UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 - Kyle Petty Notes

Kyle Petty Notes, Quotes: UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400
‘Vegas Works for Everybody ’

Kyle Petty and the #45 Georgia-Pacific/Brawny Dodge team head to the 1.5-mile Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway this week for Sunday’s UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. Petty finished 12th in the race a season ago.

Petty, 44, will be making his 715th 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 Las Vegas:

“Las Vegas is just a different place to race for everybody. And what I mean is that it’s probably a more ‘fly-in’ race than a lot of other places. It’s really not a local race. Local people from Vegas do come out, but when we race there you get people from Idaho, Washington, Oregon and more of the Pacific Northwest. Is that good? Yeah, I think that’s good for NASCAR. We’re getting people to races that we normally don’t draw.

“Look at some of these other tracks and where they are located. Take a place like Dover, for example. You are looking at a track in the Northeast, but you are mostly drawing people from there, maybe some from the Southeast, and a little bit of the Midwest. You come out here to Vegas and people from all across the country are flying in for this race. That’s important. Vegas is probably the most diverse crowd in the sense of hometown locations we race in front of all season.

“It makes sense. People just like coming to Vegas for whatever reason. Maybe it’s those big neon lights, fancy hotels, the dream to win big, I don’t know? The fact is, however, that people from all across the country love coming to Vegas. You host a race there and that adds to the entertainment value of the city. The race ties in with the city and brings people to the track. You look at it from that standpoint, and yeah, it’s an important race to have on the schedule.

“A racer’s standpoint, no, maybe you don’t look at it like that. You see a one-and-half-mile oval. You focus on getting a good handling car and having a good setup for the race. A racer is thinking about handling at Vegas and the race itself. I’m sure a lot of guys can’t wait to get to Vegas, but I’m sure there are other guys that don’t love it either. There a few ways to look at Vegas.

“You have to see it from all angles. I think Las Vegas offers a lot for the sponsors. Like I said before, you draw a more diverse crowd, and that is great. An appearance at a place in Vegas is great for companies involved with our sport. They are reaching out to more people from across the country there than what they can at a lot of the other tracks. You think about it, and that’s a lot of Brawny paper towels in different people’s hands. That’s good and that’s why we need to be here in Vegas.

“We can make it work here for everyone. The fans, no doubt, have something to do every second of the day. Vegas is open 24-hours and it never slows down. The sponsors are happy we race here, and the drivers can’t complain about the track. It’s a new place with all the bells and whistles. You think about that and it’s a great value.

“How do you make the most out of it? A good run. Everyone comes home happy then. We’re looking forward to going to Vegas. This Georgia-Pacific/Brawny Dodge team has been off to a good start. We’re looking forward to keeping it going this weekend.”