| 2005 Season |
| Final Points Standing | 27th
|
| After First 26 Races | 32nd
|
| Earnings | $3,465,687
|
| Starts | 36
|
| Poles | 0
|
| Wins | 0
|
| Top 5 | 0
|
| 6-10 | 2
|
| Laps Led | 14
|
| Lead Lap Finishes | 15
|
| Bonus Points | 60
|
| Races Led | 12 |
|
|
| 2005 Performance |
| Below is the ranking of the team on each type of track along with the driver's best finish. |
| Track Type | Ranking |
| Flat Tracks | 29th
|
| Best Finish | 13th, Indianapolis
|
| Intermediate Tracks | 27th
|
| Best Finish | 8th, Dover
|
| Plate Tracks | 27th
|
| Best Finish | 17th, Daytona
|
| Road Courses | 21st
|
| Best Finish | 20th, Watkins Glen
|
| Short Tracks | 22nd
|
| Best Finish | 8th, Bristol |
|
|
2006 Spin
The Petty organization has been struggling for years, but with the changes made in the offseason by CEO and driver Kyle Petty, it appears the Pettys are serious about turning the teams around.
Robbie Loomis should make an immediate impact as Executive Vice President of Race Operations. He brings volumes of knowledge from the Hendrick camp, and while the team may not turn things around in the first five races, expect a gradual improvement.
The additions of Bobby Labonte and crew chief Todd Parrott to the 43 team should also bring the operation up a notch. Labonte can still wheel a race car, and Parrott has years of experience as a crew chief for some of the bigger names in the sport. If these three new hires can work together effectively, the Petty teams should be in good hands for years to come.
In the short term, expect a similar season as last from Kyle. He notched two eighth-place finishes, with those coming at Bristol and Dover. The cars, while not ultra-competitive, did seem a bit racier.
Expect slow and steady improvement from Petty. Step No. 1 in the process is finishing in the top 25 in the final point standings, a feat he has not accomplished since 2002. A top 5 or two would be a huge step, and a couple of top 10s are now expected.
2006 Recap
The 2005 season can be wrapped up with the final lap at Talladega last October. With one to go, Kyle Petty had a decent finish in hand with a clean race car. The next time he limped across the start/finish line, the car was destroyed. And the crowd cheered him on wildly.
Petty Enterprises has been behind in the technical end of the sport for years, and the '05 season was no different, with only two top 10s to show.
Decent finishes in the second and third races had Kyle ranked 16th, and a brilliant night at Bristol was further reason to cheer. Then the bottom fell out.
A brutal stretch from the Martinsville spring event to New Hampshire in the fall dropped the 45 car from 19th in points to 31st.
On the bright side, the team managed six lead lap finishes in the final 10 events, compared to only nine through the first 26.
• The Good: Petty earned 60 bonus points for leading in 12 races for just 14 laps. Those 60 improved his ranking from 28th to 27th.
• The Bad: With a good finish at hand, Petty crashed on the last lap at Talladega. He gets extra style points for limping to the finish line with a trashed car, refusing to take a DNF.
• The Ugly: Although he made all the races, Petty started 30th or worse in 25 events. The weakness of Petty Enterprises is evident with such poor qualifying efforts.
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