Kyle Petty insists he's not being forced out

Kyle Petty said that his not racing the last two weeks is different than his situation earlier this season at Texas Motor Speedway when he was pulled from the Petty Enterprises No. 45 car.

With the team currently 273 points outside the top 35, Petty said it only makes sense to use the rest of the season to evaluate drivers. Petty, speaking following a taping of "Tradin' Paint" at Pocono Raceway, was originally scheduled to drive at Indianapolis last week and then Pocono. He had missed the previous seven races because of his daughter's wedding and then to do commentary during TNT telecasts.


Petty said no one should read into this as new majority owner Boston Ventures trying to push him out.

"We're so far back in points, it really is going to give us an opportunity to evaluate a lot of things," Petty said. "[Texas] was a different deal.

"We're all on the same page on this and everything is going according [to the plan]. • I was mad at Texas, and you know I'm not going to hide it if I'm mad about it. We don't have a shot of getting back in the top 35, and so when you get to that position, then you can try a lot of different stuff."

He said he will race at Watkins Glen next week before Terry Labonte, who drove during most of his absence, returns at Michigan. Petty likely will run the seven races from Bristol through Talladega.

Chad McCumbee, who qualified the No. 45 for the Pocono race, will run at Lowe's Motor Speedway in October and likely will drive in the majority of the final five races after that, Petty said.

McCumbee had failed to make races earlier this year at Texas and Dover.

"It gives you an opportunity for Chad to run some places like here, Charlotte, and get some experience so we can really evaluate him," Petty said. "We've really not had an opportunity to really look at Chad. We've not given him a fair shot."

And what about next year? Petty said he is still doing his six races in the broadcast booth for TNT. He said he was open to running a limited schedule, ranging from 10 to 30 races. Marathon and Wells Fargo should return as sponsors, Petty said.

Petty said he is agreeable to running a third part-time car for the team if it wants to have two other full-time drivers.

"I've got no problem running the third car if you can put the right program together," Petty said. "The question is 'Can you put the right program together?' We've struggled with two cars, so to go to three or two-and-a-half is a stretch. Sponsor dollars are hard to come by right now because there are a lot of people looking."

If there is a third team, Petty said he would still drive the No. 45. He drives the No. 45 as a tribute to his son, Adam, who was killed in a crash during Busch Series practice in 2000 at New Hampshire.