The economy was the topic of discussion with all the drivers attending the ’09 Sound & Speed Fan-Fest. During the media interviews of the drivers that attended the fund raiser, everyone of them discussed the topic.
The driver most outspoken on this subject was Kyle Petty.
“Everyone in the industry wants to talk about everything but the economy but the economy has a direct effect in the industry as a whole. It’s like I could do stuff back when fuel prices were $20.00 per gallon and people would say, ‘How’s fuel prices effecting you?’, I’d say, ‘It’s not, we’ve got sponsors.’ It’s like that guy coming and sitting in the third row doesn’t have a sponsor, that’s how it’s effecting us, that guy isn’t coming and sitting in the third row anymore, he’s sitting at home, not traveling to the track! That’s how it’s effecting our sport!”
There’s more past the fold…
By this time, Mr. Petty had the attention of the whole room, it had grown eerily quiet as he continued;
“It’s all going to depend on if people are fortunate to have any disposable income, if there’s any such thing as disposable income anymore and on whether they’re able to come to the races. It’s going to effect how companies are able to advertise, their going to have to see that return on the dollar. I think of the days of the 15 to 20 million dollar sponsorships are the thing of the past for a while. It’s going to have to level off, I have no doubt we’ll have full fields but the amount of money spent on cars, the amount that’s spent on travel, the amount of money spent that way is going to be totally different.”
After listening to these drivers, everyone in the room could see just how deeply the economy is effecting the drivers, even those who are no longer driving, to sum it up, Kyle Petty predicts it will not only effect the ’09 season but will have a ripple effect for another 2-3 years, the racing industry is waiting to see how the bailout will change the manufacturers contracts that are in place. The speedways have already seen corporate sponsors pull back. Some of the team sponsors are cutting sponsorship by 15 – 20%, it’s all they can afford, it’s a ‘take it or leave it’ kind of deal.
Petty called it “issues, not necessarily problems”. He also wondered, “How they, as an industry, navigate that storm will effect where the sport goes from here.”
Used Jeep Wrangler
I’m going to miss Kyle Petty!!!!!!!!
The title “Kyle Speaks His Mind” is funny. This guy is a has been. Well not even that really. What has he done other than be the kings kid. NOT A [----] THING!! He really doesn’t have much of a mind. At least when it comes to any NASCAR related items.
Nuff said.
Hoz
“Hoz
January 14th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
The title “Kyle Speaks His Mind” is funny. This guy is a has been. Well not even that really. What has he done other than be the kings kid. NOT A [----] THING!! He really doesn’t have much of a mind. At least when it comes to any NASCAR related items.
Nuff said.
Hoz…………”
Hoz, you are no doubt the biggest idiot I have heard in a while!!!! Kyle is more than just the “Kings” kid. Kyle has won a few races and been fairly competitive in the past. What Kyle brings to the table is a life time of NASCAR experience. Kyle has been actively racing for 30 years and been near the sport his whole life. Lost a son to the sport, has given of himself and time for others through the Victory Junction Camp. If I not only had the knowledge and history Kyle has of NASCAR, but the genuine good heart and compassion for others he has I would be very blessed. A measure of a man is not just what you did last week but what time eventually shows and time has shown me that Kyle Petty may not have won a Championship, the Daytona 500 or tons of races, but Kyle is a good man and is as important to NASCAR as his father, Dale Sr, DW, the Allison’s, Yarbourough, Gordon and so on!!! Enough said!! Chris
If Kyle’s last name was Smith, no one would even listen. He now has a lot of love for PE, and yet he bailed on them and drove for others for 12 years in the middle of his career. Kyle once said that he raced because he was so lazy to work. I beleive it. I mean this part time driving so he can be in the tv booth. Not the mark to a racer.
I wish he would quit using the death of his son like a prop. I have way more respect for Jr who has said many times, that him losing his dad is no different of the millions of people who have lost loved ones. Why does the loss of a child make a person special? Wierd! You notice that Rick Hendrick does not use his loss as a prop to get attention. Jr could have milked his dad’s death, but instead he wanted the 3rd lap of silence to stop.
Petty is a petty guy in search of identity.
I agree with you, Cindy. People in the spotlight are always dramatized and us, the spectators, can get pretty melodramatic about things. Kyle Petty does seem pretty shaken since his “firing” from Petty, but I’m sure he’ll pull himself together eventually. He just needs the cameras and mics off his face. They’re not helping him cool down any.
My guess is that he’s bitter that the sport grew past his namesake despite the Petty success. It’s like, “How could the Petty’s of all people not succeed at stock car racing?” For any new fan that probably doesn’t make any sense, but imagine a Hendrick car not winning for almost 10 years. Seems bizarre and shocking, huh?
During the interviews, which he attended willingly, Petty was asked if he was bitter. He said “Let me put it this way, and let me make this very clear. I am NOT bitter with the way things have turned out. If I was at the beginning of my career then yes, I would be bitter. But look, I haven’t done anything, as a driver, for over ten years, and I was at the end of my career. I haven’t been a full-time driver for three years, that’s about when my career ended.”
With his involvement with NASCAR, TV commitments, and just being Kyle Petty, he has to face the fans and the media and not hide his face in the sand. Kyle will do fine and will pull through this, it just won’t be with Petty enterprises any longer.
Comments by some of the above show the lack of experience regarding NASCAR and it’s drivers. There are many drivers that ‘haven’t done much’ and are much better ‘racers’ than those driving. That includes some winning the championship. It’s a different ‘thing’ today. Remember Petty and Pearson ‘racing’ to win the 500 in 1976? Do you think you’d see that today? If you do, you’re crazy. They weren’t racing for the Championship. They were racing to get to the next race and also to WIN! NASCAR isn’t ‘racing’ anymore. It hasn’t been for 15 years. The Elliots wouldn’t have a chance today if they were starting out. That’s why we’re leaving. (I’ve been at Daytona since 1974.) I do not like the ‘protectionist’ attitude of NASCAR. I watched drivers and teams ‘work’ to get in to a race. We all know it’s money that has ruined NASCAR racing. For the benefit of a couple above, Kyle won at Daytona in his first race at Daytona. Now! You try that! He may have gotten the chance because his name was Petty. But, he was at the steering wheel driving the car. See you at Daytona.