Kyle Petty said that his not racing the last two weeks is different than his situation earlier this season at Texas Motor Speedway when he was pulled from the Petty Enterprises #45 car. With the team currently 273 points [now 242 after McCumbee’s 17th at Pocono] outside of the top 35, Petty said it only makes sense to use the rest of the season to evaluate drivers. Petty, speaking following a taping of “Tradin’ Paint” at Pocono Raceway, was originally scheduled to drive at Indianapolis last week and then Pocono. He had missed the previous seven races because of his daughter’s wedding and then to do commentary during TNT telecasts. Petty said no one should read into this as new majority owner Boston Ventures trying to push him out. “We’re so far back in points, it really is going to give us an opportunity to evaluate a lot of things,” Petty said. “[Texas] was a different deal. We’re all on the same page on this and everything is going according [to the plan]. “¦ I was mad at Texas, and you know I’m not going to hide it if I’m mad about it. We don’t have a shot of getting back in the top 35, and so when you get to that position, then you can try a lot of different stuff.” He said he will race at Watkins Glen next week before Terry Labonte, who drove during most of his absence, returns at Michigan. Petty likely will run the seven races from Bristol through Talladega. Chad McCumbee, who qualified the #45 for the Pocono race, will run at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in October and likely will drive in the majority of the final five races after that, Petty said. And what about next year? Petty said he is still doing his six races in the broadcast booth for TNT. He said he was open to running a limited schedule, ranging from 10 to 30 races. Marathon and Wells Fargo should return as sponsors, Petty said. Petty said he is agreeable to running a third part-time car for the team if it wants to have two other full-time drivers. If there is a third team, Petty said he would still drive the #45. He drives the #45 as a tribute to his son, Adam, who was killed in a crash during Busch Series practice in 2000 at New Hampshire.(SceneDaily)(8-4-2008)
