Published: June 26, 2008 03:45 pm            

Larry Penkava - June 18, 2008

Say it ain’t so, Richard. It’s all over the news that Petty Enterprises is being taken over by a bunch of yankees – no wait, not yankees but “potty boys” from Boston.

It can’t be true, can it, Richard? After all, they don’t even know how to say car.

But it was written up by the Associated Press, a heretofore reputable news source, that the first family of NASCAR gave up majority control of Petty Enterprises last week to a private equity firm called Boston Ventures.

I realize your home-grown company needed outside money to compete with Hendricks, Gibbs and Roush.

But couldn’t you have gone with something like Charlotte Ventures, or Raleigh Ventures, or – (gulp) – even Alabama Ventures?

Stock car racing was invented by good ol’ boys from the South, drivers like Fireball Roberts, Curtis Turner and your own dad, Lee. It grew into a major sport at Darlington, Rockingham, Daytona and other tracks in Dixieland.

So, OK, Bill France saw the need to expand to the rest of the country, causing an invasion of race car drivers from Indiana, Missouri, Washington and even California.

But at least the heart of NASCAR has remained in Charlotte, where most of the teams are based – even your own, beginning this year.

I can tolerate moving the shops to Mooresville, where most of the crews live and work. I can stomach putting a guy with an Italian name in the driver’s seat.

I can even suffer having to squint to find any Petty blue on No. 43.

But it’s going to be hard for me to adjust to Petty Enterprises being owned by Beantown venture capitalists.

Does this mean you’ll be on TV pushing Boston baked beans? Or wearing a Red Sox baseball cap? Or (gasp) hanging out with the Patriots?

Will Petty blue give way to Harvard crimson? Can I expect to see good English tea being thrown into Randleman Lake? Will you be waving the green flag at the start of the Boston Marathon?

I can even see your statue in downtown Randleman being replaced by a likeness of Paul Revere.

“The Bostonians are coming! The Bostonians are coming!”

Come on, Richard. These guys may be experts at making money in the media and entertainment venues. But what do they know about wedges and downforce?

Can the new CEO make the right call late in a race – four tires, two tires or just gas-and-go?

Does the new chairman know the difference between Cole Trickle and Lightning McQueen? Can his crew change four tires in less than 15 seconds?

I thought not.

Maybe before signing the dotted line, you should have taken them out in one of your Richard Petty Driving Experience cars and shown them what it’s like to do 180 on a banked track.

On the other hand, if your Boston boys can stomach grits and collard greens, maybe there’s still a chance.



Larry Penkava, who has written Now and Then since 1994, wishes the Pettys – and Boston Ventures – the best.

        

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