Bobby Labonte has scored 14 victories and a championship in the time since the No. 43 last visited Victory Lane. Credit: Autostock

Last Lap: Petty blues

Petty Enterprises' No. 43, the most successful car number in NASCAR history, has won three races since Richard Petty's last victory in July 1984. That is not a typo.

Three wins in the past 21 1/2 seasons: Bobby Hamilton in the 1996 Dura Lube 500 at Phoenix; Hamilton in the 1997 ACDelco 400 at Rockingham; and John Andretti in the 1999 Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville.

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And this is even more disheartening. Just two top-five finishes since Andretti's victory.

Two. That's sad.

Most folks wrote them off, said they'd never resurface, never regain consistent competitive form. But several landmark personnel acquisitions late in the 2005 season have injected substantial confidence back into the program.

Champions have a way of doing that.

Robbie Loomis: 2001 champion crew chief. Todd Parrott: 1999 champion crew chief. Bobby Labonte: 2000 NASCAR Cup Series champion.

Not bad. Rekindling the glory days is a long shot, certainly, but all three former champions believe Petty Enterprises' program is revivable.

Labonte says they can win. Parrott says they will win. Loomis says they must win.

"We have to win," Loomis said Monday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway. "We're in a performance business. I said that last year and I stick by it. I think Bobby Labonte, with Todd Parrott coming on board, is a great step. He can see a bigger picture.

"It's going to put the things in place that we need. I think Kyle [Petty] is as devoted as I've ever seen him. He's been in the shop, focused on the big picture of the company and not worried about the small things, like airplane seats and who's sitting where.

"I think that will allow Kyle to focus on driving. I told the guys all we have to do is do better every day. When we wake up, focus on doing better every day and we'll get the results.

"I feel confident we can win, and hopefully win multiple races."

Is Bobby Labonte the best, last-gasp effort for the future of Petty Enterprises?

tptrep: I don't see it as a "last gasp effort" but I certainly see it as positive for PE. Let's not forget how big the loss of Adam was and the impact it had on PE. As for Bobby, PE has a true professional in every sense. Couple him with Loomis and Parrott, now we are talking team.

That is what is needed, to first get back to respectability and then to being competitive. I don't know where they will end the year, but a strong showing certainly wouldn't be surprising and competing for wins would definitely turn some heads (maybe even at JGR).

TP makes a crucial point, here -- Labonte alone wouldn't be enough to raise eyebrows, much less expectations. But adding three former champions that four months ago held prominent addresses -- Labonte at Joe Gibbs Racing, Parrott at Robert Yates Racing, Loomis at Hendrick Motorsports -- is more than enough.

Labonte was 14th-quickest in Monday's afternoon session. Credit: Autostock

Moreover, the three positions held by the three individuals are crucial: Driver, crew chief and team manager.

Loomis says the foundation is set. Now it's about the all-too-important intricacies that separate greatness from mediocrity.

"Petty Enterprises had a lot of strengths -- there were several areas that were very strong, so really it just comes down to a matter of details," Loomis said. "We need to get the guys focused on the details of the car."

becca24rulz: It's not like Marty is gonna read this, but unless Petty Enterprises gets a driver like Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart, probably not. But Bobby Labonte is definitely gonna be a change for the better. I don't know if he's gonna be able to win races like he had the chance at Gibbs, but at least he can maybe get top-10s and top-20s, and at least finish better than Jeff Green.

Touché, Becca.

And just to clarify, not even Gordon or Stewart could have won in the cars Petty Enterprises has been fielding over the past several years. Even the best driving talents need capable equipment to run well.

I agree with Rhea:

rheagree: The driver change will make little difference if the equipment, communications and support personnel are not there. Because of NASCAR's rules, drivers are needed to steer the car, but if the car is not right they cannot win.

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Areo packages and rules that try to make everything equal have destroyed the true competition between drivers and so-called drivers. It use to be the cars were set up the best they could be before the race and small adjustments were made during the race, then the real drivers took over and raced the car to a win.

Now if you get a little dent in your fender or your setup is off a little, you cannot drive the car to be competitive, regardless of who the driver is.

I describe it thusly to my thickheaded buddies that can't grasp the concept: The world's best neurosurgeon would have a hell of a time with a dull scalpel.

redcup56: I think there was too much pressure on Kyle to run the organization and drive the 45. I think that Robbie Loomis' addition to the team is the best thing that they could have done to take some responsibility off of Kyle. I do think that Labonte will help, also.

Bingo, Red. Loomis said earlier that the offseason personnel additions will enable Kyle to concern himself with driving the No. 45 car and not who's sitting where on the team plane. Once again, it's the little things now.

dmp81: I think it is a decent move, But they need to get a younger driver somewhere down the line to replace Kyle.

And they will replace Kyle in due time, Josh. But right now, he has every intention, and every right, to drive as long as his heart desires.

Nowhere does he feel closer to Adam than the cockpit of the No. 45 car.

ssgtklee: I think PE had to make changes, and stop living off the name. Today's racing is too competitive, and they haven't been for to long now. They have finally taken the steps to get back on the right track, (Loomis, Labonte, Parrot) but the next step in the progression needs to be looked at as well, (i.e. replacing Kyle).

Hopefully Kyle and Bobby will run good this year. I miss the days when PE was running decent, and it is a shame they haven't run better over the years.

See previous response.

I'm a terrible prognosticator, but I truly believe the No. 43 will surprise us in 2006. I don't see Labonte outrunning Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle at Atlanta, but he could win at New Hampshire or Martinsville.

Then there's the Todd Parrott factor. Back in October, I saw Parrott at a Charlotte-area hangout and he assured me he and Dale Jarrett would go to Victory Lane before the 2005 season ended.

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They won Talladega four days later. I saw Parrott last weekend in the very same Charlotte-area hangout, and he assured me he and Labonte would win in 2006. I've learned not to discount the man's confidence.

And Labonte is set on kill, too, for good measure.

"At some point in time we better win," Labonte said Monday at Daytona International Speedway. "That's our goal. We're not happy with not running good, so we want to do good enough until we win. That's our goal."

Roll_Tide48: I don't think it was a last gasp effort, but I think it was a statement about how Petty Enterprises is tired of being a "glad to get a top-15" race team.

With the addition of Loomis and Labonte (two huge names in this sport), they won't make the Chase this year or win a race. You can, however, see Petty Enterprises having an 8 to 12 top-10 season and one or two top-5s, then in '07 maybe making a serious run at getting into the Chase.

I'm really glad to see an underdog team that's fed up with being a two-car field-filler and has decided to become a big-time NASCAR team again. I think the Petty story will be one of the best stories in the sport in the next few years.

But what if they did win, Brody Croyle?

"It'd be huge," Loomis said. "All of America -- and half of this garage -- looks at Petty Enterprises like the Green Bay Packers. They cycled up and went back down, were back up in '96 and '97 and right now they're on a down turn. Hopefully we're on the way back up.

"We've just got to roll up our sleeves and work as hard as possible to get Petty Enterprises back up front."

Rest assured, they're well on their way.

The opinions listed here are solely those of the writer.