NASCAR is losing another legacy...

It's almost official. An agreement was reached today between Petty Enterprises and Bobby Labonte to go their separate ways. It's probably only a matter of days before the announcement comes that Gillette Evernham Motorsports has taken what's left of PE and merged it into their 3 car operation and become a 4 car stable. GEM will most likely keep the famed 43 on the track but it will no longer be a Petty run car.

NASCAR has basically closed the book on it's famed history and has started a new one. In the last eight years NASCAR has lost two major icons from it's past beginning with the untimely death of Dale Earnhardt Sr. Richard Petty is still around, however, the team is almost threw digging their grave. Gone are the days of the guys working hard to make a living and pay for their race cars. No more Petty Enterprises, no black #3, and before long it would appear that the Wood Brothers will close up shop as well.

NASCAR's new book to reflect it's history as it is now will be all about corporations and political correctness. Brian France wanted to make a difference and make a name for himself. He succeeded but even he has been rumored to be moving on to other things. Brian may have brought a fresh perspective and youth to the reins of NASCAR but that's not what NASCAR was built upon and in my opinion he has failed to improve the sport. The sport continues to grow financially but how long will these corporations pour their money into the teams they bought out just to have their brand shown to a declining group of viewers? What happens when George Gillette wakes up and realizes that exposure from normal television ads is more adequate and inexpensive as having your name plastered on a NASCAR team? Ray Evernham has left, so who would run the team then?

As a fan of NASCAR, it's troubling to see the direction that NASCAR has taken. More and more owner's are dependent on investors but just as the casual fans come and go, who's to say these investors won't deem NASCAR as a failing choice of exposure. Maybe when Michael Waltrip finally retires from driving he can become NASCAR's Official Spokesperson. They sure need some more excitement than they're getting from the current leaders. How many more excuses can NASCAR give for declining ratings? I'm sure Michael could help out because we all know he's had plenty of chances for excuses everytime he wrecks a car and loses a race. He could even put a positive spin on things and maybe even make some positive changes! It's worked for Vince McMahon placing wrestlers in charge of the RAW brand and SmackDown brand int he WWE.

I'll never forget Petty Enterprises giving Bobby Hamilton the best break he had after joining the Winston Cup Series. I'll never forget that he won the first race in 1996 for PE in over 10 years and turned around and did it again in 97'. I'll never forget that PE gave Bobby the first of his 2 Top 10 finishes in the final standings in 1996. I'll also never forget the disagreement between Bobby and Kyle over who was receiving the good equipment and the failure as a driver that Kyle became at PE and the champion Bobby went on to be. Petty Enterprises is gone as we know it. NASCAR's famed history is all but wrapped up. Hopefully the series will make a turn for the best and write another exciting book in the future about the NASCAR of today.