Inside the Halls of Petty: Pit crews prove teamwork

Hey fans. This is Robbie Loomis, back again to give you an insider's view of Petty Enterprises.

We are coming off an exciting week from Daytona. It was a pretty typical July race down there. Weather was a constant threat, but we got the race in. As usual the excitement on the track was as hot and as thick as the Florida humidity. Our Petty Enterprises Dodges were really fast. Unfortunately, we were caught up in accidents that weren't our fault. Our pit crews did amazing work all night. They put us in position for solid finishes despite our bad luck.

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Bobby Labonte and the No. 43 team unloaded with a very fast Dodge Charger on Thursday. Crew chief Paul Andrews only had to make minor tweaks to the car. Weekends like that get everyone excited to go racing because you know you have a good piece. Amazingly, Bobby does not have a win at Daytona. We were certain that, given some breaks, we could run up front and give him that first win. This, however, was not to be.

When the leaders tangled with each other to bring out a caution on Lap 15, Bobby was hit from behind by another spinning car. The result was heavy body damage to his Dodge. The crew went to work on the car and they kept Bobby on the lead lap. Paul called Bobby down pit road during the next several cautions to keep making repairs. They did a great job as Bobby was able to march right back through the field.

It looked as though the team, through hard work, would salvage a good finish. A late-race accident ended any hopes of a top-20 finish, though. Once again the No. 43 guys went to work on the car and got Bobby back out. That was crucial because by doing that they were able to salvage some positions to finish 35th.

John Andretti and the No. 45 team also had a strong car on Saturday night. Crew chief Billy Wilburn only had to make air-pressure adjustments during the race to get the car comfortable for John. When John likes his car at Daytona that usually means that he will be going to the front. He has one win there in his career. John was running top-10 lap times and a top-15 finish was firmly within his reach, but he too was the victim of someone else's wreck.

John was running well late in the race, but he was sent into the wall as cars were trying to avoid an accident in front of them. He lost a lap in the process, but was able to remain the first car one lap down and he picked up the "lucky dog" award. The crew did nice work on the car and had it running competitively again.

Cars were jockeying for position on the last restart of the night. As a result he did not get the restart he wanted and was relegated to a 28th-place finish.

Again I can't say enough about the Petty Enterprises pit crews. Despite adverse circumstances they showed the resiliency and heart of champions. They are a prime example of how NASCAR is a team sport. What happens on pit road can win or lose a race for you. Our guys have been lights-out all year.

See you in Victory Lane,
Robbie Loomis