Kyle Petty may be out as driver of the #45 Wells Fargo Dodge effectively immediately. That Kyle may be out of a ride fielded by the company founded by his grandfather, Lee Petty is a little strange. Petty Enterprises is no longer in the hands of the family headed by Richard Petty. With the partnership from Boston Ventures, Petty may be forced out by decisions made by those other than within the Petty family.
Patti Petty, Kyle’s wife made an emotional statement.
”Maybe I’m the only one here willing to tell the truth,” she said. “They haven’t wanted Kyle in the car the last three years. They want a young driver, a 30-year-old, a 20-year-old. “But Wells Fargo, our sponsor, says it’s going to stay with Kyle, whatever he does. I wish Chip Ganassi (a fellow Dodge team owner) would take a look at Kyle. He’s got a 12-race sponsorship deal for next year that would be a perfect part-time schedule for Kyle. And Kyle could help mentor a young driver. They told him at Watkins Glen - right when he was standing there in his driver’s suit - that they didn’t want him in the car.”
Terry Labonte is scheduled to drive the #45 at Talladega this weekend. Chad McCumbie is also scheduled to drive at Charlotte. Jayski says that there is interest in Michael McDowell, the rookie driving for Michael Waltrip Racing.
Clearly, in order to grow and become more competitive, Petty Enterprises needs a second young driver who is funded and running the full schedule. If that be the case, Kyle could be free to run a 12 race part time schedule and spend a little time on TV and devote whatever he needs to the Victory Junction Gang Camps. Unfortunately for Kyle, it sounds like Petty Enterprises may have a different business plan.
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Update from CHARLOTTE OBSERVER 10.3.08
TALLADEGA, Ala. - Unless sponsorship is obtained to fund a ride for him next season, the Nov. 9 Sprint Cup race at Phoenix could well be Kyle Petty’s last at Petty Enterprises.
Robbie Loomis, vice president of race operations at Petty, confirmed Friday that Kyle Petty was still scheduled to drive the No. 45 at Phoenix, despite reports this week that the Kansas race might have been his last race with the organization.
“I think it became clear a couple years ago when Kyle started doing the TV stuff we need to start looking to the future,” Loomis said. “Chad McCumbee is somebody we’ve been keeping our eye on for a while. We’re going to run him another four or five races and see where we’re at.
“There are a whole group of drivers, quite frankly, that we’re evaluating going into next year,” Loomis said.
“We feel very good about our sponsorship front. At the same time, I don’t really sleep at night until you have the money in the bank.”
Loomis said Kyle Petty remained a valuable asset of Petty Enterprises.
“I can only speak from the Petty Enterprises side, and I think Kyle always will be part of Petty Enterprises as long as he wants to be and have a great home,” Loomis said.
“It’s just evaluation time for all of us right now since we took on our new partner, Boston Ventures. This is a performance business and they have challenged us to perform.
“There is pressure on me and the whole group to raise the level of performance,” Loomis acknowledged.
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