Petty Enterprises merges with GEM

[Mark in Oshawa]

The end of an era guys.....Boston Ventures has sold out the Petty 43 to GEM and the layoffs have started.

Read Dave Moody's Sirius Speedway blog: http://www.sirius-speedway.com/ and comment away.

I am disgusted things have fallen to this level and the idea of Reed freaking Sorenson driving the 43 out of GEM's shop just aint right. I have no idea where the "King" will be next year but I do know Evernham was disgusted by the Sadler ouster and is trying to divest himself of involvment with the Gilletts. I have no doubt that the economy is a huge factor in this and the Davis sale but it is maddening to see all this turmoil and see great names going by the wayside and top drivers such as Bobby Labonte and solid vets like Elliot Sadler getting screwed out of rides because basically they demand to be paid for driving a race car as opposed to just bringing money and a smile....

[ms0362]

Petty will just become a icon. Unfortunately he'll head down the path of Cal Yarborough and Bobby Allison in their team ownership history. Looks like we're losing a lot of the history that has made this sport what it is. Now it's just coming down to money because NASCAR let the sport turn that way.

[call_me_andrew]

When exactly did they let it turn that way? Was it the common templates, or the strict testing limits, or the minimum weights on engine parts?

A good driver does not make a good buisness man.

[MDS]

Its bad management coupled with a bad economy. Level Cross never really moved with the times, from what I've read

[Mark in Oshawa]

Petty had some bad luck, some poor decisions on not moving to Mooresville sooner (that is a key if you want to hire the best people) and Richard thought the technology boom in R and D was something he couldn't afford. The Petty's got by on his skill and Chrysler's support for a lot of years and even when he was with GM, the gap between his team and others wasn't ever that large. As time went on tho, the Petty's didn't really have the resources to take that next step.


Now after a bad economic downturn, Boston Ventures realized they cant make money at this. I think now after reading they own the Richard Petty Driving experience I think it was the only part of the company they wanted but they had to try to run the team first before splitting it off and selling it to GEM. Richard was a bystander the second he signed that deal......

[willracefan]

they shouldnt have signed with them in the first place. i was like wth when that was announced, and boy was bobby fooled or what. :s tareup:

[Mark in Oshawa]

they shouldnt have signed with them in the first place. i was like wth when that was announced, and boy was bobby fooled or what. :s tareup:

Bobby has/had intense loyalty to the Petty's. Most drivers who drive for the King do as does Robbie Loomis, one of the most respected men in the garage. I think what changed was Boston Ventures showed up blowing smoke up a lot of orifaces and the whole thing blew up in their face taking Labonte, Richard Petty and Robbie Loomis on a dead end ride. Kyle was the lucky one...he got out early....

[Haulin'AssAndTurnin Left]

I cant help but think hadnt Adam Petty not been killed things would have been very different for PE. They would of have their own little Jnr PR machine working and the money would have been flooding in.

[colinspooky]

I cant help but think hadnt Adam Petty not been killed things would have been very different for PE. They would of have their own little Jnr PR machine working and the money would have been flooding in.


Hmmmm... Interesting idea

[ms0362]

When exactly did they let it turn that way? Was it the common templates, or the strict testing limits, or the minimum weights on engine parts?

A good driver does not make a good buisness man.

Because it's safe to say that over the last 10 years or less, the cost of a team to race in this series has more than doubled. Racing professionals (like Petty), no longer have the ability own and run a team. It take investiment groups from Boston or somewhere else to handle the cost. And they are exactly that, investment groups. And when the dollars don't line up, they sell. They don't have an interest in racing, just dollars. A race team is no different than any other business to them. Race team, steel plant, fertilizer company, it's all the same to them. Yes, NASCAR has put in limit controls, but it didn't do anything to slow the expenses. If nothing else it created more expense. Six digit costs in wind tunnels to gain 2/10ths of a second around the templete, and so on.

Agreed, a driver is seldom a good business man. Most have failed. But we are getting away from of what made this sport attractive, at least to me anyway. And yes, it is a business. However the personal side of the competition is what makes it unique. I don't think we are fans of investment groups, we are fans of famous drivers and owners.

[carracing]

I cant help but think hadnt Adam Petty not been killed things would have been very different for PE. They would of have their own little Jnr PR machine working and the money would have been flooding in.

Good point. In some ways I think the "heart" of racing just went out when they lost Adam and Lee within weeks of each other - it's understandable, any family would be devastated... It is sad though - another "end of an era" for many lifelong race fans.