No Ride for Kyle Petty

Perennial backmarker Kyle Petty has been put out to pasture by NASCAR community

Kyle Petty said he had a couple of opportunities for rides, but they weren't worthwhile. "I'm not at the stage where I want to come down and beat your head against the wall and be there," he said. "I've been doing that for the last five or six years, coming down here with cars that were uncompetitive. I don't want to get in somebody else's car that is uncompetitive. I just ended up without a ride. I'm on the other side of the fence looking in, but not at my choice."

Petty drove in the 24-hour race at Daytona last month, but mechanical issues limited him to one shift. He plans to compete in more road races, but he's uncertain which ones. He also will be back as an analyst with TNT for its six Cup broadcasts in June and July, which will keep him from racing during that period. While Petty sits out, he continues his work with the Victory Junction Gang Camp. A second camp, which will be located in the Kansas City area, is expected to have its groundbreaking around September. Virginian-Pilot