Terry Labonte set to join his brother at Pettys

[tstran17_88]

http://hamptonroads.com/2008/05/terry-labonte-set-join-his-brother-pettys

Terry Labonte will be a teammate to his brother Bobby at Petty Enterprises starting next month, pending sponsor approval.



Terry (and Chad McCumbee) will drive the No. 45 when Kyle Petty gets out for the summer. Petty is scheduled to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 and then miss the next seven races (one for his daughter's wedding and the other six to work as an analyst for TNT)



McCumbee likely will drive at Dover and Chicago. Terry Labonte likely will drive in the other five races. Labonte's addition is key for Petty Enterprises because the No. 45 car is not in the top 35 in car owner points. Labonte's second of his two titles came in 1996 -- that makes him the most recent champion not in the top 35 since Bill Elliott's title came in 1988. Thus, Labonte would be guaranteed a starting spot each time he starts, while the Wood Brothers would lose that even with Elliott in the seat.



“”For us, (Terry) has always been in our mind because of Bobby,’’ said Robbie Loomis, executive vice president of operations at Petty Enterprises, before Saturday’s race at Darlington. “”We saw him help out Michael (Waltrip’s) deal last year. I think Kyle has always been close to him. It’s a good fit. Kind of a neat deal for us.’’



Terry Labonte drove three races last year for Michael Waltrip, competing in the road course events at Infineon Raceway and Watkins Glen. Terry Labonte also drove for Waltrip at Indianapolis last year, making the field on his champion’s provisional. Terry Labonte’s top finish in those races was 30th at Indianapolis and Watkins Glen.



This would be the second time the Labonte brothers have run as teammates. Terry Labonte drove in five races for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2005 when Bobby Labonte was there. Terry Labonte ranks fourth in series history with 851 career starts. He won 22 races.

[RaceFanStan]

It will be good to see "Texas Terry" back in a Cup Series stockcar ! http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g202/gr8link/thum/ua.gif

(You can go home now Bill Elliott) http://www.motorsportforum.com/forums/images/icons/tongue-anim.gif

[Sparky1329]

Very cool for Terry! :up:

[dwboogityfan]

Good to see Terry back but this is why the Champions Provisional shouldn't exist. However, I think Kyle being out of the #45 will be a good thing. As much as I like him he is quite simply not getting the job done.

[jslone]

Great for Terry toget back in,but it shows how bad Petty Enterprises has fallen,mainly to get his most recent title exemption.I hope that its not the case.

[colinspooky]

shows how bad Petty Enterprises has fallen



Exactly what I thought some time ago - how did a team with such prominance dive so far? I think that goes for Wood Brothers too. Remember I have only heard lots more about this sport in very recent years, so don't flame me too much. I can't know it all.

I love watching Back in the Day (shame not more racing and less Jr, but nevermind) and Wood and Petty is mentioned a lot. Well, Richard Petty is mentioned, I guess the team as such didn't exist back then. I am sure someone will put me right on all this........... ;)

[Lee Roy]

Exactly what I thought some time ago - how did a team with such prominance dive so far? I think that goes for Wood Brothers too. Remember I have only heard lots more about this sport in very recent years, so don't flame me too much. I can't know it all.

I love watching Back in the Day (shame not more racing and less Jr, but nevermind) and Wood and Petty is mentioned a lot. Well, Richard Petty is mentioned, I guess the team as such didn't exist back then. I am sure someone will put me right on all this........... ;)

Petty Enterprises (or at least the Petty team) has existed since the beginning of NASCAR. It was started by Richard's father, Lee Petty.

I remember when Petty Enterprises and the Wood Brother's team were the class of NASCAR. But in those days a full season in "Cup" cost, at most, $500,000. NASCAR has changed a lot since those days. Some teams could change with it (such as Childress), and some have had problems keeping up. There are a lot of former teams that fell by the wayside over the past 20 years as NASCAR has grown.

I remember in the 1970's when many of the mid-level teams were run out of a garage in the owner's back yard. No teams like that exist anymore.

[Haulin'AssAndTurnin Left]

I hate to see the Pettys resorting to this. Fingers crossed they can turn it around.

[oldhippie]

shame Petty cant get good engines and cars to match the talent of a champion driver

[jslone]

Wood brothers are just as bad it seems.Times are tough but some teams need to seriously think about getting out or merging with the big boys.

[colinspooky]

some teams need to seriously think about getting out or merging with the big boys



That was my point really - surely these should be the big boys - something went seriously wrong somewhere if you can go from winning so many times to nothing at all.

[Lee Roy]

That was my point really - surely these should be the big boys - something went seriously wrong somewhere if you can go from winning so many times to nothing at all.

Things were a lot different in NASCAR when the Petty's and the Woods were so successful. As you had organizations such as Rousch, JGR and Hendrick come on the scene, if you weren't able to step up your game, you wouldn't be able to keep up. Richard Childress is an example of a team that was able to keep up and thrive, but many teams such as Junior Johnson and Bud Moore saw the writing on the wall and decided it was time to get out.

For example, Hendricks has around 125 people in just their engine room. The Woods and Petty's probably didn't have anywhere near half that number of people between them in their hay-day.

[Sparky1329]

Exactly, Leroy. Smokey Yunick was right. "Speed costs money. How fast do you want to go?"

[colinspooky]

And I agree with all that. But. You have a team that is a major success.

Then, if I read this right, new teams come along with big money.

Where is the money coming from? If you were an investor, surely you would throw cash at the top team of the day rather than some start-up as Hendick was once.

And even if an investor did do that (just to show 'em), there would still be other investors throwing even bigger bags of dosh at the established winning teams. Just makes financial sense to reduce the risk.

So, I ask again, why are teams like Petty and Wood now doing so poorly? They must have done something somewhere along the line to peeve people off big time to put off those investors.

Perhaps they started losing which would put investors off, and the drought is still continuing, perhaps. If so, why did they start losing when they had such an initially dominant position.

[oldhippie]

every season nascar stockcars get better due mostly to research and developement
r+d costs big money and under funded teams dont have the funds to improve
past glory is just that = in the PAST

the big money multiple team owners are pushing the small teams out of nascar
the days of a winning low budget team in nascar is long gone