Samsung/Radio Shack 500 - Kyle Petty Notes

Kyle Petty Notes, Quotes: Samsung/RadioShack 500
‘Discussing Texas’ Two-Step’

Kyle Petty and the #45 Georgia-Pacific/Brawny Dodge team head to the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway for Sunday’s Samsung/RadioShack 500. This will be the first of now two race dates at the facility located just outside the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. This will also be the first intermediate track that teams have competed on since Atlanta.

Petty, 44, will be making his 719th 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 Texas:

“Should Texas have a second date? That was a hot topic for a long time. I know you have to grow the sport. You just can’t stand still and expect everything to get better. You have to be proactive and think ahead. For our sport to become larger, and for our fan base to grow, yeah, we need to come to places like Texas. We need to get in front of the large crowds. We need to expand to areas we haven’t traditionally been before. The growth of the sport depends on moving forward and getting in front of more people.

“I think Texas is a great place to do that. I think it fits the role of growing the sport. First, the fans love it. They don’t struggle with ticket sales in the least. The place sells out. Will two races sell out? We’ll have to wait and see. It’s tough to think it wouldn’t. They are drawing people from Oklahoma, New Mexico, maybe more of the Plain states. Places that really don’t have any other big track to go to and see a Nextel Cup race. Texas in itself is huge. We have to be there, and it has been a great addition since we’ve been going there.

“NASCAR over the last few years has done a good job of pinpointing the major markets, building tracks and hosting races. That’s good. That’s really good for us. Now, I think, we’re seeing a lot of concentration at those places. Texas gets two races. Phoenix has another race. There are talks about a few others possibly getting another race. Listen, we’re going to go where they tell us to go. We’re going to race. They want us to go to Alaska or Hawaii, we’ll go.

“We just have to keep racing at the tracks where it makes the most sense to race. The major media markets, and the tracks where we can draw large crowds, those tracks are important. Why? The sport, and more importantly the business of the sport, has really changed over the course of time. You have to keep up with it, and accepting that we’re going to race twice at Texas is a part of that. Is that bad? I don’t think so. It keeps the sport growing and keeps the business of the sport growing.

“For us, General Mills and Georgia-Pacific help us race. It is really important for us to be racing in a top 10 or top five market for them. For our partners to be in front of huge crowds, and be in big cities, that’s important. You do that twice a year and that’s even better for them. You have to keep pace with the business side of the sport. That’s just as important as anything else. I think, right now, we’re doing a good job.

“Texas is a good track too. You can’t complain when you go to good tracks. It’s a really good place to race. It’s a lot like Atlanta. Remember that finish? Texas has a lot of similarities. It’s about as fast and the last few races have been better. It was tough to pass there when the track surface was new. But, there have been a few winters on it, a lot more races, and now the track is really opening up. You can race two or three-wide there and have good races. It has all the ingredients for an exciting race.

“We’re excited to get there. We tested there and learned some things that will hopefully make us better. It’s a big race for a lot of people, and it’s important for this Georgia-Pacific/Brawny team too. We’re looking forward to hopefully a good weekend.”