Labonte and McCumbee to drive No. 45 Dodge while Petty is on TV
Petty Enterprises announces its driver lineup for the No. 45 Marathon/Wells Fargo/PVA Dodge for the races beginning with the June 1 event at the Dover International Speedway through the July 12 event at the Chicagoland Speedway. Kyle Petty is scheduled to step away from the car at Dover to attend his daughter’s wedding. Petty will also return to the broadcasting booth to cover the NASCAR Sprint Cup events that will air on TNT Sports, which begin with the June 8 event at the Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. Petty made his TNT Sports broadcasting debut in 2007 to rave reviews and accolades. Petty will return when the series makes its annual mid-summer trek to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Chad McCumbee will bookend Petty’s hiatus by getting behind the wheel of the No. 45 Dodge at Dover and Chicagoland. He previously filled in for Petty at Pocono and the Michigan International Speedway in 2007 and at the Texas Motor Speedway last month. McCumbee’s best finish for Petty Enterprises came at Pocono when he came home 25th. The Chicagoland race will be his debut on the 1.5-mile oval.
For the remaining five races, Petty will turn the reins of the No. 45 Dodge over to a familiar friend and competitor. Two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, Terry Labonte, will become a teammate to his younger brother, 2000 series champion Bobby, for only the second time in their Sprint Cup careers. The Labontes are the only brothers to both win the series championship and have combined to win 43 Sprint Cup races. (From PettyEnterprises.com)
Comments (13)Driver Comments from Talladega
Tags: bobby labonte, aric almirola, kasey kahne, kyle petty, kyle busch, tony stewart, greg biffle, robby gordon, ryan newman, elliott sadler
Chevy
comments from Joe Nemechek
comments from Aric Almirola, Paul Menard, Martin Truex Jr.
Dodge
comments from Robby Gordon
comments from Kyle Petty and Bobby Labonte
comments from Ryan Newman
comments from Sam Hornish Jr.
comments from Kurt Busch
comments from Kasey Kahne
comments from Elliot Sadler
Ford
comments from David Ragan
comments from Greg Biffle
comments from Jamie McMurray
Toyota
comments from Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin
comments from Tony Stewart
Chad McCumbee to run the Petty #45 at Texas Motor Speedway
Tags: kyle petty, petty enterprises, texas motor speedway, chad mccumbee
Quotes from Kyle Petty:
“Chad McCumbee is going to step into the No. 45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge this weekend at Texas. Texas is a good track for him. He had a strong run going in the truck race there last year. At Pocono, he did a great job filling in for me when I went into the booth. Everyone at Petty Enterprises believes in Chad and his abilities. Texas gives us a chance to get another good look at Chad without throwing him to the wolves. He should be relaxed because he knows he can get the job done there.”
Quotes from Chad McCumbee:
“I feel comfortable around the No. 45 team. Billy Wilburn and I work well together. We had a great race last year at Pocono. I’m hoping for more of the same this weekend. Kyle is going to be there, giving me advice and pointers. That means a lot to me. I’ve learned a lot from him already.”
“I’m anxious to do my part to help this team. We’re planning on going to Kentucky Speedway on Wednesday for a test. Just to help me get used to the new car. The two races last year were in the old car, so there will be a little bit of an adjustment period there. I don’t have a lot of experience in the old car either, so maybe that will be a positive.” (From PettyRacing.com)
Comments (0)Martinsville Speedway: pre-race notes (3/28/08)
Tags: jeff gordon, kyle petty, greg biffle, chip ganassi racing, elliott sadler, denny hamlin, roush racing, joe nemechek, david reutimann, dennis setzer
Friday's qualifying saw Jeff Gordon win the poll for the race with a speed of 96.288mph. Also on the front row is Denny Hamlin.
Kyle Petty, John Andretti, Tony Raines, and Joe Nemechek did not qualify for the race.
NASCAR has said no to David Reutimann, 26th in the points, on points swap with #44 car that is 34th place in the points. NASCAR is only going to do a point swap if a merger occurs.
Elliott Sadler says he does not know how he injured his back. He expects to race on Sunday, but if he can't go, Dennis Setzer (practiced Sadler's Cup car at Martinsville) will most likely be his replacement.
Greg Biffle says that he is 90% sure that he is going to stay at Roush. "We're really just in the fine-tune negotiations [stage]," Biffle said. "I think we're coming along fairly well. It hasn't been a top priority, but we've been communicating back and forth about what we'd like to see in a contract -- appearances and the way it's structured and different things.
TUMS announced today that it will be the sponsor of Martinville Speedway's October 19, 2008 Sprint Cup series race – The TUMS QuikPak 500. In addition to the TUMS QuikPak 500 at Martinsville Speedway, TUMS will serve as an associate sponsor of the No. 40 and 41 Dodges for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates throughout the 2008 season. The TUMS logo will appear on the B-post and rear quarter panel.
Comments (1)Kyle Petty: In his own words
Dustin Long of the The Roanoke Times sits down with 'NASCAR's good guy,' Kyle Petty for a nice Q&A and discuss racing and home-life.
What are the experiences, beliefs and dreams that shape the lives of some of NASCAR's drivers? Staff writer Dustin Long asked Kyle Petty about these subjects earlier this month as he sat on a couch in his team's hauler awaiting practice at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Comments (0)Kyle Petty doing good again
I'm really not a big fan of Kyle Petty! He is never a factor in any race (except Coke 600 last year) and he seems to be a sub-par driver at this point. However, it's hard to dislike the guy when he does so much good in the community. The Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America just announced the route for its 14th annual motorcycle ride across America, July 13-20. Riders will depart from Traverse City, Mich., on July 13, making overnight stops in Elkhart Lake, Wis.; Lombard, Ill.; Lexington, Ky.; White Sulfur Springs, W.Va.; Charlotte, N.C.; and Peachtree City, Ga., before reaching Savannah, Ga., their final destination, on July 19. Read the press release.
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