What’s Wrong With a Little Switch-a-roo?
As I stated in a post of mine late last week, Bobby LaBonte appears to have gotten Petty Enterprises headed at least a step into the right direction. I also outlined in that same story, the same cannot be said for the other drivers that have graced the cars owned by Richard Petty, including his son, Kyle.
While Bobby LaBonte’s no. 43 Dodge currently sits in 18th place in both driver points and owner points, the 45 car driven by Kyle sits exactly in 35th place … just 54 points ahead of Joe Nemecheck. As we all know, being within the top 35 in owner points is absolutely crucial these days, as it ensures the car’s entry into the race. Anyone outside of that must qualify on time, and when you take into account the potential provisionals that can be taken by past Champions, that window for the number of cars to qualify outside of the top 35 gets a whole lot smaller.
The solution? Well, LaBonte’s not running for the Championship this year as he sits outside of the Top 12 … his position inside the Top 35 is pretty well secure for the remainder of the year since we have just four races to go … so, what’s he really racing for other than money, momentum, and pride? Exactly – and, he can still race for all of those things behind the seat of the 45 car. So, should Kyle Petty fall outside of that Top 35 … or, heck, if Nemecheck or the two to three cars behind him get any closer to Kyle in the points, you’ll probably see LaBonte driving Kyle’s car for the few remaining races to ensure Kyle’s entry into the Daytona 500 next year.
Is there anything wrong with doing this? I’d say it’s certainly an issue of integrity and morals, but at the end of the day, the sanctioning body of NASCAR is the one that needs to be looked at, not Petty Enterprises. And, believe me, this is certainly not the first team to contemplate going about their strategy this way. Bill Elliott, Ricky Rudd, Dale Jarrett, and Terry LaBonte have been used on several occasions in the past few years. Everytime we visit a road course, the field gets loaded with the “ringers” (road course specialists) driving cars normally driven by the Cup regulars. Heck, isn’t this essentially the same thing that DEI’s done everytime they’ve put Mark Martin behind the wheel of the US Army car this year? So, I absolutely think this is one loophole in the rulebook that NASCAR needs to fix as it’s nothing more than a direct integrity violation to the sport in general, but as long as the rule exists, I see no reason for the Petty’s not to capitalize on it.
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8 opinions for What’s Wrong With a Little Switch-a-roo?
Don
Oct 23, 2007 at 7:33 am
If it weren’t for the rule that is going to go into effect about how many cars an owner can have running, teams like Petty Ent. would eventually get bulldogged down to one. Maybe far fethched, but it will also help evaluate how bad Petty really sucks. If Labonte takes Petty’s car and runs it into the top10 or 15 than we will know it’s driver error and not an engineering error. Hopefully that happens. Will be exciting to see.
Tim Zaegel
Oct 23, 2007 at 2:50 pm
I don’t think there’s any guess work involved in assessing Kyle Petty’s ability to drive that car. I’ve always figured Kyle would make for a better Crew Chief that he would a race car driver. I’m sure if they go this route that LaBonte will be able to keep the car in the Top 35. I also agree that the rule coming down the pipe for 2009 to limit the number of cars any team can have truly helps smaller teams such as Petty Enterprise. Of course, the only team that would currently be effected is Roush, and they’ve lost some of that dominance they had going a few years ago.
Charlie
Oct 24, 2007 at 10:24 am
I think that questioning Kyle Petty’s and Petty Enterprises’ “morals” is a bit of a stretch. PE is simply doing what racers everywhere have done since the beginning of organized racing. They are using what the rules give them. One team that has not been accused of cheating this year is Petty Enterprises. I am sure that the PE sponsors appreciate the fact that Kyle is willing to use every avenue to get their cars - and sponsors - on the track, depite the fact that the manner being used may be a bitt embarrassing for Kyle Petty. And just as a note guys, Kyle is an 8 time winner in Cup and has well over 150 top ten finishes. He does not “suck” as a driver.
Tim Zaegel
Oct 24, 2007 at 12:40 pm
Charlie, it is a question of integrity and morals. Teams certainly have been doing the same thing since the beginning of time, but not because it’s the right thing to do … they’ve been doing it because they’re allowed to. That section of the rulebook is designed to support those teams that lose their driver at some point in the season - be it due to injury, a driver switching teams, or the team firing their driver. In this case, it’s none of the above, but rather the fact that they have a sub-par driver sitting behind the wheel. And, make no mistake about it - Petty may have 8 Cup wins in his career, but he’s also competed in 782. Good guy? Definitely. Good driver? Don’t think so.
All in all, I still agree that this is the right move because it makes the most business sense, and let’s face it - there are no morals or integrity in conducting business.
scott
Oct 24, 2007 at 1:06 pm
I WOULD LIKE A COPY OF THIS RULE BOOK THAT NASCAR HAS
Charlie
Oct 24, 2007 at 1:56 pm
I guess we will have to agree to disagree on this one Tim. The champs’s provisional rule was drawn up to benefit the race promoters, to ensure that past champions would be assured of qualifying for races and for the fans that attended those races of being able to watch those champions.
To, in one sentence call Kyle Petty a good guy - and then in the next question his integrity and morals - is just wrong. NASCAR - and all racing organizations - interpret their rules this way; if the book doesn’t say you can’t do something, then you can do that something. The problem that exists at this time is the ridiculous top 35 qualifying rule. Make a convincing case to me that one of the other drivers, outside of the top thirty five in owner’s points right now, is a better, more deserving driver than Kyle Petty.
roc
Oct 25, 2007 at 9:56 am
It’s not about being earning you earn your spot by how you run so putting a driver in the top 20 in your car apparently you haven’t earned your spot kyle is a graet guy but you gets your spots on your performance.
You get what you deserve by how you run if your not locked in the first six races do better next year.
Tim Zaegel
Oct 26, 2007 at 3:22 pm
Charlie, I guess we will have to agree to disagree on this one - and, that’s fine. I don’t think I made quite as big of a contradiction as you may have thought … while I may think that a move like this would be an integrity violation, I don’t think that one or two incidents in your life are what defines you. It’s nothing more than a prime example of what desperation can lead to … and, as I stated, when it comes down to the business aspect of this sport, it’s no different than any other business model - you do what you need to do in order to survive.
Scott, I would also like to see this rulebook … although half of it’s probably filled with blank pages.
Roc, I couldn’t agree more … if your not locked in for teh first six races, then you better step up your game. Afterall, shouldn’t the race be filled with the most qualified drivers anyway?
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