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Crew chief Stewart Cooper not bitter over fate of Petty Enterprises
By Bob Pockrass - Associate Editor
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Stewart Cooper worked as crew chief on the No. 45 team for Petty Enterprises.
Joe Robbins
Getty Images for NASCAR
Petty Enterprises cars were in the wind tunnel just a week before the organization’s officials told employees they would be laid off and that the team shop was shutting down, according to crew chief Stewart Cooper.
Cooper, who was crew chief for the organization’s No. 45 NASCAR Sprint Cup car for much of last season, said he wasn’t bitter with the way things ended at Petty. He said virtually all of the remaining 38 employees were laid off, with only Petty Enterprises Executive Vice President Robbie Loomis and a couple of others remaining. The organization is expected to merge with Gillett Evernham Motorsports, with an announcement expected as early as this week.
“As of [early] last week we were working as if we were going to Daytona. … I really feel like it’s nobody’s fault,” Cooper said Tuesday night. “It’s just the way the dice fell this time. [Those of us laid off] will have to work through it and move on.”
Cooper said he didn’t expect himself nor many of the former Petty employees to get hired by the new team, which is expected to work out of the Gillett Evernham shop in Statesville, N.C.
“I left [my status] up to Robbie Loomis,” Cooper said. “I didn’t have any major conversations with Robbie about it. I really don’t think they’re going to take too many people up there. They had a full staff anyway [at GEM].
“There are no hard feelings for none of it. It was a great opportunity for me. … They tried like hell to keep it like they were going, and it just didn’t work out.”
Even though Petty Enterprises had layoffs right after the season finale at Homestead, Cooper said his and other crew members’ focus was on getting cars ready for 2009 and not necessarily about the future of the team.
“I’ve always been one that once you’re told something, try not to ask too many questions about it – go with what you’re told,” Cooper said. “It’s just a bad deal. You lose sleep at night and wonder what’s going to happen next. It’s probably the same feeling that 90 percent of the world is feeling right now.”
While there was limited sponsorship and no full-time driver named for the No. 45 car for the 2009 season, Cooper had remained comfortable with his position with the team. The crew chief for the organization’s No. 43 team, Jeff Meendering, had left Petty for Stewart-Haas Racing to be a car chief for Tony Stewart.
“We were just going forward,” Cooper said. “We built two speedway cars – I had them in the wind tunnel two weeks ago. We were in the wind tunnel and working late nights getting ready for Daytona.
“We didn’t know what direction we were going. It didn’t happen until last week. There hasn’t been an official announcement yet, but obviously the building is empty.”
Petty Enterprises is NASCAR’s oldest and winningest organization, with 10 driver championships, including seven by Richard Petty and three by his father, Lee. Richard Petty had sold a majority interest of the family-owned team in June to Boston Ventures and worked aggressively to try to keep the team from having to merge, Cooper said.
The 30-year-old Cooper had joined the team in April.
“I felt if I could work hard and get this thing built up, I could have a job for life,” Cooper said. “It’s crazy how it all worked out. … Richard worked up until the last minute on trying to make stuff work out where they didn’t have to entertain other options.
“He really worked hard and flew all over the country the week of the awards banquet talking to people. That man is a class act on how hard he works and how strong his dedication is to his racing.”
Cooper is optimistic he will find work but worried about some of the people who are not as young.
“Some of these guys who have worked at these race shops for 25 or 30 years – at Petty for example – they let people go who have worked there forever,” Cooper said. “It breaks my heart that somebody has committed so much time and effort for a career, and it’s gone.”
Cooper said the advantage will be for those who are versatile. He said a few members of the 45 team have found work, and he is trying to make phone calls to help others while also looking for a job himself.
“I’m not married, I don’t have kids – I race, that’s what I do,” Cooper said.
2009 Sprint Cup Race for the Chase Standings
Driver Standings after the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500
| 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 6492 |
| 2 | Mark Martin | -108 |
| 3 | Jeff Gordon | -169 |
| 4 | Kurt Busch | -211 |
| 5 | Tony Stewart | -285 |
| 6 | Juan Pablo Montoya | -289 |
| 7 | Greg Biffle | -321 |
| 8 | Denny Hamlin | -352 |
| 9 | Ryan Newman | -411 |
| 10 | Kasey Kahne | -476 |
| 11 | Carl Edwards | -520 |
| 12 | Brian Vickers | -666 |
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20 responses to "Crew chief Stewart Cooper not bitter over fate of Petty Enterprises". Post a Comment.
Charlie Montgomery said:
Jan 7, 2009 at 1:47 PMIt appears that Stewart Cooper is jast as much of a class act as the King is and I wish him and the rest of the Petty employees all the best in the future. Everything today is happening for a reason -we'll know in the future what that reason was.
Report as AbuseCharlie Montgomery
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» Confirm Abuse ReportHoward Englishman said:
Jan 7, 2009 at 1:51 PMRobbie needs to go straight to ____. He had plenty to do with letting alot of good people and friends of mine go just before Christmas and hes still gettin a paycheck.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportWayne Powers said:
Jan 7, 2009 at 2:58 PMMaybe Tommy Baldwin will pick up some of the personell that worked for Petty. In todays Ecomnoy, I hate to see anyone, whose is capable of working, not working. It is sad that Petty had to close his doors, for a lot of reasons. Bobby Labontte got the shaft from Loomis, and he has held his head up high. Shows you what a class act he is.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportDan Dugger said:
Jan 7, 2009 at 3:42 PMRobbie Loomis...I just don't know what teams see in him or his abilities. I have always thought he was mediocre at best and but talks a good game. If you ask the people from Hendrick, they will tell you he was going to get the boot before he left. You are correct #2, Robbie could have done things a whole lot better. The King is a class act and always will be. I can only imagine how he feels as I can tell you from personal experience that Richard values loyalty almost more than anything. All this makes saddens me more than I can say, the death of a past dynasty along with all that history is one more sign of the times but doesn’t make it right.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportNathan Stonecipher said:
Jan 7, 2009 at 5:35 PMThis is a great time to "retire" the number
Report as Abuse43, after the first five races of 2009. It
deserves as good a fate as the #3, if not
more. I never understood why it is still on
the track, although NASCAR told Richard when
he retired "use it or lose it". Didn't seem
to include Childress.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportBernadette Motherway said:
Jan 7, 2009 at 7:28 PMSpeaking of retiring #s. If Childress lets Austin Dillon drive the #3, there is going to be a real uprising with the fans. We are not ready to see anyone else drive the #3 car for a long, long, long time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportWerner Boehmert said:
Jan 7, 2009 at 7:46 PMBernadette...i was an Alan Kulwicki fan and i'm ok with someone else running the #7...you'll get used to it...
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» Confirm Abuse ReportAnonymous said:
Jan 7, 2009 at 8:27 PMWhy do you airheads think it's Robbie Loomis fault Petty closed his doors?
Report as AbuseSomeone higher up the chain (Da Richard Petty)
told him what to do. He didn't shut the doors just following orders. Wake up airheads it's not his fault he was following orders.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportAnonymous said:
Jan 7, 2009 at 8:27 PMWhy do you airheads think it's Robbie Loomis fault Petty closed his doors?
Report as AbuseSomeone higher up the chain (Da Richard Petty)
told him what to do. He didn't shut the doors just following orders. Wake up airheads it's not his fault he was following orders.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportAnonymous said:
Jan 7, 2009 at 8:28 PMWhy do you airheads think it's Robbie Loomis fault Petty closed his doors?
Report as AbuseSomeone higher up the chain (Da Richard Petty)
told him what to do. He didn't shut the doors just following orders. Wake up airheads it's not his fault he was following orders.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportMike Ashley said:
Jan 7, 2009 at 9:25 PMStewart Cooper is a great guy, I have had the pleasure of knowing him for quite some time, and yes he is a class act, just like many others in the Petty organization. Stewart will hit on his feet move forward and not look back. Just remember all things happen for a reason. This young man will be better for it. Mike Ashley
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» Confirm Abuse Reportteresa beachler said:
Jan 7, 2009 at 9:31 PMI think your the airhead Anonymous! Robbie was Vice President of Operations at Petty and he undermined everything that went on there with the team members. Richard has not been around the shop and Kyle hasnt been there in months. Nobody there like Robbie just like when he was at Hendrick. He was being fired at Hendrick , he was lucky to be hired at Petty.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportteresa beachler said:
Jan 7, 2009 at 9:32 PMI think your the airhead Anonymous! Robbie was Vice President of Operations at Petty and he undermined everything that went on there with the team members. Richard has not been around the shop and Kyle hasnt been there in months. Nobody there like Robbie just like when he was at Hendrick. He was being fired at Hendrick , he was lucky to be hired at Petty.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportJO Stewart said:
Jan 7, 2009 at 11:46 PMRichard Petty is the most respected man in Nascar. I agree the #43 and #45 car should be retired. To see his organization end this way is heartbreaking and I would never believe he had any idea this would happen to people who had been loyal to him all of these years.NO WAY!!Hope to see him in the White House in four years!!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportHoward Englishman said:
Jan 8, 2009 at 11:57 AMNASCAR does NOT retire numbers. Petty let this happen to themselves by not keeping up with the times and not hiring good drivers and losing sponsorship
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» Confirm Abuse ReportRobert MILLER said:
Jan 8, 2009 at 5:15 PMAll you earn-head fan will just have to grow up and watch someone else that don't wreck people to win drive #3 and give a few respectful wins.......
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» Confirm Abuse ReportRobert MILLER said:
Jan 8, 2009 at 5:18 PMAll you earn-head fan will just have to grow up and watch someone else that don't wreck people to win drive #3 and give a few respectful wins.......
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» Confirm Abuse ReportBernadette Motherway said:
Jan 9, 2009 at 2:22 PMThanks for the reminder, Howard, about retiring #s, but I think it was a figure of speech for some of us.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportNathan Stonecipher said:
Jan 9, 2009 at 5:14 PMIf NASCAR doesn't retire numbers, then we
Report as Abuseshould see a #3 in 2009!!!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportBernadette Motherway said:
Jan 9, 2009 at 8:21 PMI'm glad you're ready, Nathan. I wish I could be. I just can't bring myself to seeing it on the track yet.
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» Confirm Abuse Report