Wayne County Outlook
Monticello
Sat, May 17 2008
—
With 200 wins and seven championships in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition,
Richard Petty is firmly woven into the fabric of Americana as a true icon.
The entire Petty family are noted for their generous giving of time and
energy in support of others. They are at the top of the charts when it comes
to giving and helping. They shun alcohol, and I have never heard any
negative rumors about their personal lives.
The problem they face isn't about honesty, morals or generosity. It's
about winning races.
The last Petty victory came in 1999 with driver John Andretti. Since
1983, when Richard won his last race, Petty Racing has only three wins.
Note: Kyle Petty's last win came at Dover in 1995, but he was driving for
Felix Sabates.
Rarely do teams survive as long as Petty has without fielding a winning
team. Morgan McClure Motorsports won three Daytona 500s, but they lost their
sponsor because of poor performance on the track.
Petty will be losing General Mills, one of their major sponsors, next
season to Richard Childress Racing.
As the big sponsors move to other teams, there is going to be a lack of
money to compete against the other top teams.
There are teams in the Cup series that are paid over $20-million by
their major sponsor. Toss in some associate sponsors, and they have an
operating budget of over $25-million.
Hendrick, Roush, and Childress Racing organizations do have teams with
that kind of budget.
How can a $10-million team compete against one of the mega-teams? You do
the math. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what's going to
happen.
Now, we don't think Petty Racing is going to fall off the face of the
earth, because the organization has several other means of bringing in
money, including the Richard Petty Driving Schools. Unless their two Cup
teams, the No. 43 and No. 45, are able to improve their on-track
performance, more and more sponsors are going to be switching to other
teams.
NASCAR and the fans need the Pettys, but racing is still about winning.
You've got to win to stay in the sport.
Next Week: Nationwide Series Going To New Car of Tomorrow
Weekend Racing: The Craftsman Trucks race at the one and one-half mile
Kansas Speedway. The Nationwide and Cup teams are at NASCAR's longest track,
the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway.
Sat., Apr. 26, Craftsman Trucks O'Reilly Auto Parts 250; Starting time:
5:30 p.m. (EST); TV: Speed.
Sat., Apr. 26, Nationwide Series Aaron's 312; Starting time: 2:30 p.m.
(EST); TV: ABC.
Sun., Apr. 27, Sprint Cup Aaron's 499; Starting time: 1:30 p.m. (EST);
TV: Fox.
Racing Trivia Question: What was Harry Gant's nickname?
Last Week's Question: Which team does Alan Gustafson crew chief for? He
is the crew chief on the No. 5 Hendrick Chevrolet driven by Casey Mears.
You may contact the Racing Reporter at: hodgesnews@earthlink.net.
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