help Kyle the 45 team and Petty enterprises close out the season on a positive note. Incidentally, Sunday will be the first time in three years that all four Pemberton brothers, Robin, VP of Competition for NASCAR, Ryan Pemberton, Crew chief for DEI driver's Mark Martin and Eric Almirola and DIRECTV and SPEED television personality Randy Pemberton and Youngest brother Roman will be in the NASCAR Garage at the same time.(PR)(9-26-2007)
Petty vs. Hamlin...the quotes: on lap 204 of the Dodge Dealers at Dover International Speedway, #11-Hamlin got into #45-Petty, sending Petty spinning on the frontstretch and into the inside wall..so in the garage minutes after both cars headed to the garage, Petty came over to Hamlin, who was in the #11 while the crew is working on the car, Petty took the window net down and yelled and pointed at Hamlin, gave Hamlin the one finger salute [which was blurred by ABC], NASCAR Officials tired to block Petty, then Hamlin had enough when Petty touched his helmet, which Hamlin removed and got out the car, where he was restrained by his crew and NASCAR officials, then ABC cut back to the race. Comments made by each sent out by respective manufacture reps:
KYLE PETTY (#45 Wells Fargo Dodge Avenger) ON THE ACCIDENT “We were a little bit loose. I guess it’s my fault. I watched the Busch race yesterday and I knew Denny (Hamlin) was sick, I just didn’t know he was hallucinating and needed three lanes to get up off the corner because he ran all over us. I guess he is in a race by himself.”
ON HIS WORDS WITH HAMLIN “I just told him ‘he is in the Chase and I’m not’. That’s how simple it is. It’s a shame that a guy with that much talent has to drive like that. We’ve seen it a lot. We’ve seen it all year long. Even his teammate Tony Stewart talked about it. I think it pretty much speaks for itself.”(Dodge Motorsports PR)
AND DENNY HAMLIN (#11 Fedex Ground Inpala SS - Finished 38th) DID YOU GIVE SO MUCH IN THE BUSCH RACE YESTERDAY THAT YOU WEREN'T FOCUSED TODAY? "That definitely wasn't an issue. The biggest thing is that I know Kyle (Petty) gets run over a lot and a lot of the reason is that he's so far off the pace. I firmly believe in my heart that he was trying to get out of the way. But I was right there on his bumper on the inside of him and I think he was trying to pull low. When he did, he checked up to pull
low. You can't do that when someone's right on you and I think that's the reason that stuff happens. You've got a car two seconds off the pace or whatever it may be. We're in a clutter of leaders and he's racing his own little battle and some days it's your day and some days it's not. Get out of the way."
WHAT DID YOU SAY TO KYLE PETTY AND WHAT DID HE SAY TO YOU AT YOUR CAR WINDOW? "He just said it wasn't racing. And absolutely it wasn't racing. I wasn't racing him. There was no reason. Let's look back at my career. I've never wrecked anyone my entire career has anybody spun off my front bumper. It's not like I'm a guy who runs into everybody. You've just got to use your brain. You've got to calm down. This is not over for us. A lot of guys had trouble today and we're going to bounce back from this. This is just one step of this 10-week chase."
IN HINDSIGHT, DO YOU THINK YOU WERE TOO AGGRESSIVE WITH HIM (PETTY) AT THAT POINT? "There was no reason for me to be aggressive at all. I had the 07 a car
length or two behind, but I can give up a spot. I have no problem in that. I'd seen the way he had been running the laps before and he had been going up to the wall. I was assuming he was going to do the same thing but instead he came off the corner and he slowed up right off my front bumper. It's a mistake whether it's on my part or his part. That's what happens. You can't have two cars that distinguished in speed and expect them to race near each other."
WERE YOU SURPRISED AT PETTY'S REACTION? "Yeah, I think a lot of it was his frustration over this whole top 35 thing, but we're racing for bigger and better things. Hopefully, one
day, if they get it turned around, I can exchange the favor. But right now, we're the guys racing for the championship, so you know, heed a little bit."
WHAT SET YOU OFF TO HAVE YOU JUMP OUT OF YOUR CAR LIKE THAT WHEN YOU WERE WAITING FOR THE CREW TO FIX THE CAR? "Don't smack me on the helmet. You smack me on the helmet and I'm going to punch you in the face, bottom line. So I'd like for him (Kyle Petty) to call me sometime this week, before next week."
IS THERE AN UNWRITTEN RULE ABOUT TAKING YOUR WINDOW NET DOWN OR COMING TO YOUR CAR? "You don't come to my car; you don't come to my pit. You meet me
somewhere else and we'll settle it. I have the utmost respect for Kyle, but don't lay your hands on my head."
WHY DID HE DO THAT? DID YOU SAY SOMETHING BACK TO HIM? "I did not say one word to him. I asked him to come over and talk to me. He chose to slap my helmet. I have a short fuse. Don't do that. I didn't say one word to him (Petty) in the garage. All I just said wad 'Come here and let me talk to you about it'. He chose to slap my helmet, you know, in hindsight, I should have grabbed his throat."(GM Racing PR)(9-23-2007)
The King talks about possible deal with Gillett: Petty Enterprises is not merging with Gillett Evernham Motorsports. But the Petty family and the Gillett family are exploring the possibility of a partnership. Richard Petty said Friday that his family's company needs a partner to remain competitive and he is further along in talks with George Gillett than any other potential partner in the past. "We're probably halfway there," said Petty, who owns Petty Enterprises. "We're doing a lot of talking, I'll put it that way. We have not signed any papers." When asked if a deal could be done by the start of next season, Petty said "that's a good question" and "we're way on down the road, but we don't know how far down the road we are. Petty said he envisions that if he and Gillett partner at Petty Enterprises, the team would then purchase chassis, and bodies from GEM as well as to continue to buy engines from the team. The two teams, though, would remain as separate companies. There are plenty of sticking points, including how many teams would be in the Petty fold. Gillett could not have an ownership stake in three cars at GEM (#9 with Kasey Kahne, #19 with Elliott Sadler, #10 with Scott Riggs) and then two cars in Petty (#43 with Bobby Labonte, #45 with Kyle Petty) - he would be over the four-team limit. "We at Petty Enterprises are not looking to do away with any of our cars," Petty said. "So he's caught in some situations and we're caught in some situations. ... You never look at going backwards. Even with getting all the engineering and everything from other people, you need something to bounce your people off of, so that's the reason that I would think you would have to have ... two cars." When asked if he was forced to choose between his car numbers, Petty said the 43 would always be with his team but "we haven't gotten that far along" in the discussions. For Petty, the deal is difficult and he called emotional issues about selling his team "half the battle right now." "The deal with us is that we're the Petty name," said Petty, whose team started when NASCAR started in 1949. "We do Petty Enterprises. We've got the Richard Petty Driving Experience. We've got Victory Junction Gang Camp. That's all encompassed, that's all basically one deal. For now, GEM and Petty will still share information as they have for much of this season.(SceneDaily.com)(9-23-2007)
More on the GEM/Petty 'merger': George Gillett Jr., the majority owner of Gillett Evernham Motorsports, has been a big fan of seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Richard Petty for more than 30 years. Now he wants to be business partners. Gillett is actively pursuing a merger that would make Petty Enterprises and GEM a four-car team. Sources close to the situation say the merger likely would happen before the start of the 2008 Sprint Cup season, with Petty likely moving his two-car operation of #43-Bobby Labonte and #45-Kyle Petty to GEM's Statesville [NC] facility. Gillett would only confirm that there have been discussions. "He's a man of great integrity, honesty," Gillett said of Petty. "His values are something like I've never seen. ... I'd love to figure out a way to be associated with him. I'm not prepared to say any more than that today. Richard and I are good friends." GEM minority owner Ray Evernham said such a deal would make both organizations stronger. "From my point of view, I would like to see that happen," Evernham said of the merger. "For me, the sooner the better." Evernham has been looking to expand to four teams. The difference here, he said, is he would have four good teams that are solidly in the top 35 for next season. Gillett said expansion is the only way to keep up, and not just in terms of teams. He is looking to build a large shop in the Charlotte area that will become a destination for racing fans. "Ray Evernham has every bit of technical skill and genius as the best of any one of those programs," he said of Evernham, who won three Cup titles as Gordon's crew chief. "So we will deploy ourselves in a way that gives us as much competitive strength as is possible to do within the rules." To stay within those rules, specifically NASCAR's four-car limit, GEM would have to lose one of its three teams to merge with Petty. The #10 driven by Scott Riggs is the likely target. Riggs is 37th in [drivers and owners] points, well behind Kahne in 22nd [drivers] and Elliott Sadler in 25th [drivers]. Gillett acknowledged that he would like to get more seat time for Patrick Carpentier, who finished 22nd when he replaced Riggs at the Watkins Glen road course last month. "We had our first test with him yesterday on an oval," [Kentucky Speedway] he said. "We're going over the data. ... I can tell you he looked very good and very comfortable on the track. He was competitive. It doesn't appear there will be any significant learning curve." Regardless, to merge with Petty Enterprises there would be no room for Carpentier in a Cup car. "It's all about the number of cars," Gillett said. "We would have to get rid of one of the cars here. Whether 'get rid of' means mothball or have it aligned with another team ... there are a number of teams out there that don't have four cars, several of whom we already have relationships with." GEM and Petty, which would remain under the Petty Enterprises umbrella, potentially could have the knowledge of six to eight cars under that scenario as Roush Fenway Racing plans to do under its partnership with Yates Racing. "As you can see, we've got technical excellence, a commitment to technology and upstanding people," Gillett said. "We need to exploit that. That can be exploited in any number of ways."(ESPN.com), on has to wonder..... what about Petty Enterprises long standing non-alcohol sponsorship policy? neither the #43-Labonte or #45-Petty cars carry any form of alcohol [beer or spirits] decals/sponsorship - like the Bud Pole award. How would teaming up with GEM and the #9 Budweiser sponsorship effect this policy?(9-19-2007)
Latest on the GEM-Petty merger: A possible merger between Gillett Evernham Motorsports and Petty Enterprises would benefit both teams from a competition standpoint, Petty vice president of racing operations Robbie Loomis said Saturday. In a season of mergers, GEM and Petty are just the latest to talk about combining their teams and resources. From Loomis' view on the competition side, sharing engineering would only help. Loomis pointed to the agreement between Roush Fenway Racing and Yates Racing - in which the teams will share information, cars and motors - as one that might work for Petty and GEM. "I think that's the same thing we're trying," he said. "The model of the sport has been created by NASCAR, the framework has been set with the rules. And now we're trying to figure out how to make Petty Enterprises bigger and larger." Petty already gets its engines from GEM. Evernham, who is focused more on the racing and less on the business since selling a majority share of his company to George Gillett, said he would welcome the opportunity to work with the Pettys and "especially Bobby Labonte." "There's obviously discussions going on," he said. "I don't know exactly where they're at. ... I think it would be a good thing for both organizations." Loomis said in the year and a half since he returned to the Petty organization, he'd been approached by three or four teams about doing various deals with the 43 car in particular. "That's what everybody is interested in, they're interested in the Petty brand and the 43," he said. "It's such a clean thing. You look at the things with Kyle Petty and Victory Junction Gang [Camp] and everything they stand for, their worth is worth a lot more than what's on the race track. And what I want to do is make sure we've got the money and the tools to operate on the race track. Right now we're operating on half to a third of the budget that the big teams are operating on, so I want to make sure that we're going to get the money and the financing to carry the company forward and take it to the next level while we still keep what I call the 'P' in the Petty - the things off the track that makes Petty feel good."(SceneDaily.com)(9-16-2007)
GEM/Petty to merge? Petty Enterprises, NASCAR's most storied organization, is open to a change of ownership. The two-car operation owned by seven-time champion Richard Petty is having discussions with Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillett Jr. that would allow it to merge with Gillett Evernham Motorsports and form a four-car Nextel Cup organization. "They have quoted some numbers,'' Kyle Petty, the CEO of Petty Enterprises and driver of the #45 Dodge, said on Friday at Richmond International Raceway. Gillett recently purchased majority ownership of Evernham Motorsports, now known as Gillett Evernham Motorsports. Petty said Gillett has floated an offer in which the companies would merge but allow Petty Enterprises to continue working under its flagship name. For that to happen, Gillett Evernham Motorsports would have to drop one of its three teams to comply with NASCAR's cap of four cars. The #10 car of Scott Riggs would be the most likely victim. Riggs is out of the top 35 in owner's points that automatically qualify for races and his contract is up after this season. Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler are solidly in the top 35 in owner's points with Kahne at 22 and Sadler at 28. Both Petty Enterprises cars also are in the top 35 with Bobby Labonte at 18 and Kyle Petty at 34. Evernham said there's no doubt the proper business model is for a four-car operation. Because he already has a relationship with the Pettys, supplying the organization with engines and technical support, he would be all for a merger. "I think we could combine the organizations and be stronger,'' he said. "How the car numbers work, I don't know.'' Petty said he is far from a deal with Gillett, which took more than six months to finalize his deal with Evernham, or any suitor. Should a merger with Gillett occur, Petty said the organization would consider every option from relocating to Salisbury, N.C., as has been discussed regardless to moving to Evernham's shop in Statesville, N.C. "We've been in this business 60 years,'' Petty said. "When you look at it this just seems to be the trend of the moment. Do you jump on the trend of the moment or do you stay the course? We've been the same course for 60 years. Whether that's the right course or wrong course I'm not going to say.''(ESPN.com)(9-8-2007)
Music City Motorplex to name race for Adam Petty: The Music City Motorplex will honor Adam Petty, who was killed in 2000 while practicing for a Busch Series race, during the 25th annual All-American 400. The All-American 400, scheduled for Nov. 2-4, is an ASA Late Model Series race which pits stockcar drivers from the North and South against one another. Pattie Petty said she and her husband, Kyle Petty, were honored by the motorplex's decision to name the race for their son. The Adam Petty Memorial All-American 400 will benefit the Victory Junction Gang Camp.(Associated Press/NASCAR.com)(9-1-2007)
Petty back in the #45 at California: This weekend, Kyle Petty and the #45 Wells Fargo Dodge team will travel west to the two-mile California Speedway for Sunday's Sharp Aquos 500. Petty will be making his return to the #45 Dodge after missing the past two weeks with a broken hand suffered at Watkins Glen International. Petty regrets the episode, but it showed the racing community that he still has that competitive fire burning. Petty remains determined to keep the team inside the top-35 in owner points. In 14 starts at California, Petty has notched two top-20 finishes. On a historical note, Petty is the only driver entered this weekend that competed in the final race at Ontario Motor Speedway in 1980. Ontario was the first oval track foray by NASCAR into southern California. Comments from Petty as he prepares for Sunday's California 500: "Yea, I think it's going to be good. We're going to get out there in the first practice session and just feel out the hand. Right now, it feels pretty good. I don't expect I will have any problems. My doctors worked hard repairing the bone that was broken. I really wanted to race last weekend at Bristol, but it wasn't a good idea. Bristol is a tough track on you physically. California is much easier on your body. Chad (McCumbee) and Kenny (Wallace) did a great job for me while I healed. Everyone at Petty Enterprises appreciate their efforts. We put both guys, on a short notice, in the car. They were in a tough position, but they helped me out. That was good."(MCG Sports/Petty Racing PR)(8-28-2007)
Kenny Wallace in the #45 at Bristol UPDATE: Kenny Wallace announced on Tuesday that he will race in the Nextel Cup Series race at Bristol motor Speedway in the #45 Petty Enterprises Dodge, replacing the injured Kyle Petty. This is currently a one race deal, as Petty is expected to make a full recovery form an injured hand. Kenny says that he is excited and grateful for the opportunity. “I’m very honored that Kyle Petty has asked me to fill in at Bristol,” Kenny says. “ It always makes a driver feel good when someone recognizes their talent. I’m sure Kyle will be ready for California, so this is a one race deal.”(Kenny Wallace site)(8-22-2007)
UPDATE: Kenny Wallace will fill in for Kyle Petty in the #45 Wells Fargo Dodge in Saturday night's Sharpie 500 at the .533-mile Bristol Motor Speedway. Petty's broken hand will again keep him out of the driver's seat for the second consecutive week. Petty is hopeful to return to the car at the California Speedway. Petty is still recovering from a broken hand suffered at Watkins Glen International. Petty had successful surgery on the hand and it continues to heal. "It's disappointing not to be able to race at Bristol," said Petty. "I had
every intention of getting back at Bristol, but I have to let the hand heal. You can't rush this along. Kenny is a good friend and a talented driver. I'm confident that he'll do a great job for our team and sponsors this weekend."(Petty Racing/MCG Sports PR)(8-22-2007)
Wells Fargo re-ups with Petty: been told that Wells Fargo has extended its contract with Petty Enterprises for an additional year. They will be the primary sponsor for 12 races on the #45 in 2008 and associate sponsor positions for remaining races for the #45 and for all 36 races for the #43.(8-21-2007)
Petty breaks hand: McCumbee to Drive at Michigan Austin Petty co-hosted "The Morning Drive" today on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio with Marty Snider. During the show, Austin revealed that his father, Kyle, injured his hand this weekend at Watkins Glen.
Austin Petty: "I'm not going to disclose all the information but there was an incident between his fist and a wall and a broken bone."
Marty Snider: "Is he OK? [Is] everything alright?"
Austin Petty: "I think so. I think they may have to do a little surgery on it on Tuesday. I don't know the full details."
Marty Snider: "He'll be OK to race at Michigan though, right?"
Austin Petty: "That's what I'm hearing."
"The Morning Drive" airs every weekday (7 - 11am/et) exclusively on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio, channel 128.
Tony Stewart Live, which Stewart hosts with pit road reporter Matt Yocum, will air live tonight, August 13, from 8:00-10:00pm/et exclusively on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio channel 128. Stewart will talk about his third victory of the season live tonight.(8-13-2007)
MORE: Kyle Petty, driver of the #45 Wells Fargo/Marathon/Tire Kingdom Dodge suffered a broken hand as a result of hitting the butt of his hand on a door inside the hauler after a lap 69 incident in Sunday's Centurion Boats at The Glen at the 2.45-mile Watkins Glen International road course. Petty was treated and released in the infield care center during Sunday's event. Petty flew back to his home in North Carolina where he was treated by a doctor who determined that the hand was broken.(Moore Consulting Group PR)(8-13-2007)
UPDATE: Chad McCumbee will substitute for Kyle Petty in the #45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge for Sunday’s 3M Performance 400 at the Michigan. Petty completed a successful surgery on his hand on Tuesday in North Carolina. Petty is expected to return to the driver’s seat for next week’s Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.(Petty PR)(8-15-2007)
McCumbee to Petty Busch ride in 2008? Ray Dunlap reported before the Truck Series race at Nashville on SPEED that Chad McCumbee [who drives the #07] is expected to be in a Petty Enterprises Busch Series ride for the 2008 season. Dunlap also said that McCumbee will not finish out the 2007 season with #07 Greenlight Racing and that he and his sponsor will be moving to another team before the next race at Bristol. [Also hearing from sources that McCumbee will fill in for Kyle Petty in his Cup car one more time this season - no word on which race....New Hampshire? plus could run some Cup races for Petty when Kyle does TV for TNT in 2008](8-12-2007)
Dodge Reconfirms Commitment to NASCAR: Mike Delahanty, senior manager of the Dodge Motorsports program, confirmed on Saturday at Pocono Raceway the manufacturer's long-term intent to remain in the series and an extension of Petty Enterprises' deal with Dodge. He also said its flagship Evernham Motorsports cars might have a different look next season. Cerberus Capital Management, an investment group, this week finalized its agreement to split the Chrysler brands away from DaimlerChrysler, but Delahanty said Dodge's motorsports involvement would not be affected, with the plan for four teams to run 10 cars next season. Delahanty declined to go into the details of rumors that connect Ray Evernham's team to possible deals with commercial sponsors such as Budweiser or a Masterfoods brand such as Snickers -- but said the #9 and 19 Dodges, which have carried Dodge Dealers and UAW sponsorship since the newest program began in 2001, might look different next season.(NASCAR.com)(8-5-2007)
Petty to Make 800th Career Start: This weekend, Kyle Petty and the #45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge team head to the historic 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) for Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. The annual event at IMS has quickly risen to the ranks of one of the most prestigious events on the Nextel Cup schedule. Petty will join the 800 start club when he takes the green flag for the Allstate 400. Only six drivers have reached this milestone number of starts. Petty's father, "The King" Richard Petty, sits atop the list with 1,185 starts. This weekend also marks Petty's return to the #45 Dodge after his brief stint in the TNT Sports booth. Chad McCumbee and John Andretti filled in for Petty in his absence. Petty is one of 12 drivers entered in the 2007 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard that participated in the very first event in 1994. Petty finished 26th in this event in 2006.(Petty Racing PR)(7-25-2007)
John Andretti to Lend Voice to IMS Radio Network: NASCAR and IRL driver John Andretti will join the IMS Radio Network as a broadcaster this Sunday for the Allstate 400 at the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway [NOTE: he will NOT run in the new #08 Dodge as the team announced]. The Andretti name is synonymous with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Andretti, born in Pennsylvania, moved to Indianapolis and went to high school only miles from the speedway. In 1994, he made history by becoming the first driver to complete the Memorial Day "double" competing in the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Andretti made his return to the Indianapolis 500 this year. Andretti, who recently completed a four race stretch in the #45 Dodge for Petty Enterprises, competed in this year's Indianapolis 500 after a 13 year hiatus for Panther Racing and sponsor Camping World. He is, again, looking forward to coming back to Indy this season. IMS Radio coverage of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard begins at 1:00pm/et.(Petty Racing PR)(7-24-2007)
Drivers Have Different Plans for Off Week: The last open weekend on the Nextel Cup schedule until Thanksgiving means different things to different drivers as they gear up for a stretch of 17 races without a break starting July 29 in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
Jeff Gordon is going to pack up his family car for a short road trip with wife Ingrid and month-old daughter Ella Sofia. Jimmie Johnson and wife Chandra are flying to Europe. Kyle Petty is getting on a motorcycle to join his annual charity ride. Elliott Sadler is heading to the golf course. And several drivers will be driving, either in a Busch Series race in suburban St. Louis or, in Tony Stewart's case, at a time and place still to be determined.(Indianapolis Star)(7-17-2007)
AND: Tony Steweart says he is going to Canada to go fishing for his vacation this weekend. See my Driver Appearances page for more on some drivers running races(7-17-2007)
Petty Racing looks to move shop in 2009: Petty Enterprises Vice President of Racing Operations Robbie Loomis said the team is making progress on its goal to move from its long-time home but likely won't leave it's Randleman, N.C., base until 2009. "We're definitely making a lot of progress," Loomis said. "We've looked at more land and sites and things. The scope and the size of the project has kind of changed a little bit. We were originally looking for 50-75 acres, and now we're looking for a lot more land than that." Loomis said the team would eventually like to expand to four cars, and there needs to be enough land to add shop space to accommodate the increased number of teams. The two-car team is now housed in a sprawling campus in Randleman, about 90 miles from Charlotte, N.C., the home of most NASCAR teams. "We're still trying to identify exactly where the best place to be for the land for all the employees that we have now and for the ones [who would join later]," Loomis said. That appears to be Salisbury, N.C., about halfway between Randleman and Charlotte. "Our main targeted area has been Salisbury," Loomis said. "We feel that's a good location to grow. But right now, there's a lot of things involved in making that next step and making the commitment to get the land." Loomis did say the team would "for sure" be in a new facility for the 2009 season but didn't speculate on exactly when a move would be made.(SceneDaily.com)(7-6-2007)
No Petty's at Daytona 1st time since 1965: The Pepsi 400 will mark the first time a Petty hasn't competed in a Nextel Cup Series race at DIS since 1965. Kyle Petty will serve as a broadcaster for TNT and has put former Pepsi 400 champion John Andretti in his #45 Dodge. A Petty has always been entered in a Cup race at DIS with exception of 1961 and 1965. In 1965, Chrysler was boycotting NASCAR events. In 1961, both Lee and Richard Petty wrecked in the Daytona 500 qualifying races and Richard skipped the Pepsi 400 to compete in a NASCAR Eastern Series late model race in Pennsylvania.(DIS PR)(7-3-2007)
Petty comments about slip of cuss word: UPDATE: TNT's Kyle Petty raced Sunday in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 even as he served an on-air analyst. When he got in an accident on the first lap that also involved Matt Kenseth and Marc Goossens, viewers saw a replay in which the driver/analyst seemed to yell out an expletive — although TNT, during the race, said it wasn't sure it came from Petty rather than from mikes in other drivers' cars. But Petty wants it clear it was his profanity: "I'm sorry it got as far as everyone's living room. But when an incident happens that early in the race and it's unexpected, what I said pretty much described it."(USA Today)(6-29-2007)
UPDATE: #45-Kyle Petty will not face any sanctions from NASCAR for uttering the “f-word” on television last week during the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway. Petty, who was serving as an in-car commentator for TNT Sports as well as driver last week, uttered the expletive during the opening laps of the race when a crash occurred right in front of him. Inexplicably, TNT aired the comment not live, but on replay, after coming back from commercial. NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said Friday that due to a number of mitigating factors, NASCAR won’t fine Petty points and/or money as the sanctioning body did to Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in 2004 after he uttered an obscenity in victory lane. Poston said the mitigating factors included that Petty wasn’t aware he was on TV at the time, that the clip wasn’t live but shown and replay, and the fact that the FCC recently loosened its own regulations regarding on-air obscenities.(SPEEDtv.com)(6-30-2007)
Petty/Victory Junction Gang Camp Featured on TV This Weekend: Kyle and Pattie Petty, founders of the Victory Junction Gang Camp in Randleman (N.C.), will be featured on two separate national broadcasts this weekend. NBC Nightly News recently toured the camp and will feature the facility on tonight’s national news broadcast. TNT Sports also spent time at the camp this past weekend. Kyle, Pattie and Austin Petty took TNT cameras throughout the camp as they gave viewers an in-depth look at what happens every day at the camp. The piece is scheduled to air this Sunday during TNT’s pre-race show.(Petty Racing PR)(6-29-2007)
Andretti Ready for Avenger Debut: John Andretti, for the first time, will step behind the wheel of a Dodge Avenger in competition. Andretti will race the Lenox Tools 300 this Sunday at the one-mile New Hampshire International Speedway. Andretti will pilot the #45 Wells Fargo Dodge Avenger in his second start for Petty Enterprises this season. Andretti is filling in for Kyle Petty who returns to the TNT television booth this weekend. Andretti has had some time to get familiar with the new cars. The team recently tested at the Milwaukee Mile in preparation for Sunday's race.(Petty Racing PR)(6-27-2007)
Petty in-car analyst...oops: In what was billed as the first time a driver in a top-tier NASCAR race simultaneously served as a TV analyst on race coverage, TNT's #45-Kyle Petty took viewers a little too close to the action in Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350.
After early glitches — TNT's other announcers initially couldn't get through to Petty and when they did he said they were breaking up on him — the multitasking seemed promising. Said Petty, at the green flag, "Everybody is a passenger today." Too true. Driver #17-Matt Kenseth and Petty collided in the second lap in an accident that included driver #91-Marc Goossens. TNT analyst Wally Dallenbach speculated Petty "had no clue" Kenseth was nosing in on him. On a replay of the view out of Petty's windshield, the driver-analyst seemed to confirm that: As Kenseth came into view, viewers heard a clear exclamation of surprise that seemed to come from Petty — "What the f—-!" TNT's Bill Weber immediately apologized "for that language," and Petty, who stayed in the race and finished 39th, came back on-air to say that "was not the kind of excitement I wanted" and later apologized on-air for the accident. All 43 cars in NASCAR races are miked, TNT spokesman Jeff Pomeroy says, and the audio that pops up on-air can't always be identified: "We can assume that audio came from one of the three cars in the accident. But we can't be sure it was Kyle."(USA Today)(6-25-2007)
Petty To Navigate and Commentate in Sonoma: This weekend, Kyle Petty and the #45 Wells Fargo Dodge head to the 10-turn, 1.99-mile Infineon Raceway, located in Sonoma for Sunday's Toyota/SaveMart 350. Petty will give live, in-car analysis during Sunday's race as part of his role with TNT this summer. Petty's love for road course racing put him back into the #45 Dodge for this weekend's event. He will be giving viewers one of the most unique experiences as to what it's like racing a Nextel Cup car in road course competition. The countdown to 800 career starts picks back up this weekend. The road to Indianapolis, the location of Petty's 800th career start, will roll through Sonoma for career start 799. Petty has 16 starts at Sonoma with two top-10 and one top-five finish.(Petty Racing PR)(6-21-2007)
Andretti returns to PE: This weekend, John Andretti returns to the wheel of a Petty Enterprises Dodge. Andretti will fill-in for Kyle Petty in the #45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge for this weekend's Michigan 400. Petty will once again be in the TNT booth for Sunday's event. Andretti makes his return to Petty Enterprises after making this year's Indianapolis 500. He will be the only competitor in Sunday's race that raced in this year's event. Andretti last raced for Petty Enterprises in 2003. He has 197 career starts with Petty Enterprises. Michigan is a familiar track to Andretti. He has 19 career starts at the track and 11 of them with Petty Enterprises. Andretti has five top-10 and one top-five finish in Nextel Cup competition at the track.(MCG Sports/Petty Racing PR)(6-13-2007)
Petty Enterprises/McCumbee in Victory Lane at Pocono ARCA Race: Chad McCumbee celebrated in victory lane Saturday afternoon in the ARCA RE/MAX Pocono 200. The car was a Petty Enterprises Dodge with Billy Wilburn and the #45 crew leading McCumbee to the front. For McCumbee, it was his first start for Petty Enterprises. He will race the Goody’s Cool Orange Dodge in Sunday’s Pocono 500 at the same track. Tim Andrews, son of #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge crew chief Paul Andrews finished third in Sunday’s race. The car Andrews raced is a former Petty Enterprises Dodge.(Petty Racing PR)(6-10-2007)
Petty on ABC News: Kyle Petty, driver of the #45 Wells Fargo/Marathon/Tire Kingdom Dodge, and co-founder of the Victory Junction Gang Camp will be featured on ABC News "thisweek with George Stephanopoulos." The feature is scheduled to air this Sunday, June 3. Air times can be viewed at: abcnews.go.com. The feature will give the audience a look into his life and the Victory Junction Gang Camp.(Petty Racing PR)(6-1-2007)
Petty surprises fans with ride-along offer at Lowe's: Like many unsuspecting NASCAR fans camped out at the track Saturday, David Urie was napping in a lawn chair just working on his farmer's tan. Unbeknownst to him, something was stirring in the campground; a visitor terrorizing campers in an all black Dodge Charger covered in decals. And just as Urie hit REM mode, the 57-year-old was ripped from his slumber by ... wait for it ... Kyle Petty? "I'm still tripping and it ain't because of the acid from the 60s," laughed Urie, who on Saturday afternoon was randomly selected to take a few fast laps with the driver of the No. 45 Coca-Cola Zero Dodge as part of a Coke Rewards promotion. He and a handful of others were escorted by Lowe Motor Speedway officials from their campsites and taken trackside to ride shotgun with Petty inside his Richard Petty Driving Experience racecar.(NASCAR.com)(5-27-2007)
Richard Petty at the Indy 500: The King will do the double. Richard Petty will watch the Indianapolis 500 in person for the first time, attending Sunday's race as a guest of former Petty Enterprises driver John Andretti, who qualified for the event. Petty officials Robbie Loomis and Dale Inman will also make the trip. The group plans to fly out Sunday morning and return to Lowe's Motor Speedway in time for the start of the Coca-Cola 600.(NASCAR.com)(5-24-2007)
Goody's Cool Orange to Sponsor McCumbee & #45 at Pocono: Goody's Cool Orange, the revolutionary new flavor from Goody's Headache Powders, will be the primary sponsor for driver Chad McCumbee and the #45 Petty Enterprises Dodge at the Pocono 500 Nextel Cup race on June 10 at Pocono Raceway. McCumbee, making his Nextel Cup debut, will fill in for Kyle Petty as he goes to the booth for TNT for the first of five races. Goody's Cool Orange, the market's first flavored headache powder, provides the same fast pain relief as the original Goody's with a new, fresh orange flavor. As part of a national launch, the special Cool Orange paint scheme at Pocono will mark the first major racing activity for Goody's outside its traditional, Southeastern U.S. market. McCumbee, 22, is in his second season in the Craftsman Truck Series after racing in the ARCA-RE/MAX Series where he finished third in a race at Pocono in 2004. He has recently been involved in various testing duties with Petty Enterprises including test sessions at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Off the track, McCumbee starred as Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the ESPN motion picture "3" displaying a natural talent for acting along with his driving skills. The Pocono 500 will mark the first of five races that Petty will be in the television booth broadcasting the races on TNT while McCumbee pilots the #45 Goody's Cool Orange Dodge. Petty, along with the entire Petty organization, have been loyal supporters of Goody's since the brand entered the sport in 1977. Goody's Cool Orange is now available in stores nationally. For more information on Goody's Headache Powders and the new Goody's Cool Orange, visit www.goodyspowder.com.(Lighthouse Marketing PR)(5-23-2007)
Coke Zero to sponsor Petty in Nextel Open/Coke 600: This weekend, Kyle Petty and the #45 team head to the track with Coke Zero on board. Petty, a member of the Coca-Cola Racing Family, will debut the Coke Zero Dodge this weekend in the Nextel Open and will also compete in it next weekend at the Coca-Cola 600.(Petty Racing PR)(5-16-2007)
McCumbee tests 3rd Petty car at LMS: Chad McCumbee, 22, has been assigned by Petty Enterprises to drive the #45
Petty Enterprises Dodge this June at the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway. McCumbee made his first Nextel Cup laps Monday afternoon at the 1.5-mile Lowe's Motor Speedway located in Concord, NC in the #47 Petty Enterprises Test Dodge. McCumbee, along with the rest of the Nextel Cup regulars, were testing for the upcoming May events highlighted by the Coca-Cola 600. McCumbee made nine laps Monday afternoon posting a fast lap of 175.137mph. McCumbee will continue to test Tuesday.(Moore Consulting Group/Petty Racing PR)(5-8-2007)
McCumbee, Andretti named to Drive #45 Dodge: Petty Enterprises announced that Chad McCumbee and John Andretti will drive the #45 Marathon/Wells Fargo/Tire Kingdom Dodge this summer. The duo will be filling the seat of full time driver Kyle Petty. Petty, with permission from primary and associate sponsors will step out of the car in a five race hiatus to join TNT during their six-race broadcast schedule. Petty will return to the car during the road course event at the Infineon Raceway and provide in-car race analysis. Petty will complete the season after the July 15 event at the Chicagoland Speedway in the #45 Marathon/Wells Fargo/Tire Kingdom Dodge. McCumbee, 22, will attempt to make his Nextel Cup debut at Pocono Raceway on June 10 during the Pocono 500. Veteran
driver John Andretti will race the remaining four open races for Petty. McCumbee, currently in his second year in the Craftsman Truck Series, will have plenty of seat time before heading into Pocono. McCumbee will be assigned to various testing duties for Petty Enterprises including testing next week at the Lowe's Motor Speedway. McCumbee continues his duties for Green Light Racing.(Moore Consulting Group/Petty Racing)(5-2-2007)
Kyle Petty to host Sirius show from NY Auto Show: #45-Kyle Petty will host a special two-hour program live, with Jack Arute, from the SIRIUS Satellite Radio display at the 2007 New York International Auto Show, exclusively on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio, channel 128, Saturday, April 7, 2007 from 1:00 to 3:00pm/et. Following the live two-hour broadcast, there will be a two-hour autograph session with Petty at the SIRIUS display. The 2007 New York International Auto Show is being held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in NYC, NY.(Sirius Radio PR)(4-6-2007)
No driver yet for #45 when Petty does TV UPDATE: Kyle Petty comments about a driver during his TNT Sabbatical: "A couple of guys are really good choices, and guys are calling and wanting to know what we're going to do and we really don't know yet. That was kind of the way we planned it. Just like I said at Daytona, there might be guys out here in the garage area that are fired by the time we get there that would be great for two races or one race or five races. We're really not any closer to that than we were."(Clear!Blue/Dodge Motorsports PR)(4-1-2007)
UPDATE: John Andretti, Jon Wood and Ken Schrader have emerged as possible candidates to fill in for Kyle Petty in June and July when he takes a break from driving to be an analyst for TNT's Nextel Cup broadcasts. Petty, whose previous television work has been widely praised, plans to work with the TNT crew for five races. Petty Enterprises Vice President Robbie Loomis said the team continues to evaluate choices. "A lot of questions come into play," he said. "Do you go with a guy like Bill Elliott or a guy who's been in Busch or truck? He [Jon Wood] is somebody we've talked about. Our relationship with the Wood guys has always been good, but the bottom line is we have to see some results on the track from these guys."(SceneDaily.com)(4-5-2007)
Petty may also look for invester: #45-Kyle Petty said Petty Enterprises may have to join Jack Roush, Richard Childress and other car owners and sign with a business partner, to keep making a go of it in this sport. Richard Petty was in Montreal this week checking out businesses [and at a Montreal Canadiens agem]. And fellow Dodge team owner Ray Evernham has been talking with Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillet Jr. about a joint NASCAR business venture. Kyle Petty points to Petty Enterprises' close ties with Evernham Motorsports, particularly on the engine building side, and said it just makes sense to check out some of the people that Evernham is considering working with. "There's more to Petty Enterprises than just a race team going round in circles," Kyle Petty said, mentioning the company's other ventures. "So that makes Petty Enterprises a little different venture for a potential investor. "We have already folded our company into some of the stuff that Evernham Motorsports does, so as Ray begins to branch out and take on different partners, we need to find out who those partners are, and if there is an opportunity there we'd be foolish not to explore it."(Winston Salem Journal)
AND Richard Petty, owner of Petty Enterprises, was an invited guest of Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillett at Tuesday's Rangers-Canadiens game at the Bell Centre, Journal de Montréal reported this week. Kyle Petty didn't shed much light on what his father and Gillett talked about Friday. "As (team owner) Ray (Evernham) begins to branch out and take on different partners, we need who his partners are if we want to stay in businesses (with Evernham )," said Petty, who drives the No. 45 Petty Enterprises Dodge. "If there's an opportunity there, then we would be idiots not to explore it. We are exploring different avenues with different people." The Petty and Evernham organizations — both Dodge teams — have grown closer in recent months. Evernham builds Petty's engines and the two teams are sharing engineering knowledge. "Those conversations are between George and Richard. I really don't know what's going on there," Evernham said. Petty Enterprises' last victory came here eight years ago, but Kyle Petty said his family's company is still attractive to suitors. "The main part of what we do is race around in circles," he said. "This is our main job, but we have the (Richard Petty) Driving Experience that has 1,000 to 1,500 dates. We are starting a defensive driving program. There's a lot of stuff going on outside of this and that makes Petty Enterprises a little bit different opportunity for an investor."(USA Today)(3-31-2007)
Bobby Labonte says Terry not contacted about #45 ride: #43-Bobby Labonte said he’s not spoken with his older brother Terry about pinch-hitting for Kyle Petty this summer when Petty steps out of the #45 Dodge to work as an analyst for TNT for five races.(SpeedTV.com)(2-9-2007)
Petty to TNT? to run less races UPDATE 4 yep: hearing that Kyle Petty, driver of the #45 Petty Racing Dodge, will be part of the TNT broadcast crew that airs six Nextel Cup races in June and July of 2007 and that Petty would not drive in some or all those six races, being replaced by another driver, no idea who that driver may be. Bill Weber will return as TNT's play-by-play announcer and Wally Dallenbach returns as a race analyst.(1-20-2007)
UPDATE: from a Clear!Blue/Dodge PR, Kyle Petty quotes during the Nextel Media Tour, day 2:
DO YOU HAVE PLANS TO QUIT DRIVING? "#All that stuff is back like it was last year. Wells Fargo has come back. We have a multi-year deal with Wells Fargo, with Marathon, with Tire Kingdom, with Coca-Cola. We had a huge promotion around the Nextel All-Star race last year with Coca-Cola. There is so much going on right now. I'm like one of those guys if you ever thought about cutting back, it just keeps getting busier with camp with Victory Junction with everything we do there. With everything that's going on at Petty Enterprises, that's good. I'm glad that's story keeps moving because last year about this same time this was a hot story."
DO YOU HAVE OPTIONS TO WORK IN TV? "I've talked to the TNT people about numerous options. I did four or five races for them last year in the Busch Series. We had talked a month or so ago and obviously with Benny's passing and with the way things have gone there hasn't been a lot of communication lately. If I have an opportunity to do some stuff with them I would more than welcome the opportunity to do something at some point in time. If that's this year, great. If it's in two years or 10 years, that's great, too. I just want to keep that option open. I could possibly do anything. There's a couple of years there I sat out 10 or 15 just because I wasn't fast enough. I can sit out any amount."(Clear!Blue/Dodge PR)(1-24-2007)
UPDATE 2: Kyle Petty said he's intrigued by the idea of becoming a broadcaster and might make the change, on a part-time basis, as early as this summer. Petty said he has talked to Turner Sports officials about a position. "They've got six or seven races right in the middle of the season; they've got NBA stuff; they've got golf stuff," Petty said. "If I wanted to go do something different and keep Kyle Petty's face in the public, what better place to do it than a place like that?" Jeff Pomeroy, senior director of public relations for Turner Sports, said there have been preliminary discussions with Petty, who has broadcast for the company in the past, but no final determination has been made.(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)(1-25-2007)
UPDATE 3: TNT will make a major announcement regarding its 2007 NASCAR coverage. TNT's coverage of six Nextel Cup Series races begins June 10 with racing from Pocono followed by races at Michigan, Sonoma, New Hampshire, Daytona and Chicago.(TNT PR)
AND: #45-Kyle Petty figures driving in a Nextel Cup race while he calls it on TV won't be that big a deal. So TNT will formally announce Wednesday that Petty will be an analyst on its six Cup races this summer, and call one — the June 24 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma, Calif. — as he races in it. "There's constant communication between drivers and their spotters and crew chiefs anyway," says Petty, 47. "Really, just pushing another button and talking to millions of people won't be a ton different. Maybe I'll have to clean up my language." Petty told TNT he didn't want to miss that race because he likes road courses. And, in planning to run all Cup races except ones he'll call for TNT, he says it's "still my #1 priority to drive cars. Or maybe I'd be begging for a seat in the (TV) booth." Kyle kept the idea of working on TV "at arm's length" and says he only appeared on some TNT Busch Series races this summer because TNT analyst Benny Parsons— whom Kyle says he's known "forever" — needed an occasional fill-in. Parsons was diagnosed with lung cancer in July and died last month after months of treatment that seemed to have been going successfully.
Kyle says he's not a replacement: "I'll be really clear about this: Nobody can fill Benny's shoes. I'm not taking his place. I'm in his seat, but Benny will always be there." As an announcer, Petty says he'll avoid "guessing what drivers are thinking" and remember TV announcers "are just there for decoration." And, he says, he might want to pursue future TV work because it fits with his overall goal in life: "If I can float through and say I never had a full-time job, I'll see myself as successful."(USA Today)(2-7-2007)
UPDATE 4: Turner Network Television (TNT) announced today a multi-year contract agreement with Nextel Cup Series driver Kyle Petty to serve as an analyst for the network's Nextel Cup Series race coverage. Petty will take a five-week hiatus as driver of the #45 Wells Fargo/Marathon/Tire Kingdom Dodge car for Petty Enterprises, marking the first time a Petty will not be behind the wheel in the Nextel Cup Series for an extended period of time since his grandfather, Lee Petty, raced in NASCAR's Elite Series in 1949. Kyle Petty will join announcers Bill Weber (play-by-play) and Wally Dallenbach (analyst) for TNT's six consecutive Nextel Cup Series races in 2007, beginning on Sunday, June 10 from Pocono Raceway and concluding on July 15 from the Chicagoland Speedway. On Sunday, June 24, Petty will provide analysis from behind the wheel of his #45 Dodge throughout TNT's coverage of the Nextel Cup Series race live from Infineon Speedway in Sonoma, CA. Petty previously served as an analyst alongside Weber and Dallenbach in 2006 for five Busch Series races on TNT.
"This is great opportunity to join the TNT team. We've worked very closely with our partners Wells Fargo, Marathon and Tire Kingdom to make sure that the #45 Dodge is secure on the track while at the same time I can move into this new role," said Kyle Petty. "I started working with Turner last season and it was a great relationship from the beginning. I had a great time with Wally and Bill in the booth and it has led to this opportunity. Everyone at TNT has been great to work with, and I'm looking forward to something new in my career."
"We welcome Kyle to the Turner Sports family and look forward to continuing the long and positive relationship we have had with the Petty family during Turner's 23 years of broadcasting NASCAR racing," said David Levy, president of Turner Sports. "Kyle is a class act both on and off the track, and we are happy to be associated with him."
"Kyle is known throughout NASCAR for his outspoken personality and will bring TNT's coverage a unique 'straight from the car' perspective for our six Nextel Cup Series races this year," said Jeff Behnke, Turner Sports executive producer. "Pairing Kyle with Bill and Wally will provide fans with both an informative and entertaining booth."
Hailing from a long line of NASCAR racers, including grandfather Lee Petty and father and seven-time NASCAR Champion Richard Petty, Kyle has remained a prominent figure on the NASCAR racing scene for the past 27 years with eight track victories, 51 top-five finishes and 172 top-10 finishes. In recent years, his off-the-track activities have included serving as guest host of Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and host of NASCAR Night at Turner Field for the Atlanta Braves. Petty has received numerous accolades for his charitable contributions, including the Victory Junction Gang which he founded in 1999 in honor of his late son, Adam, a NASCAR driver in his own right. Kyle was named "Most Caring Athlete" by USA Weekend in 2004 and "Person of the Year" by NASCAR Illustrated in 2000 and 1999. TNT's 2007 Summer Six-Pack of Nextel Cup Series racing: Pocono (6/10); MIS (6/17), Sonoma (6/24); NHIS (7/1); Daytona (7/7) and Chicago (7/15).(TNT PR), no driver has been named for the five races Petty will miss, have heard no rumors...yet.(2-7-2007)
Wells Fargo teams up with Petty again in 2007: Wells Fargo & Company and Petty Enterprises announced the extension of their NASCAR sponsorship arrangement. The 2007 season represents the fifth year the financial services company has sponsored
Petty Enterprises, which includes the Kyle Petty and Bobby Labonte cars as well as a partnership with The King of NASCAR, Richard Petty. Kyle Petty's #45 will carry a full-car red and gold Wells Fargo paint scheme in 12 races during the 2007 season as the car's primary sponsor, starting with the Daytona 500. Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified financial services company with $482
billion in assets, providing banking, insurance, investments, mortgage and consumer finance to more than 23 million customers from more than 6,000 stores and the internet (wellsfargo.com) across North America and internationally. "We're proud to have Wells Fargo continue its sponsorship of Petty Enterprises," said Kyle Petty. "They are the premier financial services company in the U.S. and an excellent partner with our other top-quality sponsors, like General Mills, Marathon Oil, Tire Kingdom and Coca Cola."(Petty Enterprises/Wells Fargo PR)(2-6-2007)
Olympia Steel Buildings join Petty's as assoc sponsor: Olympia Steel Buildings announced that they have entered an agreement with Petty Enterprises to be the "Official Steel Building" of Petty Enterprises and an associate sponsor for drivers #43-Bobby Labonte and #45-Kyle Petty for the 2007 Nextel Cup season. Under the agreement with Petty Enterprises, the Olympia Steel Buildings logo will be featured on the uniform sleeve of both Bobby Labonte and Kyle Petty. In addition, discounts for Olympia Steel Buildings will be given to 2007 Richard Petty Driving Experience participants and NASCAR fans who are visitors to Olympia's website www.olympiabuildings.com.(Moore Consulting Group PR)(2-6-2007)
Petty's may now run Busch Series: One team--Petty Enterprises--stands to gain when Busch drops out of the Busch Series after this season. The company, which does not associate with alcohol-based advertising [also No Bud sticker on the #43 or #45, so even if a pole is won, doesn't get pole award or entry into Bud Shootout], long has resisted running in the series because of the title sponsor. Now, Petty Enterprises might run in the series, which could help its Cup efforts.(Sporting News), Kyle Petty did own a Busch team, #45 Spree/Sprint Chevy] in 1999-2000 with Adam Petty before he was killed practicing at NHIS in May 2000, then Kyle took over the #45 for 15 races to finish out the season. They last ran in the series in 2001 with Steve Grissom in the #45 at Daytona.(2-5-2007)
Petty has seven race deal from tire companies UPDATE: Tire Kingdom/NTB/Merchant's Tire & Auto Centers are scheduled to sponsor #45-Kyle Petty in the Petty Enterprises Dodge for seven races in 2007. NTB [ National Tire and Battery] will be the sponsor at four races: Atlanta (3/18), Talladega (4/29), Chicago (7/15) and Texas (11/4); Tire Kingdom at Daytona in July and Charlotte in Oct. Merchant's Tire ay Richmond in May.(NTB Racing site), see images of the schemes on my #45 Team Schemes page.(2-1-2007)
UPDATE: Tire Kingdom, the largest independent tire and automotive services retailer in the United States, will once again serve as a primary sponsor on the #45 Petty Enterprises Dodge driven by Kyle Petty in 2007. Tire Kingdom is a division of TBC Corporation and is the largest tire dealer in the country with over 650 locations under the Tire Kingdom, National Tire and Battery and Merchants Tires and Auto Center names. All names will appear as primary sponsors on Petty's Dodge this season joining Wells Fargo and Marathon as primary sponsors. Tire Kingdom and its names stores will serve as primary sponsor in seven races throughout the season and be an associate throughout the entire season [see list above]. "Tire Kingdom has been great for us so far," said Petty, driver of the #45 Petty Enterprises Dodge. "They became a big partner for us last season and we're looking to grow the relationship this season. Their stores have a national presence and we see that in the broad number of races that they will serve as a primary. We hope this partnership helps leverage them as the leading tire and automotive services retailer in the nation."(Petty Racing PR)(2-3-2007)
Petty Racing ready for 2007: Track testing, COT testing, wind tunnel testing; it's all over. The month of January had everyone at Petty Enterprises preparing the #45 Wells Fargo/Marathon/Tire Kingdom Dodge and the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge for the 2007 racing season. The preparation is complete and both teams are looking forward to the beginning of the season. "The guys are committed to winning in 2007," said Executive Vice President of Race Operations Robbie Loomis. "We saw good signs in both preseason test sessions (Daytona International Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway) and we are in a good position to really have strong runs the first three races. We have hired new over-the-wall guys to make our pit stops better. We have hired in the engineering department and in the shop. All the guys want to show everyone what we have." Drivers Kyle Petty and Bobby Labonte both returned from Las Vegas testing knowing that the next time they are on track it counts. "It's another season for everyone," said Petty. "We have had the time to make changes and get better. I've said that we have better people at Petty Enterprises. We have great guys working on both teams. The '45' car was pretty good in Vegas testing, and we've made final changes to the Daytona car. As a driver you dream of the Daytona 500. It's here and we know what it takes to win it." Petty Enterprises has 11 wins at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway. Labonte is a former runner-up in the event.
"We've been up front at Daytona with this Cheerios car and Vegas was a good learning experience," said Labonte. "We have done a lot of testing and a lot of preparation for the next few weeks. We have more experience as a team and that is a big positive step for us. The Vegas test was a good chance for us to see that new track configuration and surface. I'm glad we had the chance to get out there and test it before the race. That will help us once we go back. We want to get back to racing after what we did at the end of 2006."(Petty Racing PR)(2-2-2007)
Petty selects Motorcycle for his 2007 Kyle Petty Charity Ride: Kyle Petty announced he will ride a new Victory Vision luxury touring motorcycle during this year's Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America. The new Victory Vision family of motorcycles - both the new Victory Vision Tour and the new Victory Vision Street - were unveiled to consumers and press members [recently] with the help of Kyle and Richard Petty at the International Motorcycle Show in New York City. Both bikes boast Victory's own thunderous Freedom V-Twin engine, unmatched comfort and breakthrough styling, redefining what it means to be an American touring bike. The Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America is an annual motorcycle ride that raises money for the Victory Junction Gang Camp. Each year, more than 250 motorcyclists from around the U.S. join Petty on the cross-country trip and have raised more than $8 million to date. Along the way, Petty and the bikers stop to visit with motorcycle and NASCAR fans across the U.S. and spread the word about the ride and the mission to raise money for the Victory Junction Gang Camp.(Weber Shandwick PR)(1-26-2007)
Petty Enterprises Moving?..to Charlotte area? from a Clear!Blue/Dodge PR, Robbie Loomis quotes during the Nextel Media Tour, day 2:
DO YOU EVER ASK YOURSELF IF IT'S ALL WORTH IT? "It's definitely all worth it. We've talked about that about planning and organizing. We hope the next time we have one of these it's in that new facility. That's one of the things we want to work toward. At the same time, we obviously want to get ready for the Daytona 500, the Bristol race, other things along the way, but that's one of our major goals to be in our new facility. It would definitely be toward the south, whether it be Salisbury or Charlotte. It's a long way away. Right now we have to be focused on winning the Daytona 500. That's first and foremost on our minds."
COMMENT ON RELOCATING PETTY ENTERPRISES "Richard knows he needs to do it. He knows he needs the competition thing to keep attracting and drawing the better people. Deep down inside does he want to do it? No, but he knows it's something that needs to be done to raise the level of the team and keep building on that foundation we've got started. It would be at least 12-18 months before we have ground breaking. I think there will always be something here (Level Cross, N.C.). That's always been Richard's biggest concern. If we come up with the planned facility, the big thing is going to be what goes on here. Kyle and Bobby both love road racing. I would love nothing more to have a series here so the boys here could work on those cars, the ones that don't want to transfer. I think this will be a combination of a race shop and museum."
COMMENT ON DRIVER DEVELOPMENT "We are watching a couple of young drivers. We're very high on Chase Miller. We think he's got a lot of natural raw talent, but it's got to be developed."(Clear!Blue/Dodge PR)(1-24-2007)
Marathon signs with Petty for two years, 14 races in 2007: Marathon Oil Corporation announced that the Company has signed a two-year contract with Petty Enterprises LLC. The contract, covering the 2007 and 2008 NASCAR racing seasons, sponsors the #45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge driven by Kyle Petty. "Continuing to partner with the legendary Richard Petty and his race team brings a great deal of added value to Marathon's NASCAR sponsorship," said Mary Ellen Peters, MPC senior vice president, Marketing. The #45 car will carry the Marathon Brand as the primary sponsor for 14 races [in 2007]. "We can't thank Marathon enough for their added support in 2007," said Kyle Petty, driver of the #45 Marathon Dodge Charger. "Marathon's primary sponsorship of more races shows increased confidence in our commitment to
winning at Petty Enterprises. We're proud to partner with Marathon in NASCAR. We are looking forward to their partnership in the years to come."(PRN Newswire)(1-23-2007)
2006 News
Kurt Busch Presents "Impact Athlete Award" to Kyle Petty: A special "Impact Athlete Award" presentation by 2004 NASCAR champion Kurt Busch to popular veteran driver/humanitarian Kyle Petty was among the highlights of Wednesday night's 2006 Southern Sports Awards. The two-hour made-for-TV ceremony was held at the Duke Family Performance Hall here at Davidson College. A devoted supporter of the Victory Junction Gang Camp, Busch announced last May that his Kurt Busch Foundation had donated $1 million to the camp to create a 28,000-square-foot, climate-controlled athletic facility at the 72-acre camp located in the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina. Included among the other 2006 Southern Sports Awards luminaries announced on Wednesday night were Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers (Fan Favorite), Wake Forest head football coach Jim Grobe (Coach of the Year), NASCAR rookie competitor Denny Hamlin (Newcomer of the Year), the Columbus (Ga.) Little League All Stars (Amateur Team of the Year) and the Hendrick Motorsports #48 NASCAR Team (Pro Team of the Year). Hosted by James Carville, Finesse Mitchell and Jon Reep, the 2006 Southern Sports Awards two-hour TV special will air in 45 markets and affiliates beginning Saturday (December 9). Visit www.SouthernSportsAwards.com for a complete list of markets, stations and air times [Charlotte, WJZY the CW on 12/16 at 8:00pm/et].(TRPR)(12-8-2006)
Wells Fargo and Marathon Oil looks like back as sponsors of #45: got two diescat images of the #45 Petty Enterprises Dodge for 2007 [among many others], one schemes is for Wells Fargo and the other is for Marathon Spirit Oil. Both were part of a many sponsorship package for Petty in 2006. Supposedly Schwan's will not return, but have heard nothing official. See the images on my #45 Team Schemes page.(11-30-2006)
Schwan's not sponsoring a team in 2007? hearing that Schwan's Home Service, who sponsored #45-Kyle Petty in five 2006 races, will not sponsor any Nextel Cup team in 2007.(11-22-2006)
Petty scheme at Homestead UPDATE: #45-Kyle Petty will run a petty blue Dodge with many of his 2006 sponsors featured
UPDATE: In appreciation of all primary sponsorships partners on the #45 Petty Enterprises Dodge this season the car will feature primary sponsorship logos of Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil, Wells Fargo, Tire Kingdom and Schwan's at Homestead.(Petty Racing PR), see an image of the car on my #45 Team Schemes page.(11-14-2006)
Petty to deliever food in Wisconsin and Texas: Today, Kyle Petty starts his morning by loading a Schwan's Home Service truck. After that, he'll help drive the route, delivering the goods. Petty, who drives the #45 Schwan's car, will be here because customer service managers at the Schwan's sales and distribution center in Ashwaubenon won a regional sales contest. After his work day is finished, Petty will meet fans, sign autographs and display his show car from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at Simon Bay Park Square mall in Ashwaubenon. Schwan's also will have a truckload sale of frozen foods during the event, with a portion of the proceeds going to Holiday House, which helps people with disabilities in Manitowoc County, and Petty's Victory Junction Gang Camp in North Carolina. It'll be good practice for Petty, who'll do it all over again the next day [Nov 1st] with a Schwan's driver in Beaumont, Texas.(Green Bay Gazette)(10-31-2006)
Petty Enterprises Notes: #43-Bobby Labonte finished third Sunday at Marrtinsville to score his fourth top 10 finish in the last five races.
- Labonte has scored two consecutive top five finishes- the first time since Fontanta (Race 10) and Richmond (Race 11) of 2004
- The Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team has a total of 8 top 10 finishes this season. Kyle Petty has two top-10 finishes this season.
- Petty Enterprises has a total of 10 top 10 finishes so far in 2006. That total is the most for the organization since 1999 when they had 19 with John Andretti and Kyle Petty
- Sunday's Subway 500 was the first time both PE cars finished in the Top-10 since Phoenix of 1999 (Race 32). Kyle Petty finished 7th and John Andretti 8th in that race.
- Labonte's finish on Sunday was the best for PE since Bristol (Race Six) of 2001 when Andretti finished second.(Moore Consulting Group/Petty Racing PR)(10-23-2006)
Kyle Petty To Be Honored: Kyle Petty, driver of the #45 Petty Enterprises Dodge and Co-Founder of the Victory Junction Gang Camp will be one of three sports professionals honored during the 17th annual CATCH Night of Champions dinner Wednesday night, October 18 in Dearborn, Michigan. CATCH is a children's charity that was founded in 1987 by then Detroit Tigers Manager Sparky Anderson. CATCH raises funds to provide a current and future source of revenue to help improve the quality of life for sick, injured and at-risk pediatric patients who receive care from Children's Hospital of Michigan and Henry Ford Hospital. Included is the CATCH Pediatric Mobile Health Programs that provide basic health services for Detroit children who experience barriers to accessing health care. Petty, along with Detroit Red Wing Chris Chelios and former Detroit Lion and businessman Robert Porcher will be recognized for their achievements in their respective sports, but more importantly for their success in helping needy children. "This is an honor to be a part of this night," said Petty. "CATCH is a great organization that helps children in need. Sparky (Anderson, founder of CATCH) has the heart of a champion. We may come from all different sports backgrounds, but we all share the same goal. I feel blessed to be a part of this event." Petty is an eight-time winner in the Nextel Cup Series and in 2004 opened the doors to the Victory Junction Gang Camp for chronically and terminal-ill children.(Moore Consulting Group PR)(10-17-2006)
Kyle Petty to Share Four of His Favorite Films on TCM: Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will take viewers on a ride with NASCAR driver Kyle Petty on Saturday, Sept. 16, as he introduces and discusses with TCM weekend daytime host Ben Mankiewicz his love for the quintessential Hollywood classic Casablanca to the controversial cult film Freaks (1932). Petty exchanges his racecar driving status for a role as a devoted fan of classic film by hand-picking four of his favorite movies and sharing with viewers what he has come to love about each one.
The film schedule is as follows (all times Eastern):
12pm: Freaks (1932)
1:15pm: Grand Prix (1966)
4:30pm: D.O.A. (1950)
6pm: Casablanca (1942)
Petty's day of co-hosting with Ben Mankiewicz on TCM will precede the first race in the chase for the Nextel Cup Championship.
Coverage begins live on Sept. 17 at 12:30pm/et on TNT.(Turner PR)(9-13-2006)
Labonte and Petty get new Crew Chiefs: In an effort to prepare for the 2007 season, Petty Enterprises announces crew chief changes on both the #45 Petty Enterprises Dodge and the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge. Veteran Bill Wilburn has been hired to crew chief Kyle Petty and the #45 Dodge team. In addition, championship crew chief Paul Andrews will now handle the same duties for #43-Bobby Labonte. Greg Steadman returns to his position as Director of Competition. The changes are effective immediately.(Moore Consulting Group/Petty Racing PR)(9-11-2006)
Petty Brings New Colors to Michigan: This weekend, Kyle Petty and the #45 Marathon American Spirit Oil Dodge team
will head to the two-mile Michigan International Speedway, located in the city of Brooklyn, for Sunday's GFS Marketplace 400. Petty will debut the Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil scheme for the first time this season. It's a "home" race for the brand because Marathon has a regional office located in nearby Findlay, Ohio. Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil will be the primary sponsor for three more races this season and an associate on both cars [#43 and #45] the rest of the year.(Petty Racing/Moore Consulting Group PR), see an imgae of the car on my #45 Team Schemes page.(8-16-2006)
Petty Brings New Colors to Michigan: This weekend, Kyle Petty and the #45 Marathon American Spirit Oil Dodge team
will head to the two-mile Michigan International Speedway, located in the city of Brooklyn, for Sunday's GFS Marketplace 400. Petty will debut the Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil scheme for the first time this season. It's a "home" race for the brand because Marathon has a regional office located in nearby Findlay, Ohio. Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil will be the primary sponsor for three more races this season and an associate on both cars [#43 and #45] the rest of the year.(Petty Racing/Moore Consulting Group PR)(8-16-2006)
#51 Team ceases operations, sponsorship to Petty's UPDATE: been told that the #51 Competitive Edge Motorsports team has ceased operations and have confirmed that Marathon Petroleum Company will become major associate sponsor with Petty Enterprises with the #45 Dodge of Kyle Petty being most involved in the sponsorship as an associate sponsor at most races and primary sponsor of the #45 for a few races with the #43 Dodge of Bobby Labonte featuring the Marathon Petroleum Company logo at some races.(8-1-2006)
UPDATE: Marathon Petroleum Company announced that the company's sponsorship in the Nextel Cup series is being moved to a new race team. The new sponsorship will begin with the Allstate 400 race at the Brickyard in Indianapolis. “Marathon is proud to move our sponsorship to the #45 Petty Enterprises team, with driver Kyle Petty,” said Mary Ellen Peters, senior vice president, Marketing. “The team is owned by Richard Petty, the man known as the ‘King of NASCAR.' We believe this move provides a continued presence for Marathon in all of the remaining races this season.” In addition to the Brickyard assosiate sponsorship [Tire KIngdom is the primary at Indy], the #45 car will carry the Marathon Brand as the primary sponsor for four races: Michigan, Bristol, Richmond, and Atlanta. Marathon also will be an associate sponsor on the car for this season's remaining races. “We're grateful that Competitive Edge Motorsports is allowing Marathon Oil to transfer their sponsorship,” said Kyle Petty, driver of the #45 Petty Enterprises Dodge. “We are looking forward to developing a strong partnership with Marathon , starting this weekend at one of the biggest events of the season.”(Petty Racing PR)(8-3-2006)
Petty would step down as driver in right situation: How far would Kyle Petty go to insure the restoration of Petty Enterprises to the glory years of Richard Petty's seven Winston Cup (now NEXTEL Cup) Championships? Would he surrender the #45 Dodge to another driver and hang up his helmet? "Yes, I would retire tomorrow if it would help Bobby Labonte win races and Petty Enterprises contend for the championship," Petty confirmed candidly when asked if he was willing to step out of his ride under the right circumstances. What would be the right circumstances? Petty said he would gladly step aside as a NEXTEL Cup Series driver if the team was able to sign a marquee driver and sponsor capable of furthering the efforts of Bobby Labonte, Todd Parrott, Robbie Loomis and the rest of the team in Randleman, NC. "And," he added, "If I retired from this I would go racing in the Grand Am Series or something like that. But, once I retired from NEXTEL Cup that would be it. If I said, 'I'm done completely then I would be done completely. If I said I would run three or four races then I would only run three or four races.'"(CircleTrackPlus.com)(7-22-2006)
Petty still looking for sponsors: Petty Enterprises continues to look for sponsorship of Kyle Petty's #45-car for races at Chicago, New Hampshire, Phoenix and Homestead.(Roanoke Times)(6-14-2006)
NTB colors for Petty at Pocono: #45-Kyle Petty will be carrying the colors of National Tire and Battery for the second time this season. The first race with National Tire and Battery as a sponsor Petty finished eighth at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.(Moore Consulting Group/Petty Racing PR), see an image of the car on my #45 Team Schemes page.(6-6-2006)
Petty wins VOTE more: Kyle Petty and the #45 MyCokeRewards Dodge finished 22nd in the Nextel Open. At the conclusion of the race Petty was announced as the winner of the Nextel Fan Vote. Petty was then awarded the opportunity to race in the Nextel All-Star Challenge. Comments from Petty after he learned of the fan vote: "I think this is big, but I think it's big for the Victory Junction Gang Camp. We just appreciate all the fans that voted. I really hope they know how much they have helped touch the lives of the children that will be affected by this. Coca-Cola and our other partners, Wells Fargo, Schwan's and Tire Kingdom have really supported this program. I think this really shows how much people really care about the camp and the kids. I really believe the fans were voting for the camp and not for Kyle Petty. That really means a lot. We just really, really, appreciate all the fans that voted."(Moore Consulting Group)
NOTE: have not seen any voting totals as of yet.(5-20-2006)
UPDATE: As the result of the successful “Vote Kyle, Reward Victory Junction” campaign, Kyle Petty captured the 2006 Nextel All-Star Challenge fan vote and drove the MyCokeRewards #45 Dodge car to an eighth place finish in the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge at Lowe's Motor Speedway today. Through tremendous support from family, friends, sponsors, NASCAR fans and members of the NASCAR community, Petty earned the wildcard spot in the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge. As a result, Coca-Cola, Schwan's, Wells Fargo and Tire Kingdom are donating $275,000 to the Victory Junction Gang Camp -- a camp for chronically and critically-ill children. Kyle and Petty Enterprises also donated the purse money won in the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge from Petty's eighth place finish, bringing the total donation to Victory Junction to $398.967. “This campaign was all about the kids,” said Petty. “Coca-Cola, Wells Fargo, Schwan's and Tire Kingdom developed a great program to honor me and reward Victory Junction at the same time. The money being donated will go towards sending more kids to the camp and continuing our overall mission of serving chronically and critically-ill children.” In addition to driving the #45 Dodge's special MyCokeRewards primary sponsorship paint scheme in the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge, Petty will carry the scheme in the Coca-Cola 600 on May 28. Petty had a strong run in the All-Star Challenge. Petty started 20 th , but the team only had one way to go. Petty's MyCokeRewards Dodge was handling well and the car was to the liking of Petty. Petty moved up as he stayed patient and cars crashed. Petty's Dodge was also faster on longer runs. He made passed on Dale Earnhardt Jr. and moved in on Dale Jarrett in the final 20 lap segment. Petty finished a strong 8th.(Moore Consulting Group/Petty Racing PR)
RESULTS: the top vote getters from nascar.com:
1. #45-Kyle Petty 101,966
2. #1-Martin Truex Jr. 50,018
3. #38-Elliott Sadler 38,797
4. #11-Denny Hamlin 18,863
5. #31-Jeff Burton 18,376
6. #7-Robby Gordon 15,401
7. #49-Ken Schrader 10,021
8. #25-Brian Vickers 18,616
9. #07-Clint Bowyer 7,374
10. #42-Casey Mears 7,310
(NASCAR.com)(5-22-2006)
Petty's and Toyota? DENIED: Kyle Petty told Benny Parsons on his nationally syndicated "Fast Talk" radio program [PRN] Monday night that Petty Enterprises would certainly consider switching to Toyota if it made the team more competitive. While Petty said nothing is currently on the horizon with the Japanese manufacturer, PE would be open to doing anything to help the team win.(RacingOne)(5-16-2006)
UPDATE: Kyle Petty told Sirius Speedway (MRN/Sirius Satellite Radio) Tuesday that comments attributed to him concerning interest in Toyota were taken out of context. "Benny Parsons asked me if I would be interested in talking to Toyota, if it would benefit the team," said Petty. "I told him that I would never say never, but that we are extremely happy with what we have (with Dodge) and have
no plans to change. We haven't talked to anyone at Toyota, and we don't plan to."(MRN/Sirius Satellite Radio)(5-17-2006)
Kyle and Pattie Petty Honored: Action for Children North Carolina, North Carolina's premier statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the well-being of children and youth, will honor NASCAR driver Kyle Petty and wife Pattie Petty with the inaugural North Carolina Children's Lifetime Legacy Award this Thursday [May 18th] in Charlotte. The award will be given to the Pettys in recognition for their founding of and continued commitment to the Victory Junction Gang Camp, located on 75 acres in Randleman, N.C., in the Piedmont Triad area. The Children's Lifetime Legacy Award event will be held on Thursday, May 18, 2006, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Founders Hall, located in the Bank of America Corporate Center in downtown Charlotte. Tickets to the
benefit are $200/individual and $350/couple. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Victory Junction Gang Camp and Action for Children. For more information, visit www.ncchild.org.(VJGC PR)(5-17-2006)
Petty looking for a sponsor for select races: The #45 Dodge driven by Kyle Petty has announced sponsorship opportunities for selected races remaining in 2006. The up-coming months offer one-of-a-kind opportunities to be a part of the
resurging Petty Enterprises organization. "We have some races that are open throughout the rest of the season", said Petty. "We were left to fill a void a few weeks ago when a sponsorship deal for us didn't pan out. It was supposed to be about a nine-race deal. That left us to fill some holes, but fortunately those holes are great opportunities for companies to capitalize on." Races include the Brickyard 400 at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Pepsi 400 at Daytona, the Sharpie 500 at Bristol and the season-ending Ford 400
at Homestead-Miami. Other races include events in major markets such as Chicago, Atlanta, Phoenix, and Richmond. "We are now looking for another new partner to join the Petty family. We are working hard to do that for this season. We feel that we offer something
different at Petty Enterprises. We are looking for a partner that wants to be a part of the excitement that we're building," said Petty. The team will next participate in this weekend's All-Star activities at the Lowe's Motor Speedway [with Coca-Cola as the sponsor]. In fact, Petty's sponsors have put up $250,000 to be donated to Victory Junction Gang Camp if Petty is voted into the All-Star race by the fans. Go to votekylepetty.com for details.(Moore Consulting Group/Petty Racing)(5-16-2006)
Vote for Kyle Campaign: Behind the wheel of a special MyCokeRewards racecar, Kyle Petty will continue his hard-driving campaign for the health and well-being of chronically ill youth. Launched today in downtown Charlotte, the "Vote Kyle, Reward Victory Junction" campaign is a grassroots effort fueled by Coca-Cola and other Petty Enterprises sponsors to reward the man who has given so much of his time and effort to charity with a spot in the Nextel All-Star Challenge on May 20, 2006 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. For the upcoming Coca-Cola 600, the #45 Petty Enterprises Dodge will feature a special MyCokeRewards primary sponsorship paint scheme. Petty also will carry the scheme in the Nextel All-Star Challenge on May 20 if voted into the race or if he wins the Nextel Open qualifying race. With the support of Petty's friends, family, sponsors, NASCAR fans and members of the NASCAR community, the "Vote Kyle, Reward Victory Junction" campaign is geared towards creating a unique opportunity to continue Kyle's tireless efforts to give back to kids. Should Petty make the race through the fan vote, Coca-Cola -- along with Petty Enterprises sponsors Wells Fargo, Schwan's and Tire Kingdom - are donating a minimum of $250,000 to support the ongoing efforts of the Victory Junction Gang Camp. Additionally, Kyle and Petty Enterprises also will donate any purse money won in the Nextel All-Star Challenge to Victory Junction. If Kyle wins the race that's an additional $1,000,000 to Victory Junction. Michael Waltrip was announced as Kyle's campaign manager at today's rally launching the "Vote Kyle, Reward Victory Junction" initiative. Speakers at the event included 7-time Nextel Cup champion Richard Petty, business executives and Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory. Also present at the rally, where race fans got a sneak peek at the MyCokeRewards racecar Petty will drive in the Coca-Cola 600 and the Nextel Open, were families and campers from Victory Junction. Voting for the Nextel All-Star Challenge is currently open and fans are invited to cast a vote to help get their favorite driver into the event by voting online at NASCAR.com. Voting will run through May 20 with the winner announced the day of the race. Race fans interested in more information about the "Vote Kyle, Reward Victory Junction" campaign have been asked to go to a special Web site, votekylepetty.com.(Petty Racing PR), more info about the Nextel All-Star Challenge and Open on my 2006 All-Star Race page.(5-9-2006)
Petty to run MyCokeRewards scheme at Coke 600 - IMAGE: Not only will Kyle Petty run a special MyCokeRewards-themed car in the Coca-Cola 600, but some lucky fans will have a chance earn pieces of the #45 Petty Enterprises Dodge, and a piece of Coca-Cola 600 history, as part of the $50 million MyCokeRewards prize package. By collecting MyCokeRewards points, fans of the Coca-Cola 600 will have the chance to obtain hundreds of unique NASCAR-themed prizes, including the hood, deck lid and side panels from Petty's #45 MyCokeRewards Dodge. Other rewards include Petty's helmet, driver's uniform, shoes, and gloves, as well race-worn crew uniforms and other NASCAR-themed collectibles. Go to www.mycokerewards.com for more info.(Petty Racing PR), see an image on my #45 Team Scheme page.(5-4-2006)
Petty needs sponsor for 6-8 races: #45-Kyle Petty is looking for a sponsor for six to eight races to complete the sponsorship program for the #45 Petty Enterprises Dodge he drives in the Nextel Cup Series. Petty said Friday that a company he had a signed contract with fell through, but he would not name the company. He said he would still drive his car in the unsponsored races. "Whether we have a sponsor or not, we're going to go to the race track," Petty said. "We have to do that, obviously. But at the same time, it puts you in a little bit different position than what we thought we were in January and where we thought we were last week." Petty said not having sponsorship for six to eight races would be "a burden," but he feels confident he can fill the gap. Petty has sponsorship from Wells Fargo, Schwan's, Tire Kingdom and Coca-Cola for various races throughout the season.
He said losing the sponsor had nothing to do with performance.(SceneDaily.com)(4-29-2006)
Petty gets another sponsor for 4 races: The names of TBC Corp.'s Tire Kingdom, Merchant's Tire & Auto Centers and National Tire & Battery properties will appear on NASCAR driver Kyle Petty's #45 Dodge at various races this year. "We believe that involvement with NASCAR is a natural progression in our marketing efforts," says Bob Crostarosa, TBC's vice president of marketing. "TBC (has) reached an agreement with the Petty race team that presents the Tire Kingdom brand as the primary sponsor of the car driven by Kyle Petty for the Darlington, S.C., race on May 13, and for the Lowe’s Motor Speedway Race in Charlotte, N.C., on Oct. 14," say TBC officials. "The car will carry the Merchant’s Tire & Auto Centers logo for the Richmond race on May 6 and the National Tire & Battery logo in Atlanta on March 19. Additionally, the three brands will be identified as associate sponsors throughout 2006 for all other Nextel Cup races."(moderntiredealer.com)(2-17-2006)
Petty fined in 2004 by Dodge: Kyle Petty did a favor for Richard Childress Racing and driver Kevin Harvick in 2004, and he paid $45,000 for it. Dodge fined Petty $45,000 when the veteran relieved Harvick in the Sharpie 500 at Bristol in August 2004. Harvick complained that he had lost feeling in his left arm and Petty, a Dodge driver, took over for Harvick in the RCR Chevrolet. Petty, whose car was already out of the race, did not have permission from Dodge to drive the Chevy, and Dodge promptly fined him for breaching their contract. Dodge didn't announce the fine, but it was revealed in depositions released during their recently completed trial involving Bill Davis Racing. "Initially it was a shock just because that's just a given in the sport - if a driver is down, everybody rallies and tries to help him out," Petty said Feb. 11. "Kevin was sick; Kevin felt bad, so I drove the car. When I got a phone call and a legal letter that said I owed them $45,000, that was a little bit of a shock. But at the same time, they were exactly right. I have a contract to drive for Dodge." Dodge Motorsports Director of Operations John Fernandez said Feb. 10 that he believed Petty's violation of their contract was inadvertent but that the manufacturer must protect the sanctity of its contracts.(NASCAR Scene)(2-15-2006)
Schwan's to #45? UPDATE 2: hearing that Schwan's Home Service, who sponsored the #49 BAM Racing Dodge in 2004-2005 with Ken Schrader, could be heading to Petty Enterprises to be the primary sponsor for Kyle Petty on the #45 Dodge for 10-12 races in 2006. Wells Fargo already announced they would run 12 races as primary. Also there is a rumor floating around, but unable to confirm it at all, the new Coca-Cola soft drink, Vault could sponsor Petty in some fashion.(1-24-2006)
UPDATE: Schwan’s Home Service, Inc., a business unit of The Schwan Food Company, has announced its sponsorship of the #45 stock car owned by Petty Enterprises for the 2006 Nextel Cup season. “Everyone at The Schwan Food Company is thrilled to join the Petty racing team for the 2006 season. The team operates under the same values that are important to Schwan,” said Bill McCormack, executive vice president of administration and company spokesperson. The #45 car, driven by NASCAR veteran Kyle Petty, will carry the Schwan’s Home Service yellow-and-blue paint scheme for four races, which will be announced at a later date. Home Service will provide an associate sponsorship for the remaining races. “I’ve raced off and on against a Schwan sponsored car since 1985 and am really excited to finally be able to have them on my team,” said Petty, Petty Enterprises CEO (and #45 team driver). “The best part of this deal is my guys won’t have as far to go to get the great Schwan’s ice cream at the track. They are already clearing space on the transporter to haul the ice cream cooler.”(GoMarshall), Schwan's was the primary sponsor of the #49 BAM Racing Dodge the past two years.(2-8-2006)
UPDATE 2: hearing the races Schwan's will be the primary sponsor are Bristol in March, Texas in April, Talladega in April and California in September.(2-11-2006)
Quit Smoking Program teams up with NASCAR: GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare has launched "QUIT Crew" a smoking cessation program through its 2006 NASCAR sponsorship. The program is designed to help partnering teams within NASCAR to quit smoking and help reduce the number of smokers throughout the sport. Last season, GSK Consumer Healthcare conducted a pilot program with the Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates Racing team [#41 Dodge in Cup]. Sixteen members of the Ganassi Racing Team in Concord, NC participated in the program last year. Thus far, Hendrick Motorsports, Petty Enterprises and Chip Ganassi Racing have signed up to offer the program to their employees. Other teams are expected to join the program as it's offered more broadly over the next several weeks.
When a group enrolls in the program, interested team members will be invited to an orientation and seminar about quitting smoking presented by Frank Vitale of the University of Pittsburgh Pharmacy School. During orientation, Vitale will explain the process of quitting, the products available to help them and enroll those interested in joining the 10-12 week program.
Program participants will be counseled and monitored closely by GSK Consumer Healthcare smoking cessation counselors on a weekly basis. Vitale will meet with participants privately the afternoon of the seminar and will be available to them by telephone during the program. GSK Consumer Healthcare is providing counselor services free of charge as well as a starter kit of smoking cessation products. In addition, GSK Consumer Healthcare smoking cessation counselors will be available to crew members in the garage areas at 30 NASCAR races this season.
To inspire NASCAR fans to quit, each participating team will be given an opportunity to take a video camera provided by GSK Consumer Healthcare to document their thoughts and experiences during the quit smoking process. The challenges they encounter will be documented on the quit2winracing.com web site to help others understand what the quitting process is really like.(Lighthouse Marketing PR)(1-27-2006)
Sad News: Elizabeth Toomes Petty, wife of NASCAR champion Lee Petty and mother of NASCAR champion Richard Petty, passed away Sunday morning at age 88. She is survived by sons Richard and Maurice, as well as nine grandchildren, 24 great grandchildren, one great great grandchild, two sisters and two brothers. Funeral services are to be held privately. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations by made to Level Cross United Methodist Church, Victory Junction Gang Camp or to Hospice of Randolph County.(Williams Company)(1-9-2006)
Kyle runs at Disney: Kyle Petty finished the Walt Disney World Marathon in 4 hours 42 minutes. He laughed when asked if he thought about ``going behind the wall.'' Petty said his knee began to bother him a lot around Mile 15. ''I walked a bunch so I wouldn't hurt it,'' he said. ``This is not what I do for a living. I do drive race cars, so I don't need to blow my knee out doing this. But it was a lot of fun. And the fans here are great, lining the course. Then you feel bad for walking, man.'' Some of the competitors recognized Petty and talked to him along the way. Petty said next year he might try to get in good enough shape to run Disney and the Miami Marathon, which is at the end of January. Petty was talked into running his first marathon by fellow NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip. They ran the Las Vegas Marathon last year. Petty finished in 4:14.(Miami Herald)(1-9-2006)
Kyle gets a 12 race sponsor: gearing that Wells Fargo will move up from an associate sposnor to be the primary sponsor of the #45 Dodge of Kyle Petty for at least 12 races this season, including the season opening Daytona 500. Petty Enterprises is talking with other sponsors as well at this point. They will run the full schedule in 2006, but still have some sponsorship openings available.(1-6-2006)
2005 News
Petty to run in Disney Marathon:Kyle Petty has decided to trade his stockcar tires for a pair of running shoes. An avid runner, Petty will run in the 2006 Walt Disney World Marathon on Jan. 8. Petty ran the Las Vegas Marathon last January, his first, as part of a fundraising effort for his family’s Victory Junction Gang charity. Running alongside fellow NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip, he finished in a time of four hours and 16 minutes.(12-31-2005)
Petty in Disney Parade: NASCAR driver Kyle Petty and Herbie introduce Disney-MGM Studios' Lights! Motors! Action! Extreme Stunt Show attraction when Walt Disney World Resort in Florida invites America to celebrate its 22nd annual Christmas Day Parade telecast from the heart of the Magic Kingdom, with special performances from the Disneyland Resort in California. Ryan Seacrest, will host the festivities from Disneyland Resort while Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa, hosts of "Live with Regis and Kelly," co-host in Walt Disney World. The Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade telecast airs on ABC Christmas Day from 10:00am/et to 12:00noon/et. Viewers should check their local listings for any changes in programming times.(Williams Company)(12-20-2005)
Petty's opt out of NSL UPDATE: National Sprintcar League officials learned Tuesday (November 22nd) that the Richard Petty Driving Experience, and Richard and Kyle Petty would no longer be a part of the NSL. Citing overwhelming demands in getting a start-up series off the ground, the Petty's informed the NSL of their decision. Despite the loss, the National Sprintcar League is moving forward with plans to race 410 winged sprintcars in 2006.(more at Motorsport.com)(11-29-2005)
UPDATE: Richard Petty Driving Experience announced that it has withdrawn its support of the National SprintCar League effective immediately. "We formed this series with the intention of rebuilding and growing winged sprint car racing," said Kyle Petty. "We had a clear vision about how to undertake this. Unfortunately, our vision for the future of sprint car racing was not shared by all of the key stakeholders in the sport. We believe that a prolonged battle over control of the sport is not in the best interest of anyone involved. Hopefully, by stepping aside at this point, there is time for a common vision to emerge. We still believe that sprint car racing can thrive
in the United States and we hope that the tracks, drivers, teams and sanctioning bodies will put their individual interests aside and work towards some common ground to unify this great motor sports platform. We appreciate everyone who supported us in this endeavor."(Richard Petty Driving Experience /Williams Company PR)(11-30-2005)
Kyle Petty Nominated SI Sportsman Of Year: Kyle Petty has become the first stock car driver nominated for one of
the most prestigious honors in athletics. The Nextel Cup Series driver is up for Sports Illustrated's "Sportsman Of The Year" honor, which the national magazine has awarded since miler Roger Bannister won the first in 1955. Others such as the Boston Red Sox, Tiger Woods, Arthur Ashe, Jack Nicklaus, Muhammad Ali and Pete Rozelle have won it. Others nominated this year include cyclist Lance Armstrong, NBA star Reggie Miller, and World Series star Scott Posednik, among others. Writer Lars Anderson, in making his argument in nominating Petty, noted mostly his and wife Pattie's leadership of the Victory Junction Gang Camp. "Put simply," Anderson wrote, "he's got the biggest heart in American sports today. "Kyle Petty as Sportsman of the Year? Take a look at those beaming kids and tell me he's not." The winner will be announced next month.(Williams Company PR)(11-23-2005)
Nice Gesture: #45-Kyle Petty's wife Pattie gave Stewart a lucky charm from her late son Adam with the inscription John 3:16 on Sunday morning. Stewart had it in his pocket all day.(Yahoo Sports)(11-21-2005)
Andrews son tests for Petty: hearing that Tim Andrews, son of #45 crew chief Paul Andrews, participated in a driver
development test for Petty Enterprises this week at Kentucky Speedway.(11-19-2005)
Checkers Fields Two Cars this Sunday at Homestead: Checkers will field two cars at the NEXTEL Cup race this Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, creating a unique "race within a race" that will give sports fans one more opportunity to gear up for the
intra-Florida rivalry on the football field set for the following week Scott Riggs will drive the #10 Checkers Florida State University
Seminole Chevrolet, racing head-to-head with Kyle Petty, who will drive the #45 Checkers University of Florida Gator Dodge. Checkers will donate $5,000 to the "race within a race" winner's charity of choice. 1:24 scale Gator and Seminole die cast cars are being sold as part of this program with a portion of the proceeds of the sale to benefit the scholarship programs at both universities. The cars will be available for purchase this Saturday and Sunday at all AmeriCrown merchandise trailers at the track, and can also be purchased online at gatorsnolesracing.com(PR). See images of the cars on my #10 Teams Schemes page and #45 Teams Schemes page.(11-19-2005)
Goody's unveils new ad campaign geared toward NASCAR: NASCAR legend Richard Petty has been a long-time resident of Goody's Country, serving as the Goody's Headache Powders spokesperson for nearly 30 years. Tony Stewart has joined Petty and his son Kyle in a new advertising campaign for the "Official Pain Reliever of NASCAR" that includes a commercial depicting the day Stewart moves into "Mr. Petty's Neighborhood" and his appreciation for the speedy pace of life there. The first screening of the commercial will be during a press conference at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Friday, Oct. 28. Also at this event, as part of its continued support of Victory Junction Gang Camp, Goody's will present a check for $25,000 in Stewart's name to Kyle and Pattie Petty for their camp for seriously ill children and their families.(Williams Company PR)(10-27-2005)
A Petty back in the #43? UPDATE: Jeff Green likely will leave Petty Enterprises' #43 car for a chance to drive the NetZero #0 car, team owner Kyle Petty said Thursday. Petty, in town [CAL]to deliver the keynote address at the High Desert Opportunity business conference, said without securing a sponsor for his own #45 car, he couldn't commit to another driver for the 2006 season. "I really think Jeff's going to the (Net) Zero [#0] car," Petty said. "We've been very honest with Jeff, very honest with everybody we talk to." The problem, Petty said, is that the team hasn't signed a sponsor to replace Georgia Pacific on the #45 car. General Mills still has a contract to sponsor the #43 car. "Since I own the team, I could go drive the 43 if I wanted to," Petty said. Is that a possibility? Could we see Petty back behind the wheel of his father Richard's old car? "Everything's a possibility," Kyle Petty said. "You've got so much on the table." Petty said as a veteran driver, he understood the need to secure a ride when there was an opportunity. "Jeff's 42, 43 years old (actually 43). Everybody wants to sign a 19-year-old to drive their car," Petty said. "If you can find a ride, you better be jumping and getting in it. Don't wait and let me hold you back." The bottom line, Petty said, "If it's good for him, it's good for us."(Inland Valley Daily Bulletin)(10-21-2005)
UPDATE: Kyle Petty said Friday that Jeff Green likely will vacate Petty Enterprises' flagship #43 Dodge and take over the #0 Chevrolet owned by Gene Haas. Petty said he and Green talked Tuesday about Green leaving the car he has driven since September, 2003. "I know [Green] has talked to the 0, and he's probably going to go to the 0, and I applaud that for him," Petty said. "It's like I told him, 'When you're my age and you're your age, and everybody's looking for 19-year-olds, if a car opens up, jump in it.'" Petty, 45, said his big hold-up in re-signing Green, 43, was a lack of sponsorship for his own #45 Dodge. Since Georgia Pacific announced that it wasn't returning as that car's backer, the team has been assembling a sponsorship package, but it didn't materialize in time to keep Green. If the sponsorship for the #45 doesn't come through, the team will field only one car full-time and Petty probably would drive it himself [#43].
But he said he hopes that doesn't happen. "I'm extremely confident that within the next four to six weeks we'll have what we want to announce," Petty said, adding that the sponsorship will be tied to fund-raising efforts for the Victory Junction Camp for ill children that the Pettys founded. "That's why we want to release [the sponsorships] all at one time," he said. "We just didn't get things done quick enough to be able to satisfy all of our contractual needs with Jeff."(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)(10-22-2005)
#43 to run Fan Fest scheme at Lowe's: This weekend, Jeff Green and the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge head to the
1.5-mile Lowe's Motor Speedway, located in Concord, N.C., for Saturday night's Charlotte 500. Green, who will be sporting a Petty Fan Fest paint scheme this weekend, finished 11th in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's earlier this season.(Williams Company), not really sure what the Fan Fest thing is about.(10-11-2005)
UPDATE: what the scheme is about, #43 sponsor, Cheerios/General Mills held a contest and the are 43 pictures of winners on the #43 Dodge and 45 more on the #45 Dodge that Kyle Petty drives. Have no images...yet.(10-13-2005)
Petty in pink at Kansas: #45-Kyle Petty will be driving a Quilted Northern Ultra bath tissue pink paint scheme this weekend. The scheme is in conjunction with the “Time for Thanks” program that recognizes the critical role that co-survivors play in the in the lives of breast cancer survivors. Survivors and co-survivors will spend a weekend retreat at the Victory Junction Gang Camp in early November.(Williams Company)(10-5-2005)
Petty's and Sprint Car Series? UPDATE 3: hearing there is supposed to be a press conference scheduled at Dover to announce the new sprint car league being formed by Petty Enterprises, called the National Sprint Car League?(9-21-2005)
UPDATE: Been told Tony Stewart is involved and hearing the Petty family has a financial interest in thsi new series that will go head-to-head with World of Outlaws with a couple of Speedway Motorsports tracks. Also hearing that 12 of the top 17 WoO drivers are going with the new series, including Steve Kinser. Look for an announcement from Dover on Friday.(9-22-2005)
UPDATE 2: Sprint car racing's biggest names have split into two separate series for 2006, drivers confirmed Wednesday. The World of Outlaws, owned by DIRT Motorsports, will retain five of its 18 full-time drivers — Altoona's Terry McCarl, Craig Dollansky, Brooke Tatnell, Daryn Pittman and Donny Schatz — and plans to add more for 2006. Danny Lasoski, who drives for Tony Stewart Motorsports, represents one of