Petty difficulties more than pulling Kyle for lone race

FORT WORTH, Texas -- It has never been easy to replace a Petty in a Petty Enterprises racecar.

Apparently, it's not very easy to explain how it happens, either. But after much discussion -- first amongst themselves back at their own shiny new race shop in Mooresville, N.C., and then in repeated rounds with the media at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday -- all parties at Petty appear in agreement on at least one front.

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Kyle Petty is out of the driver's seat in the No. 45 Petty Enterprises Dodge for this Sunday's Samsung 500 Sprint Cup Series race because the goal is to make that car better and more competitive for the long run.

Robbie Loomis, general manager of the organization, said the decision to replace Petty with driver Chad McCumbee for this Sunday's race was more difficult for him to absorb than the news that came two days later when longtime Petty supporter General Mills announced it was taking its sponsorship dollars to Richard Childress Racing at the end of this season.

"This was harder on me Monday than getting the news about the sponsor," Loomis said. "And it's because I knew the sponsor thing, well, we've been trying to save them guys and work on that for two years. So to me, that was something I guess that I was more prepared for. This is a part of where I feel a sense of failure myself of getting this 45 car where we need it."

Kyle Petty did not argue that the No. 45 car he has been driving is nowhere near where it needs to be. He battled various mechanical problems while opening the season with a 34th-place finish in the Daytona 500, 38th at Fontana, 32nd at Las Vegas and 41st at Atlanta. He entered the all-important fifth race of the season at Bristol ranked 40th in the owner standings, 81 out of 35th.

Needing then to make a last stand at Bristol to get the car back into the all-important top 35, where he would have been guaranteed a starting spot the following Sunday at Martinsville, the best Petty could pull off was 28th. The left him needing to qualify on speed to even get the car in the race at Martinsville, and he failed.

"It wasn't as bad, of course, but it almost had the same feel as a death in the family when he didn't make that race," team consultant and longtime former crew chief Dale Inman said.

Waving the flag
Kyle met for two lengthy sessions with the media Friday. The second was necessary because during the first he stated that it wasn't his idea to get out of the driver's seat, which conflicted directly with what Loomis was saying.

"I'll let you throw the B.S. flag on this a little bit. I'm not going to tell you the truth," Petty said. "And here's the reason why: It will hurt too many different people in too many different ways from too many different angles. I'm just not going to tell you the truth. Take what I say and write it. I'm just not going to tell you where everything's at. I just can't."

Later Loomis met for another round with the media to further clarify his position. He reiterated that in his mind, it was Kyle's decision to get out of the car and let McCumbee climb in. (Continued)