Petty Enterprises

Best Buy announced today that they were renewing their partnership with Richard Petty Motorsports and AJ Allmendinger.

“Best Buy is proud to renew our relationship with Richard Petty Motorsports and driver AJ Allmendinger for the 2011 season,” said Drew Panayiotou, senior vice president of marketing for Best Buy in a press release.

“Richard Petty is a motorsports icon and is well respected within the sport of NASCAR. Being a part of a team with his leadership is a privilege. We will be doing some innovative work with Richard Petty Motorsports surrounding our sponsorship, creating new and fun ways to engage the fans. We look forward to continuing our support of AJ and the No. 43 team as they strive to make their way to Victory Lane.”

“It’s great to have Best Buy back onboard our No. 43 Ford,” said Allmendinger. “They have been a great partner and I’m really excited about the opportunity to work with an organization that is as passionate about its racing program as I am. I think this is going to be a great year for this Richard Petty Motorsports team and I can’t wait to get the Best Buy Ford into Victory Lane.”

Best Buy announced that they would be the primary sponsor for 26 of the 36 races on the schedule.

AJ Allmendinger displayed a solid performance during the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with two top-5 and eight top-10 finishes.

In addition, he scored his first-career pole at Phoenix International Raceway. Allmendinger closed the season 19th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings, a career-best.

This marks a key step in rebuilding Richard Petty Motorsports following a year filled with turnmoil.

The team ran into financial trouble that saw them almost miss the final three races of the year after George Gillett, former part owner, made some bad financial decisions outside of the racing business.

Sporting News reported that Gillett, who owned as much as 70 percent of the team, defaulted on it’s roughly $90 million loan last February. Sirius Speedway reports that he still owes $70 million to Wachovia Bank, while still making payments to Ray Evernham for the purchase from him. Evernham told Sirius Speedway that Gillett is up to date in his payments.

The sale of Liverpool FC was suppose to help Gillett restructure it, however, it sold for a amount far less than expected causing some of these strains.

To try to put some of the pieces together, Gillett sold his stock in the companies that operate the Northstar-At-Tahoe Ski Resort in Vail Resorts on Tuesday, which is worth $63 million as according to Sirius Speedway.

Gillett's moves did not help the team in restructuring, though.

At the end of the season, Petty announced a partnership with Medallion Financial and DBG Investments, who as a group purchased the assets from Gillett. They also have made the choice to downsize to two cars instead of running a full fleet of four.  

Allmendinger will remain behind the wheel of the famous No. 43 Ford and Marcos Ambrose will drive the No. 9 machine with sponsorship from Stanley and DEWALT.

Considering everybody's thoughts of worry and feelings that RPM would be shut down, they look to have everything under control going into 2011.

The only question is: How will they do on track and will things continue on a good path?

Elliott Sadler, driver of the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 19 Dodge, announced a new partnership and it is a personal one.  Sadler and his sponsor Stanley are partnering with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure to raise money and awareness for breast cancer.

The new promotion, entitled "Lady in Pink," will honor a breast cancer survivor at the NASCAR race at Lowe's Motor Speedway on October 17.

Sadler fans are encouraged to go to www.stanleymotorsports.com and nominate someone they know with breast cancer to be the "Lady in Pink".  Fans simply have to write a 500-word essay about someone they know who is battling or has survived this disease.

"Lady in Pink" nominations will be taken through September 15.  At that time, Stanley will review all of the nominations and select the top four to be posted to their website.

Sadler fans will then have the opportunity to vote for their favorite nominee from September 20 to September 25.  The "Lady in Pink" who receives the most votes will be the grand prize winner.

Sadler advised that the grand prize "Lady in Pink" will receive a VIP race package and will have her name prominently displayed on Sadler's pink car for the Banking 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in October.

The first runner-up will receive a personal phone call from Elliott Sadler, as well as an autographed helmet visor, die cast, and photos.  The other two finalists will receive a variety of Stanley Racing products, including hats and photos of the special pink race car.

"This is such an important cause and one that's very close to my heart since my mother faced the disease," Sadler said.  "My family was very fortunate that my mother made it through her battle with breast cancer and has now been cancer free for almost two years."

Sadler acknowledged that his mother's treatment was not an easy road.  That is what inspired him to participate in the "Lady in Pink" promotion that spotlights other breast cancer survivors and their road to recovery.

"The folks at Stanley and I decided that it would be great to honor a special someone as our 'Lady in Pink' who has gone or is going through a similar battle right now," said Sadler.  "We want to give them a special experience on the race track."

Sadler is not the only one personally touched by the disease of breast cancer.  This disease affects so many women and, although the mortality rate has been decreasing with early detection, breast cancer can still claim the lives of many women, young and old.

Sadler's announcement touched me very personally, especially this week.  I would have nominated my sister-in-law to be a "Lady in Pink", as she had been valiantly battling breast cancer for over three years.

But my sister-in-law's battle ended this week, with the cancer spreading throughout her body and finally ending her life at age 43 years, leaving a wonderful husband, three children, and family and friends grieving in the disease's wake.

While many fans may feel that the racing is the only thing that matters, I would argue otherwise and I think that even Elliott Sadler would agree.  With his "Lady in Pink" promotion, what Sadler is doing off the track may be just as important as his racing, as he is literally helping to save lives.

Last year, Stanley donated more than $100,000 to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure through a similar promotion and also raised funds through auctioning off Sadler's fire suit and the pink wheels from his car.

This year, Stanley has already committed a minimum of $50,000 to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and hopes, with Sadler's help, to raise additional contributions until the October race weekend. 

Again, to nominate a "Lady in Pink" or to donate to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, visit either www.stanleymotorsports.com or www.elliottsadler.com.

“It was a thrill, a super big win anyway you look at it,” Richard Petty said. “With the President of the United States here, it would have been a super race for anybody to win.”

The fourth of July weekend was a storybook tale for NASCAR drivers and fans alike. Richard Petty was looking to make history. Among the 80,000 fans packed into the Daytona International Speedway was U.S. President Ronald Reagan. What driver didn't want to win in front of the President? 

Eight years before his retirement in 1992; before his 1,184 start, 555 top five and 712 top-ten career came to an end, Richard Petty out dueled Cale Yarborough to collect not only his 10th Daytona victory, but his 200^th and final career win.

“I’ve been real fortunate,” Petty says of that win. “That was one of the most magical days in Richard Petty’s life and in racing. I think that everybody from [President] Reagan on gained on that deal. I think Reagan maybe got a few more votes because he was running for president, but July the Fourth, a picnic, the whole deal, it couldn’t have been a better script to come out on your side.

“I think it was really a super deal for racing because the president was there. He was the cake, and when I won the 200^th that was the icing.”

From 1985 on, Petty would collect 15 top-fives and 45 top-tens. But he would never win again, and he would never win another championship.

Petty Enterprises had more championships, 10, and more wins, 268, than any other NASCAR team. It was founded in 1949 by Lee Petty; it had drivers like Buddy Baker, Ralph Earnhardt, Greg Biffle and Bobby Labonte among the 45 to occupy a Petty seat. Four generations of Petty's also drove for the team; Lee, Richard, Kyle and Adam.  

But on December 31, 2008, Petty Enterprises ceased to exist. The team merged with what was then Gillett Evernham Motorsports, closed the doors to their own shop, and moved into GEM.

Son Kyle was "crushed" by the merger.

Things, though, may be looking up for the team, now named Richard Petty Motorsports. Three weeks ago, Kasey Kahne put a Petty car in Victory Lane for the first time since April of 1999 with his win at Infineon Raceway. This past week in New Hampshire, Kahne and Reed Sorenson, who had dominated in practice sessions throughout the weekend, both came home with top twenty finishes.  

Kahne is also just three points out of making the Chase to the NASCAR Sprint Cup, with nine races remaining until the cut off.

RPM returns this weekend to Daytona, where in the season opener all RPM drivers finished in the top fifteen, and three of them (Allmendinger, Sadler and Sorenson) finished in the top ten.

A win for RPM, on the fourth of July, and on the anniversary of The King's 200th career victory would be simply...magical.

Here's a look back at the 1984 Firecracker 400:

• Richard Petty obviously won his 200th win in the event. It would be the last of his career. The drivers for his team now at the time were nine (Elliot Sadler), four (Kahne), three (A.J. Allmendinger) and Reed Sorenson wasn't born until two years later.
• The race ended under caution when, with four laps remaining, the No. 01 of Dough Heveron flipped into the infield.
• Thirteen drivers failed to finish the event, and only six finished on the lead lap.
• Benny and Phil Parsons were the only pair of brothers in the race. They finished fifth and 13th, respectively. Richard and Kyle Petty, who both led laps during the race, were the only father and son to compete.
• Ken Ragan, NASCAR Sprint Cup driver David Ragan's father, finished 26th.
• 26 Chevrolets, six Pontiacs, six Fords, two Buicks, one Chrysler and one Oldsmobile made up the 42 car field.
• Fourteen states and one foreign country (Canada) were represented. Ten drivers were from North Carolina.
• The '84 Firecracker 400 had eight different leaders. Cale Yarborough, who finished third, led the most laps (79).

Thanks to Scene Daily, The Ledger, Racing Reference, Toledo Blade, SPEED TV and FOX Sports for the information, quotes and stats used in this article.

One look at the picture and you will instantly recognize it as that of the late Adam Petty, whose life was tragically cut short in a practice crash at the New Hampshire International Speedway on May 12, 2000.

The son of Kyle and Pattie Petty, Adam looked to be the next in the line of the great Petty racing dynasty, one that competed in NASCAR for virtually the sport's existence.

In the NFL, you have the Manning family. In the MLB ranks, you have the Griffey family. The open wheel ranks are the home of the Andretti and Unser clans.

For stock car enthusiasts, the Petty name is synonymous as the sport and its history, with nearly every NASCAR memory associated with this family from High Point, NC.

But something is different in the air in 2009. In case you may have not noticed, there has not been a Petty in the racing fields in any of the NASCAR top three racing tiers.

Sure, "King" Richard still struts along the garage area, but almost as an ambassador and icon for his eponymous team, and Kyle does television commentary on Speed TV.

However, in the garage area, much less, on the track, none of the cars on the track are piloted by a Petty.

As a fan, I do wonder what the sport's complexion would be like if Adam were still here, racing in the high banks of Lowe's Motor Speedway or on the winding turns of Infineon Raceway.

Some racing fans and scouts believed that the fourth-generation driver had the potential to have the prowess his famous grandfather had during his illustrious 43-year career.

Others believed he just needed some additional years to harness his potential into one with polished driving tactics and the calculative skills to make his own mark in the sport.

Sadly, the mark that Adam Petty left in his brief life as a driver was on that tragic Friday on May 12 of 2000. There are stories that the young man was jubilant and in a giddy mood that week, as sister Montgomery Lee had cut his hair.

Petty's 2000 Nationwide season was turning the corner for the good, and the 19-year-old made his debut in the Cup ranks, running a spirited race at Texas until his motor expired in his No. 45 Sprint Chevrolet.

His father Kyle pressed on for seven painful years behind his late son's car, urging his machines around the track to keep the spirit and essence of Adam around on the track across America.

Though the No. 45 is no longer a fixture on the circuit and the original Petty team dissolved last year to become Richard Petty Motorsports, which is really the Gillette Evernham team, the presence of Adam can still be felt in some ways.

The Victory Junction Gang Camp opened in the summer of 2004 in honor of Adam, a charity group that the young man had planned to pursue in catering to children with terminal ailments or chronic illnesses.

A bit of Adam is at the camp, from the likeness of his No. 45 car at the facility, to all his values and love for the people around him being felt with the children at the hospitable location.

It strikes me to realize that I outlived a driver who I can honestly say was one of my heroes, even if he was just an up and coming driver.

Sure, you could say his last name had some help in his rise to the top.

That is not to say that Adam Petty did not work hard and diligently in his efforts to reach the Cup series.

He competed in the American Speed Association in 1998 with a win at I-70 Speedway in Missouri and gained national attention later that year with his Automobile Racing Club of America victory at Lowe's Motor Speedway in the EasyCare 100.

Adam looked like he was on his way to become the next great Petty. But his racing dreams were dashed and cut short.

I realized as this Tuesday passed by that it marked the nine-year anniversary of Adam Petty's tragedy at a track that was nearby me in neighboring New Hampshire.

In one of those moments where you can be asked, "Where were you?", I could honestly say that I came home from school, tuned into ESPN 2 as I had usually done to read the ticker and then came the news that had me literally standing still for hours.

It was devastating. I felt like all the happiness I had that day was gone by just reading the ticker of Adam Petty's death.

Days later, I wondered how the Petty family held up. And to this day, I wonder how they hold it together individually and as a family.

While fans may dig on Kyle Petty not having a truly successful Cup career, you have to admire the perseverance of this 49-year-old man who keeps his son's legacy alive through his commentary and his duties tending to the VJGC in North Carolina and soon to open in Kansas.

You have to wonder how little brother Austin, who now is in his early 20s, and sister Montgomery Lee, who is now married, carried on without their cheerful older brother who had that patented Petty smile.

Or how his mother Pattie even had the strength to go to the track, including the one that took her son's life away.

For older fans, the tragic deaths of '92 Cup titlist Alan Kulwicki and superstar racer Davey Allison resonate loudly. The sport lost two of its greatest and most fiercest competitors in 1993.

But for me, the death of Petty still shocks me after all these years.

Unfortunately, I never got to meet him nor did I truly reflect on his accomplishments until the tragic accident in Loudon, N.H.

Racing has never been the same without Adam Petty or a Petty on the track in 2009.

In a time when money may be hard to come by, if not a donation to the Victory Junction Gang Camp, keep the Petty family in your hearts and mind as this week comes to a close.

While the festivities of the All-Star Race will garner attention, I hope you will at least take the time to remember this young man, whose racing dreams were dashed, but whose heart still remains in our world with his unselfishness and care to those who may not have it all made in life.

God speed to the Petty family!

He is remembered as having his great grandfather's talent, his grandfather's smile, and his daddy's kindheartedness.

Adam Petty will also be remembered for his dedication to racing, and his pure love for the sport. Nine years ago, Petty was killed during a Busch Series practice session at New Hampshire International Speedway, when the car's throttle stuck.

The impact killed him instantly.

''We are truly grateful for the outpouring of support, prayers, and love we have received over the past few days," the Petty family said in a statement shortly after his passing.

''This is a very difficult time for all of us but we so appreciate the way our friends and fans from all over the world have expressed their love for Adam. We thank each and every one of you.''

His death came a month after his great grandfather, Lee Petty, passed away at the age of 85.

Adam, though, was just 19.

''One thing I'll always remember about Adam was how dedicated he was to racing,'' his then 14-year old sister Montgomery Lee said at the memorial.

''We not only lost a fourth-generation driver, we lost a great friend and my brother,'' she said. ''It's not the same without Adam here. Things will never be the same.''

Adam began racing at age six in go carts, and made his NASCAR debut at the age of 17 in the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series. He would run 25 races, and a year later, debuted in the Busch Series at Gateway International Raceway, finishing 27th.

He would also go on to race in the ARCA/REMAX, ASA, and Craftsman Truck Series.

Petty made 43 Busch Series starts, collecting four top 10s and three top fives. His best finish was in the 1999 Auto Club 300 at California Speedway, where he finished fourth.

He made a single Winston Cup Series start at Fort Worth, Texas, but finished 40th due to engine problems.

Because of Adam and 1998 Rookie of Year Kenny Irwin, Jr.'s death a month later at the track, the "kill switch", which instantly stops the engine when a driver presses it, was implemented in all NASCAR cars.

His father Kyle has been driving his No. 45 ever since.

In honor of Adam, his father's Winston Cup sponsor, Hot Wheels, donated 2,000 Hot Wheels to the Marine's Toys for Tots organization.

The Victory Junction Gang Camp, Adam's dream to children with life threatening or life altering disabilities and illnesses, was built later that year, and was opened on Father's Day 2004. A second camp is coming to Kansas City, Kansas.

''Our community is going to feel a void,'' Trinity town councilman Carlton Boyles said. ''All of us have lost.''

We're still still striving for the sky... no taste for humble pie... thanks for all your generous love and thanks for all the fun... neither you nor I'm to blame when all is said and done.—"When All Is Said and Done", by ABBA, which was Adam's favorite song and was played at his funeral.

Thanks to USA Today, Racing Reference, ExperienceNASCAR.com/Adam_Petty, and Jayski for the information, stats and quotes used in this article.

For more information on the Victory Junction Gang Camp, visit http://www.victoryjunction.org/.

Coming into the 2001 Food City 500, most fans figured that the usual favorites, Jeff Gordon, Rusty Wallace, and Sterling Marlin were going to win that event. Little did they know they would get a flashback from the 1970's and how two of NASCAR's oldest race teams would fight for the win that afternoon.

Kevin Harvick and Gordon dominated the beginning stages of that event. It looked like it was going to be a battle between those two all day, until a late spin by Mike Wallace brought to life one of the greatest upsets in NASCAR history.

It was at that point, the Wood Brothers racing team and driver Elliott Sadler, filled up and took four tires, little did we know what was in store.

As the 500 laps clicked away, Harvick had to pit with 69 laps to go, handing the lead over to Sadler.

Everyone thought that Sadler and the Wood Brothers would have to pit again, but they were mistaken.

As the race laps began to click down, the Wood Brothers racing team was doing the near impossible—trying to go 162 laps on fuel.

Everyone thought they were crazy. The scoreboard showed an unlikely duo at the top of it. Unlikely yes. Unusual, no!

The No. 21 car was first, and running second was John Andretti in the Petty Enterprise No. 43. It was a classic Wood Brothers-Petty Enterprise battle for the win, no not Richard Petty and David Pearson, but Sadler and Andretti, battling it out for victory.

Sadler's fuel held up that day, and the 260,000 people at Bristol Motor Speedway that afternoon cheered the No. 21 car as it did it's victory lap for the first time in eight years.

Sadler came from a 38th starting position to win that afternoon. It was the Wood Brothers' first win at Bristol Motor Speedway.

For Sadler, it was his first career win in his 75th start. He now has three career wins, but nothing was quite as good as his first, when he and his the Wood Brothers did the near impossible.

Despite his third-place finish in NASCAR's Super Bowl, the Daytona 500, A.J. Allmendinger only has sponsorship for a handful more races, including this weekend's at the Auto Club Speedway.

"I think we showed as an organization that we'd be a great team to have a sponsor come on board and help us out," Allmendinger said Friday. "As of right now, we still only have the eight races, plus the Daytona race—basically we have the nine races.

"The deals are out there, and I think that there's pressure every week. You've got to go out there and show that it's not a one-week fluke and go out and perform. I told them I'd do anything. I'd even cook them dinner. Well, maybe my wife would—I can't cook."

Allmendinger hopes to continue his momentum this weekend in the Auto Club 500, where he'll start eighth.

And while Allmendinger may be California dreamin', rumors have the 27-year-old leaving the Cup for more familiar territory: open-wheel racing.

The new U.S. Formula One team will be announced by principals Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor this Tuesday. Allmendinger is among those rumored to be taking part.

"I've learned in this sport over the past couple of years that you don't deny anything," Allmendinger said. "You just nod your head and say, 'There’s a chance.'

"It has intrigue for sure," he said about the possibility of sampling F1 machinery. "Driving a racecar, no matter what it is, has intrigue to me."

Allmendinger, however, seems to want to make his time in NASCAR work.

"I'm not focused on (Formula One)," the former Champ Car winner expressed. "I loved being a part of NASCAR. Going to all these races and being around the fans, I enjoy being here. I enjoy the racing... I enjoy all that.

"I'm a true American at heart; I like to in-between races...watch my NFL on Sunday and all that. I've learned in this sport, after everything that has happened to me the last couple of years, don't deny anything. Just nod your head and smile and say there's a chance."

Kevin Harvick also gave Allmendinger's performance a nod in his Daytona 500 press conference, saying "he has been pretty successful in a short amount of time."

Also rumored to be joining USF1 was IndyCar driver Danica Patrick.

"It's funny how these things get going," Patrick said. "But I'm happy driving in the IndyCar Series, I'm happy in North America."

Thanks to The Kansas City Star, Sporting News, Autosport.com, and Thatsracin.com for the quotes and information used in this piece.

Sources: Hardcoreracefans.com, Jayski, NASCAR.com, Racing Reference, News-Press out of Fort Meyer, Florida and ReedSorensononline.com for the quotes and facts used in this article.

Kyle Petty was ousted from his Petty Enterprises ride when the team merged with Gillett Evernham during the offseason. And if you think the 48-year-old is going to walk away peacefully—you're wrong.

"I was crushed," the younger Petty said. "I was hurt and I'm not going to get over it for a while."

"The 43 and Richard Petty is at GEM, but not Petty Enterprises. So as far as I'm concerned the last year Petty Enterprises was in existence which I consider was 2007," he said.

Despite selling majority ownership to Boston Ventures last season, the struggling economy once again struck NASCAR and forced them to merge with GEM, now controlled by billionaire George Gillett.

"Petty Enterprises, when they left Level Cross, N.C., it became just another race team, they weren't Petty Enterprises anymore. So when I look at where our sport is and my father's business is, we've not existed in the guise of Petty Enterprises for a year or more because we moved away from where we were," Kyle Petty explained.

The team, renamed Richard Petty Motorsports, sported the No. 44 Valvoline Dodge in the same colors that Kyle Petty started—and won—his first race, an ARCA event at Daytona, with. But Petty still wasn't pleased.

“They did not ask me about the paint scheme,” he said. “That was my paint job and my car and my number and my stuff for my first win—not for Petty Enterprises or GEM or whoever that is. They can look at it how they want to, but I didn't get a call and that's worse.”

However, Petty said their was "no bitterness."

"If I was 22 years old I would be bitter as hell, OK. I'm 48 years old. I'm at the back side of a career, not the front side. So everything runs its course; it is a part of life. I started doing TV two years ago anticipating this day would come and I would not be a full-time driver and I would have to go do something else."

Petty also said he wouldn't watch the event on TV. His father, however, hopes things will eventually smooth over.

"I spoke to him a couple of times on the phone. He talked to his mother, and he was really crushed that we didn't include him in that part of it (the 44 car paint scheme). I understand that. We were so busy getting the deal done...it feel through the cracks, and I'm sorry that it did,'' The King said. 

"He's been doing things on his own," the elder Petty also said. "I've not seen him since Christmas. He's been so busy, and I've been so busy. We never really got together.

When No. 43 driver Reed Sorenson, now driving a red car instead of the infamous Petty blue, was the fastest car in Happy Hour, Petty said it meant "nothing to me" and went on to say he believed the team was "still Ray (Evernham)'s team."

"I won't watch it on TV," he added.

Leaving the track for his home in North Carolina, the third generation Petty missed his father's team finishing third, fifth, and ninth in the biggest NASCAR race of the season. The No. 43 crew also won the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award after spending the least amount of time on pit road.

A.J. Allmendinger, who almost didn't drive for the famous team, feels for Petty.

“I think it’s a big deal,” Allmendinger said. “It was a tough offseason for everybody. It was a long offseason. There’s a lot of stuff that went on throughout the team with the merger. We came here and I think it shows how strong the team is now.”

Thanks to NASCAR.com, The Virginian-Pilot, The New York Times, USA Today, and Motorsports.com for the information and quotes used in this piece.