Petty excited about analyst work, even after strong run (cont'd)

I'll tell you what, Kyle can sure talk fast, makes it hard to take notes. Might make it hard to get a word in on the air.

"We're a two-car team, and let me tell you one thing about a two-car team, and I don't know about a four-car team because I have never been a part of one, but a two-car team builds off the success of the other. Even though we have struggled [in the 45 car], we've had good morale because of the way Bobby Labonte has run."

"It's good that we can contribute to that morale, good for the guys at the track, in the shop, everyone and maybe even good for Ray [Evernham, who provides engines to Petty Enterprises]. They haven't had a great year over there so maybe this will even help them."

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Kyle Petty had his best finish in a decade on Sunday when he came home in third place.

• Complete story, click here
• Petty gives fans ride along
• Inside the Halls of Petty

That's good ol' Kyle Petty, always rooting for the other guy.

Now, let's not lose sight of reality here. Fuel mileage and that we've-got-nothing-to-lose-if-we-go-for-it attitude put Kyle and crew in the top three at Lowe's Motor Speedway. If it was the Coca-Cola 605, well, I might be writing about traffic on Speedway Blvd. after the race. Nah, I wouldn't do that.

Still, they battled back, worked on race strategy, put themselves in the proper position and in the record book -- it is and always will be a third-place finish. That's nice.

"Listen, there are A, B and C teams. Petty Enterprises is a B team trying to get to be an A team," Petty said. "To get to be an A team we have to have these kinds of runs every week. We have to do that to elevate our status to that of the top teams. I heard some of the [reporters] talking [Sunday] night about the Gibbs guys missing another shot. Yeah, they missed it alright, three teams in the top 10 [second, sixth and ninth). Nice miss. One guy asked about the end of the Hendrick domination. I said, 'Don't you realize what just happened?' They [Hendrick] just got their other car into Victory Lane. That just completes the circle. All four of their cars have won in the first 12 races. That's phenomenal. I don't even think Roush has accomplished that.

"So when you look at what we did, that's the kind of thing that helps to build our organization and make it stronger."

He could see that right after the race.

"Yeah, the guys were all complaining after having to go through tear-down [NASCAR's post-race inspection process]," Petty said. "Oh my gosh, now we gotta tear down, now I gotta tear down the rear-end gear, grinning ear-to-ear the whole time."

Kyle handed out credit to crew chief Billy Wilburn and his team, to the guys back at the shop, to the fans for supporting him, to convenience store clerk down the road that sells Coke Zero. OK, I made up the part about the store clerk, but you get the idea. Everybody did it, not Kyle Petty.

"I've won races and been in position to race for a championship; most of these guys have not," he said. "This lets them know what it feels like to run good. They haven't had great runs. I'm glad I could contribute to that."

As you've probably read, Kyle credits Robbie Loomis with getting the job done. Loomis left Petty Enterprises, won a championship with Jeff Gordon at Hendrick, then made the return trip home to Petty.

"He helps more in that position than I ever did," Petty said of Loomis' job as vice president of operations. "His plan is to always get it to the racetrack. I was always looking at the bigger picture. I would be thinking about how we could be better in two years. He's already focused on Dover." (Continued)