I know, it sounds far fetched but how cool would it be to see a Petty back in Victory Lane?  Do you know when the last Petty Enterprises car won a race?  Back in 1999, John Andretti won the spring Martinsville race driving the #43 STP.  I can’t really remember the details of the race but that’s a heck of a long time.  Shoot, I even had to look it up to find out when it was.

Now, you might ask, if we all agree that Petty in Victory Lane is far fetched, why did I even bring up the possibility?  Well, as we all know, NASCAR is a sport of momentum.  Last year, Kyle led 4 laps at Kansas.  Now, I don’t remember the circumstances but I did look up the stat.  So far this season, he hasn’t led any laps.  Most importantly, Kyle will be attending a press conference on Friday morning to discuss the progress of the Victory Junction Gang Camp in Kansas City.  I don’t know that I’ve ever seen anyone as passionate about a cause as Kyle is about Victory Junction.  Maybe Kyle’s passion for Victory Junction, combined with his past performance at Kansas can equal momentum.

I know all this doesn’t translate into a victory or even a top 35 finish but here’s where my mind is.  I have always been a huge fan of the Petty’s.  Both The King, Richard and Kyle, are on my list of people I’d most like to meet and sit and talk with.  Richard’s last win was in 1984 and Kyle’s eleven years later in 1995.  That was a whopping 24 and 13 years ago respectively.  Believe it or not, the King has been retired since 1992.  Thinking back, it only seems like yesterday but the current fans have never seen a Petty in victory lane.  I would even bet that many don’t even know who Richard is and if they do, they don’t even know why he’s the King.  Shoot, I would even go further and bet that a great number of the fans today think that Jeff Gordon is the greatest driver ever.  Now before the hate mail starts, I know and agree, the greatest drivers ever are Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt,  I can actually name about 10 other drivers greater, in my mind, than Gordon.  Nothing against him but you have to look at the entire history of NASCAR when you consider the greatest drivers.

I am concerned that with Kyle sitting some races out, he may be getting ready to leave driving all together.  I personally can’t imagine a NASCAR without a Petty.  It would almost be like a Christmas without Santa.  Before that horrible thought becomes reality, I would like to see a Petty back in victory lane, even if it’s just one more time.  It would especially mean a lot for it to be the number 45 car in memory of Adam Petty with Kyle driving.  I’ll even take a pit strategy or fuel mileage win.  I’m not too picky.  If that ever happens, and you just happen to be near me, you might just see a grumpy old guy shed a few tears himself.

While we’re talking about it, please check out the Victory Junction Gang Camp and support it if you can.  It’s really an incredible cause.

(Photo credit: Worth Canoy of VPS Motorimages)