Petty Heads West To Race, Moves North In Points
No. 45 Team Back in The Top-35 in Owner Points

This weekend, Kyle Petty and the #45 Wells Fargo Dodge team will head to the one-mile Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway (PIR) for Sunday's Checker Auto Parts 500.

The NASCAR Nextel Cup Series began competing at PIR in 1988. A young Petty scored a 17th place finish in that running of the Checker 500. That makes him one of a group of only six that have competed in every event at PIR. A string of recent success, in part by the hiring of crew chief Billy Wilburn, has moved Petty up to the coveted 35th position in owner points, and 32nd in driver points, in the Nextel Cup Series as they prepare to head west.

Petty will be making his 20th start at PIR this weekend. Petty has one top ive and four top 10 finishes at the desert racing oasis. He finished 19th in the 2005 Checker Auto Parts 500.

Comments from Petty as he prepares for Sunday's Checker Auto Parts 500:
Another strong performance at Texas has you back in the top-35 in owner points. How important is that for the team?
"Oh, man that is a huge accomplishment for us. We would like to give ourselves a little more of a cushion over the guys behind us during these next two races. I feel like that is something we can do starting at Phoenix. Texas was a very eventful race for us. We started in the back and were really fast. We passed a ton of cars. We had a top-ten for sure, but the motor was running hot from something on the grille. It broke on the last lap and we finished 11th. The Wells Fargo Dodge was consistently fast throughout the whole race. That made it a lot of fun."

"To get back into the top-35 is really big, though. Now that we are there you can bet we are going to fight to stay there. We have good things happening right now. It's giving us a lot of confidence."

You have finished no lower than 17th in the last three races and the No. 43 has obviously been running well. What is the attitude like at Petty Enterprises these days?
"It's really just business as usual. Everyone is brimming with confidence, but we want to keep looking forward. This is one of the best stretch runs that we have had in a long time at Petty Enterprises. We also know that we aren't where we want to be and we all are working hard to get there."

"Bill Wilburn (crew chief) has come in and really been a boost to our team. He fits in so well with what we are doing here at Petty Enterprises. I feel like we have a great core group of guys at our leadership positions. When you put the right people together their talent usually rises to the top. I think that is what you are seeing with both of our Dodge Chargers.

Phoenix is usually not one of the first tracks that comes to mind when talking about NASCAR Nextel Cup racing, but it always puts on a great show. What are your thoughts on the desert oval?
"Phoenix is a cool joint. It is a fun place to get around in these Cup cars. To me, I don't know, maybe it has characteristics of Richmond and Pocono. You drive it like Richmond with all the room you have to race. But, the two ends of the track could not be anymore different. That forces you to almost compromise one end of the track to be really good at the other, kind of like Pocono. I think Phoenix is a great track for us. Billy and I, we have a lot of experience out there. We feel like we can put the Wells Fargo Dodge up front again."

"It's just a cook place too. You see some different things our there. When we were just beginning to go to Phoenix, back in the early 80's, you pulled into the track and looked around. You just saw all these guys on the hillsides by the track. Guys were out there picking up rattlesnakes. That's when you knew you weren't in Randleman (N.C.) anymore. That always added a little more excitement to a Phoenix race."