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Waid's World

A NASCAR BLOG BY Steve Waid

What lies ahead for Kyle Petty?

Oct 1
In a recent published report, Patti Petty, Kyle’s wife, bluntly said that Petty Enterprises “hasn’t wanted Kyle in the car the last three years. They want a young driver, a 30-year-old, a 20-year-old.”

She said that Petty Enterprises told Kyle at Watkins Glen that it did not want him to drive.

If what Patti Petty says is true, and there’s no reason to doubt it, it would appear that her husband’s driving days are coming to a close – at least at Petty Enterprises.

For some time, there has been suspicion that Petty’s tenure at Petty Enterprises was shaky and that if he continued to race for the team in 2009. it would be, at best, on a limited basis.

Petty has been out of the driver’s seat in his No. 45 Dodge several times already this year. He was pulled in favor of Chad McCumbee at Texas in April, which displeased Petty.

Starting at Dover in June, Petty did not enter 11 consecutive races. True, he attended his daughter’s wedding and fulfilled his obligations as an announcer for TNT, but the hiatus was longer than had been announced.

McCumbee replaced Petty, again, at New Hampshire in September.
    
After racing for Felix Sabates for eight seasons, during which he won six times, Petty returned to help run Petty Enterprises in 1997. Eventually his leadership role dissolved.
    
When Petty Enterprises announced in June that it had sold a significant amount of its assets to Boston Ventures, I had a brief conversation with Petty, during which he said, “I’m just an employee now.”
    
The acquisition of a financial partner is the latest in several moves Petty Enterprises has made in an effort to break out of the doldrums it has endured for several seasons. Among many other things, it still faces sponsorship issues.

Apparently, it also feels that hiring a new, younger driver is necessary step toward improvement.
    
If Petty is indeed no longer a part of Petty Enterprises’ future – and, understand, that is not a certainty – it doesn’t mean he will no longer race.

“I don’t think I’m the problem,” he once said. “I try to make a living driving. And if there’s no place for me here, then I’d have to go someplace else.”
    
“Someplace else” might be hard to find.
    
In the end, that doesn’t matter. Respected as a person perhaps more than a driver, Kyle Petty has earned the right to do what he wants – and the hope here is that is exactly what happens.

Average Rating: 4.0

Comments

13 responses to "What lies ahead for Kyle Petty?"
  1. 1
    Betty Stoneman said:
    Oct 1, 2008 at 1:00 PM

    I very much agree that Kyle has earned the right to do what he wants and I hope too that he is allowed to do that. It would be great if he could drive for Felix again for a year or so or until he feels he is ready to quit. Good article.

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  2. 2
    chris welch said:
    Oct 1, 2008 at 7:33 PM

    hopefully nothing involving driving in NASCAR

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  3. 3
    del brown said:
    Oct 2, 2008 at 1:26 AM

    There comes a time when one needs to step aside and let others fill the shoes. It's kind of sad seeing old lions that are past - maybe way past - their prime hanging on to past glory. But it happens anywhere you look. The saddest part is there isn't a Petty ready to step into a Petty car.

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  4. 4
    ella dean said:
    Oct 2, 2008 at 6:06 AM

    I think NASCAR should hire him to head up their charitable foundation. He is such an asset and would do a fantastic job. Maybe his prime racing days are over but he shines in other venues.

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  5. 5
    Scott Hall said:
    Oct 2, 2008 at 9:03 AM

    Good article. As a lifelong Petty fan I can see both sides of this equation, if Kyle is being forced out at PE, and to me this is a big IF, then he has every right to find another ride and that's what I hope he does. On the flip side of the coin, I can also see the PE side. Especially since Boston Ventures took over majority control of the team, performance is going to be paramount. My only question is, how long will the Boston Ventures folks give a young driver, whoever he may be, to produce results, before he too is tossed aside? The people that aren't even mentioned in these articles are the employees of Petty Enterprises, those men and women who work behind the scenes at an 8-5 job(and often times much longer than that) to make sure everything performs on race day. Richard Petty said that he was thinking of the future of the 100+ people who worked at Petty Enterprises when he made the decision to sell to Boston Ventures. Kudos Richard. Hopefully, at least in this fan's mind, Kyle will be given the opportunity to retire as a driver in a dignified manner. God bless the entire Petty Enterprises organization.

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  6. 6
    Sally Bedow said:
    Oct 2, 2008 at 2:39 PM

    As I've read numerous articles that have been spawned from the news that PE is trying to oust Kyle Petty from the roster, it has saddened me that such a dark cloud hangs over that very storied organization. What's best for one may not be best for the other so there doesn't seem to be a win/win situation IF, as the poster above me says, we are to believe this information to be true. From the little I've learned about Pattie and Kyle, I have no doubt that Pattie's words are true. I, too, would hope that Kyle finds a ride with another organization where his talents and his knowledge can be appreciated and enhanced. Many are not yet ready to have a Cup Series race without a Petty in a car. Perhaps 2009 will bring about great things for all concerned.

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  7. 7
    Brad Flechsig said:
    Oct 2, 2008 at 3:27 PM

    Remember at Watkins Glen..Kyle Petty suggested that Boris Said get in the car once it was known that qualifying was rained out. Due to so many sponsors jumping ship due to performance you can't support have a merry go round of drivers. Bobby needs a team member he can build relationship with and get feedback, etc. I named my son after Kyle..I want him to go out competitive. But they have a long way to go and in the end they have to make sure they are delivering on their commmittments to their sponsors, Labonte, employees. That may put Kyle on the outside as a result. I support Kyle as he moves forward and desperately hope the BV investment pays dividends going into 2009.

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  8. 8
    Richard Houlden said:
    Oct 2, 2008 at 4:42 PM

    I am saddened the way Kyle has been treated through this whole ordeal. No one has been successful in the 45 so obviously it is not the driver maybe it is the car and the crew. Kyle is the easy target and will be greatly missed as he has this year at the track. I hate to think this is the way the Petty's will end a long history of petty drivers in NASCAR. God speed Kyle the tracks loss is the children's gain that you and Patti serve. Adam still remains in our hearts as do you and your family.

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  9. 9
    Dwight Hill said:
    Oct 2, 2008 at 10:33 PM

    The way I see it , Kyle have never had a rosey relationship with he father.He never wanted to run the business.What did you expect ? I know that his boy passed and he wants to drive his car , but , he have to let go .

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  10. 10
    John Lockhart said:
    Oct 3, 2008 at 5:23 AM

    I agree with some of you guys and gals.I really like Kyle,but he can't hang like he used to.He's great for NASCAR,but not as a driver.Richard is trying to bring P.E. back to life, that means he needs some new meat in there to get it done.It is sad that a Petty is not there to do it right now,but I do hope they get it done.

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  11. 11
    Steve C said:
    Oct 4, 2008 at 9:24 AM

    When PE and BV merged, the writing was on the wall. BV will do what ever is neccessary to make PE a comptitive and profitable company. Reading the interview with Patty, she said Well Fargo would go with Kyle. If this was a true statment It would not make any financial sence for BV to let Kyle leave. I'm sure the sponsorship has a value of 10-15 million dollars. These are dollars that BV or PE can not afford to loose. It would make much more sence financially for PE and BV to put Kyle in a car part time next year and allow Kyle to finish his time out with Wells Fargo on the hood. I don't see Kyle leaving PE, I see him racing part time10-12 races next year. Most likely a third car is the future of PE. The last interview I read with Robbie Loomis, he stated PE has enough sponsorship for 2 1/2 cars.

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  12. 12
    Randy Quesenberry said:
    Oct 6, 2008 at 4:48 AM

    I hate to see the turn of events at PE, and I agree that PE has problems and I would like to Kyle in a top notch car at least on a limited schedule. I think he would be worth giving a chance at road courses, and restrictor plate races, as well as flet ovals. PE just did not keep up with the changes in technology. I have always been a fan and having spent many years in the sport as a crewman worked around the Petty's. Kyle is a class act and a good person and I hope the best for him.....Q

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  13. 13
    Back To The Garden said:
    Oct 7, 2008 at 11:10 AM

    Kyle's a nice guy, and you have to love what he's doing with Victory Junction. But the numbers speak for themselves: 7 top 10s in the last 9 seasons, only 1 top 5 in the past 11 seasons, and his last win was in 1995. If it were any other driver, he'd have been gone years ago. He's a good man, but his best racing days are behind him. Kyle needs to step aside, and let PE get a solid, young driver in there that can be complemented by the experience of Labonte.

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