Dodge Charger 500 - Kyle Petty Notes

Kyle Petty Notes, Quotes: Carolina Dodge Charger 500
‘Petty in Pink’

This weekend, Kyle Petty and the #45 Georgia-Pacific/Brawny Dodge go pink. In a salute to Mother’s Day, and Kyle’s mother, Lynda, Petty will drive a pink Georgia-Pacific/Brawny Dodge in Saturday night’s Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at the 1.366-mile Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. The special-schemed Charger will carry images of Lynda Petty who will also help serve as the Grand Marshall for Saturday night’s race. This is the first time the Darlington has held a race on Mother’s Day weekend.

Petty, 44, will be making his 722nd 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 $21 million.

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

“Darlington is still the same. It will always be the track ‘Too Tough To Tame.’ A pink car, lights on the track, Mother’s Day weekend, I don’t care. It’s still tough. They have been saying it forever, but it’s the truth, Darlington is a tough track. It’s the one track that everyone wants on their resume too. It has been around so long, and so many of the greats in our sport have raced on it. Only the best have won here. That makes it special.

“It’s Mother Day’s weekend this year, and I’ve got a lot riding on this race - literally. Having my mother along for the ride is pretty cool. We had a Father’s Day paint scheme last season, and to come back and do a Mother’s Day scheme is special. It’s important to honor all the mothers in the sport. They have given so much of their time, and given so much support to let us do what we love to do. I feel pretty honored to have my mom on the side of my car this weekend. Hey, I think she looks pretty good in pink!

“The sport has changed a lot, especially over the last few years. Some traditions have changed, but I think Darlington will always have some sort of tradition to it. It’s that type of place, and it is that type of track. I think the track lost some of its tradition when we stopped running the Southern 500. It’s tough to pass that tradition on to Mother’s Day weekend. We haven’t raced on Mother’s Day weekend, and that was sort of tradition to itself. It’s a different weekend, but it’s still Darlington, and you still want to win there.

“The track is going to be the same. You switch on some lights, sure, but you still have to race the track. It doesn’t matter. That is how simple that is. It’s the toughest track that we race on. It’s just so tough to get any sort of grip on the track. You run maybe 20 or 25 laps and your tires are shot and you are sliding. That is why we get all spread out. We are all struggling to find any sort of grip.

“You look back at that spectacular finish between Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch. That was amazing. You just rarely see two cars that close to each other at the finish at Darlington. That is what made that finish even more remarkable. That was phenomenal.

“We come to Darlington each time with a different setup. We even have a new car this time with the Charger. It’s still going to be the same challenge. You need to find some grip. Everyone is looking for it. Goodyear comes with a new tire, we come with new shocks and springs, anything to find some sort of advantage. You look at aerodynamics and all sorts of different things. I don’t know if you can ever find that perfect combination.

“You just go back to racing the track. You have to be patient and let the race come to you. It’s part of what makes Darlington so special and so unique. We’re looking forward to this weekend. I want to make my mother proud and have a good run with this Georgia-Pacific/Brawny Dodge.”