Kyle to race Adam's car at Martinsville/Homestead.

When Kyle Petty announced that he would be vacating the seat of his regular ride in the Winston Cup for the last eleven events on the schedule to take a place in his late son's Busch Grand National team, he realised that he was taking a major gamble.

Indeed Petty's fortunes in the #44 HotWheels Pontiac have waned in recent years and with time not really on his side, an experienced Winston Cup campaigner such as he could not afford to jump into a lower category and not succeed unless the project was something very special.

When Kyle Petty announced that he would be vacating the seat of his regular ride in the Winston Cup for the last eleven events on the schedule to take a place in his late son's Busch Grand National team, he realised that he was taking a major gamble.

Indeed Petty's fortunes in the #44 HotWheels Pontiac have waned in recent years and with time not really on his side, an experienced Winston Cup campaigner such as he could not afford to jump into a lower category and not succeed unless the project was something very special.

However this project WAS very special as he was taking the seat that his son Adam occupied until his untimely death at the New Hampshire International Speedway in May. Before fate intervened, Petty Enterprises had planned a year in the Busch Grand National Series with the #45 team and Adam before a move full time to the Winston Cup in 2001 where they would join Kyle and John Andretti in a three car Dodge Intrepid outfit.

Despite losing their driver, the young team somehow stayed together and Kyle drove the car in selected BGN event s during the summer. However it was clear that if they were to continue with their dream and make the change in 2001 they would need some firm guidance and after a lot of soul searching, Kyle decided that he should be the man to help them.

After scoring three top ten finishes in his first nine races, Kyle will take the team to the Winston Cup on October 1st for the NAPA Autocare 500 at Martinsville and then to Homestead on November 12th for the penultimate round of this year's Championship. It will be at these two races where the gamble that Kyle took will hopefully pay off.

If the team display the potential that they showed at the start of the year, Petty Enterprises tragic 2000 season may end of a positive note and Kyle feels that his new team can perform when the heat is on.

"I've always felt that this team is as good, if not better, than many of the Winston Cup teams out there," said Petty who has endured an immensely difficult year and yet has carried his head with immense courage and pride. "Each week, this team continues to get better and we're gaining confidence as we go."

When the WC cars make the trip to the tiny half-mile Martinsville oval, the #45 Sprint Chevrolet will hold a special place in the hearts of many fans and at a track where Petty has scored some of his most impressive results in recent years, emotions will undoubtedly be running high.

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