Sweatin' the Petty stuff: Labonte has upside, Kyle on downside

Second in a series looking back on NASCAR teams' fortunes in 2007 and their prospects for 2008.

There may not be a team or name more synonymous with NASCAR's history than Petty Enterprises. Since the inception of NASCAR in 1949, a Petty-owned car has competed in the sport. Founded by patriarch Lee Petty, PE has fielded cars for 45 different drivers throughout its history, including four generations of the Petty family: Lee, Richard, Kyle and Adam. The team boats a remarkable 268 career Cup Series wins, led by seven-time series champion Richard's record 200 victories.

Kyle Petty had a rough year, finishing 35th. (Getty Images)

Recent seasons have seen significant changes to the venerable organization as it tries to return to its glory days and revisit Victory Lane for the first time since 1997.

Season rewind

PE's two-car tandem of Bobby Labonte in the famous No. 43 Dodge and Kyle Petty in the No. 45 Charger entry put together a decent season, with both finishing in the coveted top 35 in the point standings. Getting both cars into that group was a major goal for the team and brought a sense of relief, as it brings guaranteed starting spots into the start of next season.

"It may sound a little strange to say we're happy to be 35th," said Petty, who only made 29 starts, missing six races due to an injury as well as television duties. "But with the way this sport is right now and the importance of what it means to be in the top 35 and not have to worry about qualifying your way into the show early next year, it's huge."

Since coming over to PE from Joe Gibbs Racing two years ago, Labonte has brought the stability and consistency the team was hoping for from the 2000 series champion. Labonte notched only three top 10 finishes in 2007, but was repeatedly in the first half of the field, which added up to an 18th overall finish in the standings.

That's an improvement of three spot from Labonte's 2006 finish, but the veteran driver sees more than just statistics as a measurement of the team's progress.

"At the end of the day you can look at the numbers and it's pretty black and white," Labonte said. "If you finished 16, 17 or 18 in points, and you weren't that high last season, you have improved. It's simple logic if you are studying stats, but this sport is more about chemistry than stats. It's about what it takes to get to the end result; what and who are the ingredients that make that happen. And that's why I feel we have improved this season. "

Petty's season had a few more challenges than Labonte's, including the 28-year veteran sitting out a handful of races while nursing a broken hand suffered after pounding a wall inside the team's hauler in frustration after Watkins Glen in August.

"Oh, I've done a lot stupider things," Petty said. "Believe me, I'm 47, so this doesn't even move the needle on stupid."

Petty sat out the next race at Michigan with Chad McCumbee -- who also subbed during Petty's six-race, midsummer stint as a TNT commentator -- taking over behind the wheel.

Petty's controversial season also included a run-in with Denny Hamlin in the September Dover race. After the two made contact on the track, Petty ran over to Hamlin's crumpled car and gave the sophomore driver an angry tongue-lashing, which ended in Petty slamming down Hamlin's helmet visor.