RPDE is Primary Sponsor of the Petty Dodge
23 year-old Chad McCumbee will pilot the RPDE race car at the Monster Mile this weekend in place of Kyle Petty, who has the weekend off for his daughters wedding. “I have to thank everyone at Petty Enterprises for allowing me to drive the No. 45 Richard Petty Driving Experience Dodge this weekend," said McCumbee, who has two starts under his belt at Dover.
Veteran Terry Labonte will take over for Petty in the 45 car at Daytona in July. The 51 year-old NASCAR champion just couldn’t say no when he got the call to drive. “I could say no to some other people pretty easy," said Labonte. “But with my brother Bobby over here and being able to drive for the Petty folks, I just had to do this deal and I am sure we are going to have some great fun."
Kyle Petty truly feels the two drivers are up for the challenge in his absence. “Chad has proven he can get the job done and I am really thankful to him for stepping up to the plate this weekend," state Petty. “He just got married so he knows how special this day is for me and my family but we’ll be rooting him and the whole RPDE team on Sunday when they drop the green flag. What can I say about Terry – he is a just a class act and we feel truly blessed to have him join our team for a few weeks and I think it’s kind of a neat deal to have the brothers as teammates again."
“I am really excited that we can have RPDE aboard the 45 car this weekend and again down in Daytona", says seven-time NASCAR Champion Richard Petty and co-owner of Richard Petty Driving Experience. “We have wanted to do something like this for a long time and I think the car will be one the fans can really relate to because that is what the Driving Experience is all about, letting the fans see the sport from the inside out. That is the whole deal behind it and why it is so exciting for our customers who participate."