The six race NASCAR honeymoon is over

By Charlie Turner, Thunder Lounge
Published on Thunder Lounge.

NASCAR’s annual silly season is off to an early start.

Last week the story was of Richard Childress Racing capturing the General Mills flag from the Petty #43 and planting it on the hood of a fourth RCR Cup car. Where there’s a car there must eventually be a driver and the speculation began that Petty Enterprises’ Bobby Labonte might make the move to that ride in 2009. The last few days have seen the names of Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Martin Truex Jr emerge. Earlier, others had speculated that Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman were possibilities.

Next up came the news that Kyle Petty was pulling himself or being ranked – you decide – from the Petty #45 and being replaced by young Chad McCumbee – at least for the Texas race. The #45 is well out of the top thirty five in owner’s points now and it feels like Kyle may be on the way out of the picture as a full time driver for the venerable team.

Then yesterday came rumblings from Florida, where Chip Ganassi is watching over his Indy Car investment and stewing about the performance of his three Cup teams. Chip isn’t happy with either Dario Franchitti’s or Reed Sorenson’s seasons so far. Ganassi talks as if he feels the problems are more team than driver related. But that wouldn’t make me feel all that comfortable if I were Dario or Reed.

The top thirty five qualifying rule puts more focus and pressure on the tail-enders of Sprint Cup. We’ve only had one race since the automatic qualifiers started being based on this year’s owners’ points. The sixth race of the year is now opening day for NASCAR’s silly season.

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Filed Under: Bobby Labonte, Carl Edwards, Charlie Turner, Chip Ganassi Racing #40, Dario Franchitti, Greg Biffle, Guest Authors, Kyle Petty, Petty Enterprises #45, Reed Sorenson, Ricky Rudd, Sprint Cup, Teams

Tagged As: Chad McCumbee, Chip Ganassi, Greg Biffle, Indy Car, Kyle Petty, Nascar, Petty Enterprises, Richard Childress Racing, silly season, Tony Stewart



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By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Sunday January 13, 2008
12:05pm UTC
Published on Thunder Lounge.

Kyle Petty

• 2007 Stats

  • Organization: Petty Enterprises
  • Car Number: 45
  • Crew Chief: Billy Wilburn
  • Sponsor: Wells Fargo
  • Points: 35th :: 2312 :: -4411
  • Starts: 29
  • Poles: 0
  • Wins: 0
  • Top 5′s: 1
  • Top 10′s: 1
  • Winnings: $2,865,440

• 2008 Preview

  • Organization: Petty Enterprises
  • Car Number: 45
  • Crew Chief: Billy Wilburn
  • Sponsor: Wells Fargo

Sometimes the luck bank cashes in on the best of people. The 2007 season was just that for Kyle Petty as he struggled to keep it in the Top-35 in Owners Points throughout the season. Yes, it could always be worse, however 2007 wasn’t a stellar season for Kyle.

Kyle’s lone shining star came in May at Charlotte. It was his best finish in longer than anyone could remember. OK, not quite, but it was almost the story of the night, and second only to Casey Mears getting his first win at the Cup level.

As the season progressed, tensions mounted. Having broken his hand at Watkins Glen after getting into an accident on the track, and subsequently having a conversation with the hauler wall (which won). Winding down the season, struggling to keep it the Top-35 still, Kyle got into an accident with Denny Hamlin at Dover in September. The resulting confrontation in the garage was around the media for weeks, as Kyle Petty’s frustrations continued to mount as the pressure of the Top-35 was mounting.

Ending the season, Kyle squeaked it in as the 35th car in Owners Points.

Note: information is accurate as of date published. Check Thunder Lounge for additional updates and information.

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Filed Under: Drivers, Kyle Petty, Nascar, Nextel Cup, Petty Enterprises #45, Sprint Cup, Teams





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