No one is quite sure exactly what's going to happen to Petty Enterprises these days. That includes some of the key folks at Petty Enterprises.

Only a couple of things appear certain: the No. 43 car will survive, and Richard Petty will remain a part of whatever entity emerges on the other end of merger talks with Gillett Evernham Motorsports.

But times are a-changin' in NASCAR -- and in this case, not necessarily for the better.

This is a sport built upon its rich and storied history, and no racing organization boasts a more proud or productive past than Petty Enterprises. Between founding father Lee Petty, who won three Cup Series championships, and current family patriarch Richard, who won a record 200 races and seven championships, no operation has secured more hardware in the nearly 60 years the governing body and royal racing family have been in business together.

In the process, not only did Lee and Richard become racing icons -- but so did the entire Petty family. Kyle Petty, Richard's son, has won only eight times on what is now known as the Sprint Cup Series circuit, yet he is considered one of the leaders in the garage area and his opinions, which are many, are sought on all the issues of the day.

One of those issues on this day, in the wake of reports last week that Petty Enterprises was on the verge of merging to GEM and essentially ceasing to exist as an autonomous entity for the first time in the history of NASCAR, is what happens next when and if that calamity comes to pass?

The second cousin

Dale Inman doesn't own the Petty last name, but he might as well be known as Dale Inman-Petty. He is Richard's second cousin and former crew chief -- a man who oversaw all seven championship runs Richard made and then further proved his mettle in the garage by helping a non-Petty, Terry Labonte, win his first championship.

Inman has watched from only a short distance as the slumping economy has ravaged the sport, leaving the unemployed in its wake. This recession knows no names, grants no reprieve for past accomplishments. (Continued)