Kyle Petty
#45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Food City 500
Bristol Motor Speedway
March 16, 2008

Quotes from Kyle Petty:
“I’ve been asked a lot lately about the top-35 deal. Whether or not we’re going to swap points with the ’43.’ That’s not something I’m thinking about right now. We need a solid run this weekend at Bristol. That’s priority No. 1. If we have to race our way in at Martinsville, I think I should be able to do that. So that’s two opportunities to grab a high finish and that would go a long way into getting us back into the top-35. Our cars have been driving really well. We’ve just had some mechanical failures that have bitten us. If we can catch a break I don’t think we’ll have to worry about the top-35 for very long.”

“I know fans like the Bristol ‘night’ race in the fall. It’s under the lights and it has that short-track Saturday night feel. But I think the actual racing is better this weekend. Think about it. The ‘fall’ race is in ‘The Chase.’ You’ve got the top-12 drivers out there not wanting to have a bad race. From a driver’s perspective you don’t really see those drivers getting aggressive in that race. This is the fifth race of the season. Nothing is guaranteed yet. So everyone is going to rub and lean on each other in hopes of getting into ‘The Chase’ because that is the goal.”

“This is Dale Jarrett’s last race and I’m going to miss racing that guy. You know, Dale and I have grown up together around the racetrack. We’ve known each other for so long that it will take some time to get used to him being at home. The worst part is that he will be working on his golf game, which needs no work, and I’ll never be able to beat him. Dale deserves to go out on his own terms. He’s been a great champion and a great ambassador for this sport.”

Kyle Petty at Bristol Motor Speedway