Petty Enterprises doesn't want sympathy, welfare (cont'd)

"Bobby [Labonte] is the same way. Bobby has had a couple of really good runs, but he's had a couple of bad runs. He's moved up in points and the outlook is good, but that doesn't mean he's closed the gap on the A teams. I do think we're getting more competitive. I think the issue for us is to become more consistent and more competitive and then figure out what we've got. We're just not at a place where we can evaluate that, I don't think."

Asked to clarify if that meant he thinks the Petty teams are C teams looking to move up into the B team category for the time being, Petty bluntly and honestly answered, "Yes, I would say so."

As they struggle to move up in Nextel Cup pecking order -- and Labonte is only 50 points out of the top 12 that at the end of the season would qualify him for a spot in the Chase for the Nextel Cup -- Petty said that Petty Enterprises still operates under the same beliefs it always has. Back when Richard was winning a Cup record 200 races and seven points championships, he once scoffed at the idea that the rich seemed to get richer in the sport and that no one should be "on welfare."

Kyle Petty was reminded of his father's remark Friday, and laughed at it. But then he said that he still agrees with it. That's why he said he thinks the fastest 43 cars each week in qualifying should be the ones to race on that given Sunday, pure and simple.

Starting this week, after five 2007 races, the top 35 teams in owner points are guaranteed a starting spot in each week's race, regardless of how they qualify. That leaves the rest of the teams on the outside the top 35 fighting for only eight spots and the chance to get back in the top 35 themselves each weekend.

"This is a sport. If you believe in handouts in sports, you're just going to let everybody show up at the Masters next week. You earn a right to go to the Masters. You play golf and you get to that level where you're a major-league player," Petty said. "I can't play Major League Baseball, so I'm not going to open it up and let Kyle Petty come try.

"This is a sport where you get a report card every Sunday. You either win and pass or you run second and fail. That's the way it is. So there's 42 guys out here that fail every Sunday. It's either a passing grade or you fail. If you're not competitive enough to be here, then you shouldn't be here. Open it up and let someone else come in who is [competitive enough]. Whether you're a driver or a team, it doesn't make any difference. If you're not competitive enough to be here, then you shouldn't be on that welfare system to allow people to show up and be here from the competition side."

At the same time, Petty maintained that there are teams, the ones at Petty Enterprises included, who deserve some measure of respect in the sport they helped build -- if not some kind of outright advantage in the races on Sundays.

"This is where this is a goofy sport. That's from the competition side. From an owner's side, I should have a franchise," Petty said. "We've been here 60 years doing the same thing, beating our heads against the wall pulling from California to New York to Florida and back six times a year with some of the schedules they've made throughout the years and you've got nothing to show for it.

"That's where there's that fine line: is it a sport or a business? It's really a business six days a week. It's only a sport on Sunday, but it's a business Monday through Saturday. That's the way it works. From a business side, I'm not against the top 35 having a free ride. I'm not against a franchise. For the show, it should be the 43 fastest people." (Continued)