Checker Auto Parts 500 - Kyle Petty Notes

Kyle Petty Notes, Quotes: Phoenix 500

‘Different than other tracks but a lot the same’

Leading one of the few organizations with NASCAR Winston Cup race victories at the tricky track, Kyle Petty and his #45 Georgia-Pacific/Brawny Dodge team head to the one-mile Phoenix International Raceway this week for Sunday’s Phoenix 500.

Petty, 43, will be making his 677th 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 Phoenix:

“Since it first went on the schedule (in 1988), Phoenix has been one of those tracks where it seems like anything can happen. That first race out there, everybody was talking about the guys who had run there in Winston West cars in the past and Alan Kulwicki ended up winning the thing. At the time, it seemed pretty cool. Looking back now, it was incredibly special.

“But Phoenix has kind of been that way. Not every winner has been a surprise but a lot of surprising things have tended to happen there.

“I think part of that has to do with the time of year we race there. It’s late in the season, and that can play a part in how things go. For some teams, they are looking at different things mechanically, trying different things. It’s that ‘go or blow’ mentality. If it works, you do great. If it doesn’t, you knew you were taking that chance going in.

“The configuration of the track is different from a lot of tracks we run, so that plays a role too. Throw in the changes they made in Turn Two for this race, and it’s really going to be different. It’s not a true four-turn track by any stretch. You have Turn One, Turn Two, Turn Two-And-A-Half, the turn in the middle of the backstretch, then Turn Three and Turn Four. That makes it a little tougher to get around but, more than that, it gives you more chances to lose a little bit here and gain a little bit there. That can make a big difference in how your car compares with the other ones out there.

“The weather plays a big role in everything going on out there too. One minute it’s cold, the next minute it’s hot. You figure it’s in the middle of the desert so there won’t be any humidity, and there isn’t. But then it rains. Temperatures, clouds, water . . . they all can play a huge role in how the track surface reacts. And that can make a big difference in who wins and who loses.

“You go into Phoenix with all of that in the back of your mind, and knowing all of that is going to come into play. The team that can overcome the obstacles the track lays out for you, and can do that better than anyone else, is the one you are going to find up front late Sunday afternoon. It’s like any other track in that there are different areas where you have to concentrate but, unlike any other, it has some areas different than just about anywhere else.

“That’s the way we are looking at it from this Georgia-Pacific/Brawny Dodge team at Phoenix.”

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