It has been a long time. Yes, we can count that Kasey Kahne victory so long ago (really only a few seasons ago), but how long has it really been since a Petty car won a NASCAR Sprint Cup race? I don’t have the time to look, but it’s been awhile. Bravo!
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[/media-credit]The Petty name has gone through a long history of problems. Petty Enterprises partnered with an investment group to try to save the organization. That didn’t work and they finally merged with George Gillette’s team to survive. That didn’t work either. After signing an agreement with Roush-Fenway, there were times that the money to continue wasn’t there and it appeared the biggest name in NASCAR would go away. Credit Richard Petty, the King, for having the good sense to find a way to continue in the sport he almost created with his big smile and personality. Today was the start of that new era.
Petty assembled two talented drivers with a hope and a prayer. A. J. Allmendinger is enormously talented. He’s rough around the edges, but shows signs of being a force in the series eventually. Marcos Ambrose is likewise talented, and a master on road courses. Today, the stars aligned right and Ambrose won the race at Watkins Glen. He deserved it. And the car owner did too, even though he was home caring for his ailing wife. It’s a shame the King wasn’t there. Seeing his smiling face and cowboy hat would have been priceless, but the result is the same. The first win for the new Richard Petty Motorsports is significant. I didn’t look it up, but Petty’s victory total is now huge
In these days where younger fans don’t remember guys like Petty and his organization were so dominant, this is a flashback for those of us who have followed the sport for 40 years or more. It’s so good to see good people—people who made this sport what it is (the Wood Brothers also come to mind) be successful. It’s been a magical season for those two teams and now Marcos Ambrose has given the legendary team a chance to run for a championship. What could be better? Nothing is the answer.
Congratulations to the Tasmanian devil! May he finally win one on an oval and he and his teammate continue the tradition of wins for the Petty family.
