UAW-GM Quality 500 - Kyle Petty Notes

Kyle Petty Notes, Quotes: UAW-GM 500
‘If sevens are lucky numbers, we’re in good shape’

One of just a handful of active drivers to have won on one of NASCAR’s most prestigious speedways, Kyle Petty and the #45 Georgia-Pacific/Brawny Dodge team head to the 1.5-mile Lowe’s Motor Speedway this week for Saturday night’s UAW-GM 500.

Petty, 44, will be making his 707th career start this weekend. He is 10th on the all-time list in NASCAR Cup career starts, and fourth among active drivers. His eight career victories place him 45th on NASCAR’s all-time list in 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 nearly $20 million.

The thoughts of Georgia-Pacific/Brawny Dodge driver Kyle Petty heading into Lowe’s:

“If seven is a lucky number, then this is about the luckiest we are going to be until 70 starts from now. With start number 707, that’s enough sevens to pay off. Until we run that race number 777, I don’t know you can get any luckier.

“The thing is it takes a lot more than luck to do well in NASCAR racing these days. Sure, you need an element of it. There are always those weird things that happen in front of you – a guy spinning at the wrong time for you or someone losing an engine right ahead of you – and you have to dodge those things. The best car in the race isn’t going to do well if he gets collected in somebody else’s problem.

“Luck plays a little less of a difference in the October race at Charlotte than the May race. But the only reason for that is the extra 100 miles. From a driver’s standpoint, even from a car’s standpoint, that extra 100 miles isn’t necessarily that big of a deal. But from a luck standpoint, it could be major. A guy leading after 500 miles Saturday night is the winner. In May, the guy leading after 500 miles still has a long way to go – and anything could happen to him.

“Used to be, the 600 was the big, big race at Charlotte because it was the longest one. It was the one with all of the prestige. The 600 was always the one you wanted to win. The 500, well, I guess they ran it because they needed a second race. But the 500 has picked up in importance – a lot because of this playoff. Suddenly, instead of the 500 offering one-36th of the points towards the championship, it offers 10 percent. That is a major, major deal. The Coca-Cola 600 is one-26th of the championship and, when you figure in all of the different variables, probably less than that in regards to the Cup.

“And when you look at how race distances have been cut back the past few years, a 500-mile race is becoming almost as unique as the Coca-Cola 600 is. There aren’t many left. Tracks are trying to fit into good time slots on television, and it’s hard to keep anyone’s attention in the grandstands or watching on television for any sporting event after you get past three and a half hours or so. So a 500-mile race has gotten to the point where it is pretty special all by itself.

“Things happen pretty quickly at 185 miles per hour, so you have to be on edge all the time. You have to not only react but anticipate too. Besides the fact you’re trying to get your car feeling the way you want it to feel, you’re trying to figure out what the guy in front of you, the guy beside you and the guy behind you is going to do too. If you make a mistake, it can be trouble. The thing is, you can be perfect but if the guy in front of you makes a mistake, you’re still in trouble.

“So you work pretty hard in the car. You’re about a quarter-mile ahead with your sight but keeping the guy right there in front of you in your eye too. When you think about it, there isn’t much sense in watching the cars right there with you too closely. If you have to think about what you’re going to do if they have a problem, you’re being hooked up to the wrecker by the time you figure it out. You have to react and react again, and it had all better be instinctive.

“The distance sometimes is a big deal and sometimes it’s not. That sounds pretty weird but a lot of times it just depends. If you have a pretty good handling car and you’re getting around the track pretty well, that in itself can be enough to make it a lot easier day. But if you’re sliding around on one set of tires and then make some changes and you’re tight as you can be on the next set, it can flat wear you out.

“You just don’t think of it in ‘how far have I gone?’ terms. If you’re running good, 500 miles is a piece of cake. If you’re having problems handling, the first 100 miles seem like a lifetime. How good you feel physically and mentally comes down a lot to what your car is doing on the race track.

“That’s what we’re looking for with this Georgia-Pacific/Brawny Dodge team this weekend. We want to give this car the best run we can.”