UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 - Kyle Petty Notes

Kyle Petty Notes, Quotes: UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400

Getting momentum started in town of distractions

Kyle Petty and the #45 Georgia-Pacific/Brawny/Sue Bee Honey Dodge team head to the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway this week for Sunday's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race.

Petty, 43, will be making his 681st 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 over $18 million.

The thoughts of Georgia-Pacific/Brawny/Sue Bee Honey Dodge driver Kyle Petty heading into Las Vegas:

"We've seen some good things in the first two races of the season but if we're going to build some momentum, we need those good things to translate into good finishes. The tracks change every week and the cars change every week but momentum still means a lot to you and your race team. When things are going well, you feel like you can do no wrong. And when they are going badly, you feel like nothing good will ever happen again.

"It's amazing how much of this sport is mental, and I don't necessarily mean just the driving part. If you can visualize what you are trying to achieve and you truly feel you can do it, a lot of times you can jump over mountains. Good finishes give that feeling to you, and it helps you do more positive things.

"We had pretty good cars at Daytona and Rockingham, and we tested pretty well at Las Vegas and feel we'll have a good car there as well. A small problem at Daytona turned into a bigger problem but we had a top-15 car there, maybe even a little better than that. We had a mechanical problem at Rockingham but we were looking at at least a top-20 car there, we felt. Now we'll go into Las Vegas with a good opportunity for a really solid finish, and a good run.

"If we can skip the bad luck  both the bad luck we can control and the bad luck we can't  and leave Las Vegas with a good day and a good finish, that will help us on down the road. Our spirits are pretty high going into this race because we have had good cars, but we want to leave Las Vegas and go into Atlanta and Darlington with those same high spirits. If we can get a little momentum going, that will help us emotionally a good bit  and will help us as we go on past those races and head to Bristol and Texas, and on down the road.

"Keeping our focus is going to be important. That's always the case, and it's the situation for every team out here. But we've had some misfortune the first two races and we don't want that to distract us. Now we're racing in a town that was built on distractions, so we need to keep moving in the right direction. We have to remember the best glitz and glamour in Las Vegas is doing well at that race track in qualifying Friday and in the race on Sunday.

"I think qualifying is going to be a pretty important day. Track position is going to be pretty critical on Sunday. You only have 400 miles to do what you are going to do, and it's a lot easier to be near the front if you start near the front than it is to get there from the back. Qualifying well Friday helps a tremendous amount in that area. Every car you qualify in front of is one less car you have to pass on Sunday.

"Qualifying is important too because of the pit selection. The way NASCAR works it, the higher you qualify, the earlier you pick your pit. The earlier you pick, obviously the better pit you should have. Being able to get in and out, and having a spot further down pit road works to your advantage. As close as these races are these days, any advantage you can find you need to jump all over. Having tested should help us with our qualifying setup and certainly with our race setup.

"Las Vegas is a fun town, and a fun track. We want to do as well as we can there with this Georgia-Pacific/Brawny/Sue Bee Honey Dodge, and see if we can get a little momentum going for the rest of the year."