Kyle Petty sat out the Sprint Cup race in Texas last week. He handed the reigns to Chad McCumbee to see if he could have better luck qualifying. He didn't. The #45 once again loaded up early and went home without racing.
This wouldn't be such big news except there was some confusion about just how Kyle Petty ended up watching qualifying from the garage instead of driving. Petty says that team manager Robbie Loomis made the decision. Loomis says that Petty pulled himself out of the car.
Whatever the truth is the message is clear. There is chaos at Petty Enterprises. This is a team is serious trouble and soon to be in need of a miracle.
Recipe For Recovery
So what does Petty Enterprises need to do in order to return to their winning ways?
- Do whatever it takes to retain Bobby Labonte. As a former Sprint Cup Champion Bobby gives the team at least 6 guaranteed starts per season, even if they fall outside of the top 35 in points. In addition, Bobby is a talented driver who is likely to be outperforming his equipment.
- Find a financial backer. Jack Roush and Ray Evernham felt like they needed an infusion of cash in order to be competitive in 2007. Petty Enterprises could benefit from a similar cash boost.
- Get the #43 and #45 teams on equal footing. In order to get maximum benefit from a multi-car team both teams need to be able to share equal information. The #43 is a mid-pack car but they can't be benefiting much from the #45 when they are struggling just to make the show.
- Find some current technical starpower. It is time for Petty Enterprises to steal away a big name crew chief. They need someone with some strong technical knowledge about how to make the Car of Tomorrow platform work best. The new car seems to be eluding many teams. If you can't figure it out then go buy the knowledge.
- Consider a merge. In the age of the superteam maybe it is time for Petty Enterprises to join forces with another two-car team? Ray Evernham is rumored to be looking to add to his stable and could benefit from Bobby Labonte's experience.
