Hopefully, the Petty name will remain in NASCAR

By Mike Smith (contact)

Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008 | 7:58 p.m.

Founded in 1949, Petty Enterprises is NASCAR’s oldest and most famous racing organization. As a kid growing up on the West Coast, where NASCAR wasn’t exactly the most popular sport, I can recall overhearing conversations about Richard Petty. The fact that he could be a household name far from NASCAR country demonstrates his importance as an athlete who brought stock-car racing to the attention of all demographics. Icons such as Petty are the foundation of NASCAR that made it possible to bring a sport from regional prominence to national prominence.

That’s why it will be unsettling if Petty Enterprises is absorbed into another racing organization, relegating the Petty name to the end of a list of names on the side of a team’s hauler.

Let’s face it: The Petty cars haven’t been competitive for years. That indicates to me that a possible merger with Gillett Evernham Motorsports will be more about the marketing possibilities of the Petty name than about acquiring a competitive racing organization. Hey, if I owned a Sprint Cup team I would love to have the Petty name associated with my organization to lure sponsors and promote a positive image. And, if there is a merger, let’s hope it will improve the performance of the No. 43 car. But right now, Petty Enterprises has no sponsorship for the No. 43 car or the car slated for Chad McCumbee.

So if a merger is the only way to keep Petty’s teams associated with NASCAR, then so be it. But call me sentimental. It just wouldn’t be the same as seeing the Petty teams compete independently under the Petty name.

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