Richard Petty said the reason Kurt Busch wasn ‘t hired to drive his famous #43 was ‘personality.’ ‘Sponsorships,’ Petty said during a break in Thursday’s test session at Daytona International Speedway. ‘Nobody at the time wanted to pay the bill for him. That’s how simple it was.’ Busch, who was released from Penske Racing after a tumultuous 2011 season that led the 2004 Cup champion to seek professional help for anger issues, ultimately signed with Phoenix Racing. Petty said Smithfield Foods, which he introduced Thursday as a primary sponsor for the No. 43 car he drove to a record 200 victories and seven Sprint Cup championships, was among those that wouldn ‘t come on board if Busch was involved. ‘Everybody has to protect their brand,’ Petty said. ‘Smithfield has a pretty laid back, pretty good down-home persona in the general public. If they had taken him on it would have changed their ‘¦ they just didn ‘t like the personality.’ Petty said Best Buy, which left the #43 to join Roush Fenway Racing as a sponsor, had the same concern.(ESPN)(1-13-2012)
