FanHouse Kyle Petty

So ... remember Kyle Petty fell to the 35th spot last week? Well, should he happen to fall out of the top 35, he's gone and lined up a former champion to ensure the #45 Dodge qualifies.

Petty had to look no further than his own teammate, 2000 Winston Cup Champion Bobby Labonte.

"Look, as long as they don't change the rules and the rulebook is written that way, we're in the business to run racecars. We have two racecars -- the 43 and the 45. Those are our racecars. Right now Richard Petty owns both racecars, and we've got one driver with the championship provisional and another driver who is on the bubble. Whatever it takes to get those in, I don't see the issue with it.

OMG! Genius! Soooo genius I can't even believe this is allowed. Why is this allowed?

Another top 10, another $10. Dave Blaney's 6th place finish earned him another spot in the owners points standings, which means I owe the Victory Junction Gang Camp more dough.

Blaney grabbed the 34th spot from the #45, driven mostly by Kyle Petty, whose 18th place finish in Saturday night's Bank of America 500 marked only his third top 20 for the season. His best finish was 3rd, last time around at Charlotte--his only top 5 of the season.

Lucky for him, Bill Elliott didn't fare too well in the #21, finishing 35th and doubling the gap between the 35th and 36th spots. I'm not understanding why Wood Brothers / JTG Racing isn't keeping Ken Schrader in the car. I realize he hasn't set the world on fire, but Elliott's not been significantly better and there's something to be said for a little consistency.

Scott Riggs is over 300 points out now and has the #10 car in 37th place--bummer for Patrick Carpentier who takes over driving duties in 2008 and will start the season being forced to qualify on time. Hey ... is he cleared to race in Daytona?

A trip to the Midwest has seemed to have changed Denny Hamlin after last week's brouhaha with Kyle Petty.

He's steeply backed off his fightin' words (an angel, remember?) and is now sporting some new facial hair. The new look, though, isn't the most important part.

His words are.

"No matter what you do, Kyle is going to be right and a lot of what he did was right," Hamlin said. "You never want to be involved in an incident, especially with Kyle because he's respected a lot ... so, really, I've just got to learn to grow up as far as that's concerned."

Does it make up for his actions/words from last weekend at Dover? I don't know, but if nothing else it's a step in the right direction for Hamlin in the maturing process.

Though it would of been more exciting to see the confrontation last awhile, nobody would win in that situation. Petty has a 2008 Daytona 500 start on the line and Hamlin kind of has that Chase for the Championship thing going on.

Hamlin currently sits 158 points out of first in the Chase with eight races left, including this weekend's event at Kansas. With that deficit, you'd have to believe that someone at Joe Gibbs Racing might have been behind Hamlin's sudden change in personality -- a refocusing of sorts.

But I've gotta know, who was in charge of the new facial feature?

Denny Hamlin does no wrong, according to Denny Hamlin.

So was the claim at least after an incident with Kyle Petty and his No. 45 Dodge Sunday at Dover International Speedway.

Here's the exact quote from the Hammy after the wreck that definitely slowed his progress in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

"Let's look back at my career. I've never wrecked anyone my entire career has anybody spun off my front bumper. It's not like I'm a guy who runs into everybody," said Hamlin.

So you've never, ever wrecked anyone? Ever?

Now, here's the wreck and aftermath (aftermath first, wreck second).

Daaaaaaaaang, Denny!

Kyle Petty got a little mad Sunday afternoon at Watkins Glen. And as a result, he won't be racing Sunday at Michigan.

The heir-apparent to any new driving opportunity at Petty Enterprises, Chad McCumbee will instead take over.

Petty had surgery Tuesday on a broken right hand suffered after an incident on course at lap 69.

It sounds like self-contact was to blame for the injury:

Kyle Petty, driver of the No. 45 Petty Enterprises Dodge suffered a broken hand as a result of hitting the butt of his right hand on a door inside the hauler after a lap 69 incident in Sunday's Centurion Boats at the Glen at Watkins Glen International road course.

[...] He flew back to his home in North Carolina, where he was treated by a doctor who determined that the hand was broken.

Maybe it was just a ploy to get McCumbee in the car again? After all, the kid did a fantastic job at the first Pocono race and Petty has had nothing but praise for the driver on his rotational role with PRN's Fast Talk.

Or, most likely, Petty got mad and had a little bit of anger built up because his car didn't perform at all Sunday and because he had to fire a crew chief.

He's scheduled to be back for the breeze of a race that is Bristol. Right.

Yesterday, it seems, we were bidding adieu to Fox Sports until next year's Daytona 500.

Those six weeks, though, brought us some pretty interesting stuff -- both good and bad -- from TNT.

We'll start with the bad, and then head to the good. (after the jump)

Horribly Long Pre-Race Shows

Look, TNT, we (as the NASCAR fan nation) understand that more coverage is a great thing. But two-hour pre-race shows? A little over the top, especially when it means that SPEED's NASCAR Raceday had to be taken off the air earlier than ever.

RaceDay takes the cake in pre-race coverage, mainly because they are all people in the garage, all the time. Jimmy Spencer and Kenny Wallace are great, too. TNT didn't have a bad pre-race show, but it didn't have the same effect.

While I was watching pre-race shows and getting my Trackpass ready prior to Sunday's race at New Hampshire International Speedway, I got sidetracked and made a $45 donation to the Victory Junction Gang Camp.

It wasn't my first donation, and it won't be my last, but it was the first time I gave that amount.

The inspiration? Adam Petty, of course, who lost his life at the New England track but left behind an unforgettable legacy.

TNT's interview with Pattie Petty:

Thanks to bumpstop3 for putting this video up so others can also be inspired by the Pettys. Amazing people. Even if one of 'em lets a "bad" word rip now and then.

I've never gotten as much amusement from readers' responses to a Fanhouse post as I have from this one: Petty's Potty Mouth.

First of all, for those of you who don't already know, let me make it known right now that the tallglassofmilk is no prude. Not when it comes to most things and especially not when it comes to words. Yes I use the 'F' word--far too much by my own standards. I'm not proud of it, but thems the facts. But trust me when I tell you, I'm no humanitarian--some even consider me a sicko--or role model with millions of kids looking up to me. Thank God for that.

Speaking of God, despite my use of the 'F' word, he hasn't struck me down yet. I don't think he'll be striking Kyle Petty down anytime soon either, despite this reader's opinion:

The worst part about it is Kyle is a Christian and REAL Christians don't swear, under pressure or not. At the start of the race he is praying with his crew in the car out loud, than used that naughty word in the race. Not a Christian exanple by any means. I have lost respect for Kyle.

Puhleeeze. Lower your high horse. Like you've never done anything to annoy God.

WTF, TNT?

Kyle Petty just said the 'F' word on TV.

I know it's cable ... and I know it's his in-car audio ... but it's Sunday afternoon and there are kids watching--millions of kids who look up to the driver and new broadcaster who was recently inducted to the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame. Petty is "world-class in athletic ability, a role model in his community and has a strong record of humanitarian efforts."

Incidentally, he's the first inductee from the NASCAR community.

Way to represent.

If he is not penalized, which he should not be, I'd say a hefty donation to The Victory Junction Gang Camp is in order.

Will NASCAR ever learn? I do not understand why they don't impose a 5-second delay.

MORE
TGOM, the 'F' Word, God and the FCC

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Chad McCumbee might be better known to some NASCAR fans as the driver who portrayed Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the made-for-tv movie "3: The Dale Earnhardt Story" than he is for his own racing. This despite having amassed more than 100 victories in local, regional and national WKA Dirt Series events and 3 top 10s in his NCTS 2006 rookie effort.

The Green Light Racing driver, who currently sits 14th in the NCTS standings, hopes to raise his profile this weekend when he makes his Nextel Cup debut behind the wheel of the Petty Enterprises #45 Goody's Cool Orange Dodge at Pocono, filling in for Kyle Petty, who will be in the TNT booth calling the race.

McCumbee wants to leave a lasting impression:

"When you look back at the last two years, Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin both won this race without ever racing at Pocono before. I have a lot of seat time on the track and a great team behind me. While I am looking at this as a learning experience for me, I really think we can go out there and turn some heads."

Not sure it's what he had in mind, but with that face I know he'll at least be turning the heads of female fans.

McCumbee got his visibility campaign off to a good start by winning Saturday's ARCA race. Owner Richard Petty was there to meet him in victory lane:

"When he was there, it seems like a light centers around him. It's pretty awesome. To win my first race for him was exactly what I wanted to give him. Hopefully, it's the start of a long relationship."

Despite the confidence, rather than winning, his more realistic goal for Sunday's Pocono 500 is to finish on the lead lap.

Best of luck to him. And to Kyle.