What does the future hold for this legendary team?
Crumbling a Strong Foundation
Just two years ago I was hopeful that Petty Enterprises was bringing key personnel on board to turn the struggling program around. 2000 NASCAR Champion Bobby Labonte joined the team for the 2006 season. He joined championship winning crew chiefs Paul Andrews, Todd Parrott, and Robbie Loomis who all had key roles on the team.
Clearly this was a promising group of NASCAR talent.
Disappointing Results
Unfortunately, two full seasons later the results have been disappointing. Bobby managed three top five finishes in 2006, but none since then.
For Kyle Petty's #45 the numbers look even worse. Kyle has only managed one top five finish since 1998. He currently sits 41st in the 2008 Sprint Cup points and has not qualified for a single event since NASCAR started using 2008 points to set the guaranteed starters.
News and Rumors
General Mills recently announced that they would be leaving the Petty Enterprises #43 at the end of 2008. They will be moving to Richard Childress Racing to become the primary sponsor of a new, fourth RCR team.
Among that flurry of news was the rumor that the new Cheerios / Betty Crocker driver would continue to be Bobby Labonte. Apparently Labonte is one of the leading candidates to be Childress' newest driver.
With no sponsor or driver the legendary Petty #43 team could be in significant trouble for 2009.
