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Petty Enterprises blending present and future with multiple driver lineup
By SceneDaily Staff
Saturday, August 02, 2008
LONG POND, Pa. – Robbie Loomis says that Petty Enterprises is trying to find a balance between protecting its points position and preparing for the future. That's why the team has a series of drivers effectively sharing its No. 45 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in the coming races.
Loomis, Petty's vice president of racing operations, is at Pocono Raceway this weekend, where the team has Chad McCumbee entered in the race. Next week, Kyle Petty returns for the first time since the Coca-Cola 600 in May at Lowe's Motor Speedway to attempt the race at Watkins Glen International. Then two-time Cup champion Terry Labonte, who raced while Petty worked in the TNT broadcast booth for six races, will return at Michigan International Speedway.
"I think the biggest thing is we have a lot of confidence in Chad and his abilities, and he's hopefully going to be part of our future, and we just feel we've got to keep giving him opportunities," Loomis said of the Pocono decision. "When you look at this race track, this is the track we brought him to last year and he won the ARCA race for us and finished 25th in the Cup race. We just feel like he's got to develop the stomach for qualifying and be able to do those tough things, so we felt like it was a good way to evaluate him."
With only 44 cars on hand for this weekend's Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500, that pressure should be lessened.
"It's definitely a step easier than being when we've had him in the past some," Loomis said. "We feel like it’s [the] confidence that he has in this place as much as anything. It's just fun to be able to come to this track with somebody young that hasn't felt all the nuances of this car and listen to their feedback."
He said that Labonte is back in the car at Michigan because he ran the last race there. The organization is trying to figure out the issues with bump stops and the front end of the new model, so keeping something the same for a second race at the track helps with the evaluation of how the development is faring.
"We felt like with Terry running the first Michigan race for us, already having the one race under his belt, that we needed to go back with another common denominator in it and it would be just asking too much, we felt like, to have Kyle come into the fold with the bump-stop situation," Loomis said. "Kind of like we did at Indy. With Kyle's road-course record, he's great on the road course. He tested Road Atlanta the other day, really had a good test, and we feel like it will be more constants for Kyle and the team versus where we were at."
Beyond that, the team doesn't have plans to announce, though Loomis expects Petty to race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The group is looking to add a third car for next season and is also interested in bringing Casey Mears into the fold. Loomis said that running the third car in a minimum of seven to 15 races would be ideal. He also says the organization is definitely interested in Mears, who has announced plans to leave Hendrick Motorsports at the end of the season.
It appears that Mears would be in line for the No. 45 as it is the only full-time ride available. Bobby Labonte has already signed to drive the No. 43 next season.
"Mears is definitely on our list," Loomis said. "I think Mears is probably, to me, one of the top guys available in the garage."
He said that Mears would be a perfect fit for the team.
"He definitely brings some stability, can run real good on the road courses, and I think Casey's a very well-rounded driver, and I think he's in a real hard situation," Loomis said. "You look at a lot of drivers that are the fourth guy of a team, he's behind some real star power. It's hard not to be a little bit beat before you show up at the track."
Mentioned Drivers: Chad McCumbee
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