Kyle [Petty] is back in the No. 45 Wells Fargo/Marathon/Tire Kingdom Dodge for the rest of the season. His time away helped him recharge and refocus. Chad McCumbee and John Andretti did a great job filling in for Kyle while he was in the TNT Sports broadcast booth. Chad and John really helped both our teams by testing for us at places like the Kentucky Speedway. We were able to work on coil-binding setups and all of the other stuff you hear on television. The improvements in our cars have been substantial. Robbie Loomis, Special to NASCAR.COM
July 30
Kyle’s Milestone – It was a little bit lost in the typical Brickyard overhype, but Sunday marked Kyle Petty’s 800th start in a Cup race. His first start came back in the 1979 Talladega 500, where he finished ninth; in case you’re wondering, dad Richard Petty finished fourth while Darrell Waltrip won the race. Kyle wasn’t as strong this Sunday; he finished 32nd after getting caught up in a multi-car wreck and remains 36th in points. but that didn’t taint a historic day for the Pettys. The milestone puts Kyle sixth on the all-time starts list, behind his dad (1184), Ricky Rudd (895), Dave Marcis (883), Terry Labonte (849), and D.W. (809). Becca Gladden, FrontStretch.com
July 29
Kyle Petty swears he didn’t orchestrate his schedule so his 800th career start could come today at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
In fact, if it were up to him, he’d rather have done it at Rockingham, N.C., at a track no longer on the NASCAR schedule.
“It would probably mean more to have it at Rockingham where I won some races, to be totally honest with you,” said Petty, 47, who scored three of his eight career wins at North Carolina Motor Speedway. Steve Ballard, IndyStar.com
July 25
Kyle likes to say that 800 starts in the Nextel Cup Series simply means he is old. He is 47 years of age. Longevity is a rare reward in any professional sport. And don’t let him kid you, he knows it.
“I have never really thought about it,” Petty said. “But I remember going to Michigan for dad’s 1,000th start. My sisters were there. It was Father’s Day. It was a big deal.
“I was just walking through Adam’s shop the other day and there’s a photo of my 500th start. I remember thinking, wow, that’s half of what The King did. That’s a lot of racing.” Bill Weber, NASCAR.COM
July 24
“It’s kind of crazy to think that this will be my 800th start,” Petty said. “I just started back in 1979, when I made my Cup debut, and you never think that you are doing the same thing for 30 years. I think about a lot of people that have helped me sustain such a long career - my family, Felix [Sabates], the Woods and everyone else that have been a part of it. It’s because of those people and the great equipment they put me in throughout my career that I am able to join my father on that exclusive list of drivers. SceneDaily.com
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