Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 - Kyle Petty Notes

Kyle Petty Notes, Quotes: Pop Secret 400
Seeking the ‘zone’ in Rockingham’s final Fall race

One of a handful of active drivers with a NASCAR Winston Cup race victory at the tricky speedway, Kyle Petty and the #45 Georgia-Pacific/Brawny Dodge team head to the 1.017-mile North Carolina Speedway this week for Sunday’s Pop Secret 400.

The car will be carrying a special “Hands To Victory” paint scheme, which features the hand prints of 46 NASCAR Winston Cup drivers. Proceeds from die-cast sales of the car will go to the Victory Junction Gang Camp, the only year-round multi-disease camp of its kind in the Carolinas and Virginia. (For more information, www.victoryjunction.org)

This will be the final Fall race at the 38-year-old speedway. The Pop Secret 400 moves to Labor Day Monday at the two-mile California Speedway near Los Angeles next year.

Petty, 43, will be making his 678th career start this weekend. He is 10th on the all-time list in NASCAR Winston Cup career starts, and fourth among active drivers. His eight career victories place him 45th on NASCAR’s all-time list in Winston Cup wins. One of the most recognizable names in international motorsports, as is his sponsor, Georgia-Pacific, Petty’s driving career began with a five-race season in 1979. The native of Level Cross, N.C., has won over $17 million.

The thoughts of Georgia-Pacific/Brawny Dodge driver Kyle Petty heading into Rockingham:

“It’s kind of sad but it’s not really. It’s like your kid has grown up and now they are going to college. You are going to miss them but you know you can’t keep them at home forever either. Moving this race out of Rockingham is going to be sad but there is a necessity in more events in Los Angeles too. It just so happened that putting a second race there affected a second race at Rockingham.

“I do feel bad for the people of the community. Man, they have put their hearts and souls into race weeks there as long as I can remember. And I know a race brings a lot of money into the community as well. Plus, they are just great people, really nice people. This is an important event to them, and they always treat us special.

“I remember when they first opened the place, and it was pretty exciting. It was right up the road from Darlington – well, not exactly ‘right up the road’ but within like an hour’s drive or so – and it was a lot like Darlington. The asphalt is worn out and is abrasive on tires. You slip and slide around a lot. Tire management is the key to doing well at Rockingham. All of those things are like Darlington.

“I guess Rockingham is Darlington that somebody straightened out (Darlington is egg-shaped; Rockingham a true oval). But they are a lot alike in a lot of ways. If Darlington is Ann Landers, Rockingham is Dear Abby. They aren’t exactly alike but they are close enough to figure they came from the same family.

“It’s good they will still have a race there. Whatever traditions we’ve had at Rockingham, we’ll be able to keep. And while you hear about tradition more at Darlington, believe me, Rockingham has its traditions too.

“I see people there every year who camp in the same spot out near the drag strip. Or they sit in the same seats in the grandstands. They come at the same time and they take the same roads in they did 20 or even 30 years ago. Maybe there are more individual-type traditions at Rockingham. But I really like the people there. They are great race fans, and a lot of fun.

“I’ve won there and it’s a great feeling. The place can be really tough but you can be in a ‘zone’ there. You’ve heard guys like Michael Jordan get into a ‘zone’ where, all of the sudden, the basket is as big as a barrel in their minds and they can’t miss anything. You can get into a ‘zone’ in race cars too. That’s the feeling I got the times I won at Rockingham. It’s like the car is just perfect. You always hit your marks because they look enormous in your mind, and the car feels like a dream. It’s a feeling you can’t beat.

“From a race car driver’s perspective, yeah, I’d prefer they move races from tracks I don’t like or where I don’t run well as opposed to doing it at tracks that are good for me. But as the sport grows, we have to keep growing with it. Yeah, I’ll miss a second race at Rockingham but you can’t go by me – I’d vote to have a third race there. I like running it.

“Last time by for the Pop Secret race, so it’s a big one for that alone. No doubt everybody would like to be the last Fall winner at Rockingham. That’s certainly the goal of everyone on this Georgia-Pacific/Brawny Dodge team.”

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