Checking in with musings about NASCAR …

 – News: Petty Enterprises “partners” with a venture capital firm, Boston Ventures, which actually takes over controlling interest of the Petty race teams and the Richard Petty Driving Experience.

Views: Another one bites the dust, with Petty joining Roush Racing and Evernham Motors as teams who have taken on partners in the past few years.

Petty’s team has been running on empty for about two decades now, though the team has made strides in recent years since Robbie Loomis came over from Hendrick Motorsports.

The King, Richard Petty, will still have some say in the organization, but whether that continues long term, who knows? I think anytime someone sells a business with his/her name on the marquee, only bad things happen. With the King, you almost wish it didn’t have to be so, but the team hasn’t been competitive in such a long, long time that something had to give.

Kyle Petty, driver of the 45, is out as CEO, replaced by the venture capitalist dudes, who also own Motown and Six Flags. It also might not be long before nice-guy Kyle is out of the 45 as well, as he transitions into a career in broadcasting.

Now the team needs to find sponsors. General Mills is taking the Cheerios brand with them next year to Richard Childress Racing.

– News: Kyle Busch crashes and finishes dead last Sunday in Pocono as he sets a record by competing in all three NASCAR series races at three different tracks on three consecutive days.

Views: Sport writers tend to put two and two together and conclude that the weekend blitz over-extended young Busch, and he cost his team points and yadda yadda yadda. Meanwhile, Juniorphiles are besides themselves with glee that the cat who was shown the door at Hendrick to make room for Earnhardt II (and is ahead of DEJ in the standings as well) failed so miserably. (Can’t they just like Earnhardt Jr. without disliking someone else?)

My take: Who cares? That Kyle Busch would attemp the NASCAR hat trick is pretty cool, actually. Plus, dude’s like 23 years old, so a little lack of sleep ain’t gonna hurt him any more than it hurts the collegiate brainiacs who pull all nighters working on projects or studying for finals.

Ol’ Left Turns used to make fun of young Kyle Busch, but having the Juniorphiles rooting against him almost makes him a sympathetic figure. Odd that the dude who’s first in the point standings could be viewed an underdog, too.

Anyway, kid’s got the chutzpah going, and I think it’s really cool that he races in the trucks series as a favor to the team that gave him his first ride in NASCAR. Some cats move on from rides like that and never look back. Bully for Kyle Busch for his loyalty.

– News: NASCAR upholds the penalties imposed on Haas CNC Racing for adjustments to the blessed wing on the COT.

Views: Is anyone surprised?

– News: Jack Roush will do the flyby in his World War II era P-51 fighter Saturday before the trucks race at Michigan International Speedway

Views: OK, Roush is cool, has his own fighter and is going to buzz MIS. Not to be a nervous Nelly about it, but this is a disaster waiting to happen. Leave the flybys to the flyboys — the armed forces fighter jocks.

– News: Former NASCAR inspector files a $225 million lawsuit against NASCAR. In the suit, Maurcia Grant alleges racial and sexual discrimination, sexual harassment and wrongful termination.

Views: It’ll be interesting to see how the media covers this, and whether there’s a fallout vis-a-vis NASCAR’s corporate sponsors.

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