Nascar and Racing Kyle Petty

Former Sprint Cup driver Kyle Petty made some interesting comments last weekend at Daytona that were somewhat swept under the rug.

Of course, the factors of the race being the biggest on the circuit and the controversy that followed will often do that news stories of smaller value.

However, Petty's words indicated that there was obviously a healthy dose of tension between him and the rest of the leaders at the now-former Petty Enterprises -- including his father, Richard -- thanks to the business moves the team has made in the past year.

The famed No. 43, the legendary Petty blue and everything that NASCAR's "King" Richard Petty helped to produce in his legendary 200-win and seven-championship career at Petty Enterprises seems to be slipping fast.

The team released 35 to 39 more employees this week on top of over over 30 that were let go immediately following the Sprint Cup season-finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November, bringing the total to nearly 70 people. ESPN says roughly 54 people remain at the shop.

Those 54 people are apparently waiting on any bit of good news that may come their way in terms of their employment -- and that news might just involve a merger with Gillette-Evernham Motorsports. Such a deal would see the famous No. 43 and possibly 2000 Sprint Cup champ Bobby Labonte move to the GEM stable to create a four-car team.

ESPN's David Newton said a possibility remains that the merger would happen and Labonte move to the GEM No. 41 Target ride while A.J. Allmendinger takes over the No. 43.

Petty's problems come directly from the fact that the team lacks full-season support for the two teams it wants to race in 2009 -- Labonte's No. 43 and a car for the young Chad McCumbee. General Mills left the team at the end of 2008 and will sponsor Richard Childress Racing's Clint Bowyer in 2009.

Even more surprising is that a face of Petty Enterprises no longer associates himself with the team.

There's been a lot of turmoil in the Petty Enterprises camp as of late thanks to a number of problems facing the once dominant (like, 20 years ago) but now struggling race team thanks primarily to the funding coffers starting to dry up.

The problem is simple -- PE wants to race two teams next season with Bobby Labonte and Chad McCumbee full time with current driver Kyle Petty on a part-time basis without having any sort of adequate funding. So naturally, when money gets tight, people turn sour, and problems arise.

As a result, Kyle Petty (Richard Petty's son who has been in the NASCAR game since 1979 with eight career wins) might be ride-less in 2009 in a move that would likely end what has been a slow trickle down of the number of races he's entered in the past two years.

"Right now, I got nothing," Petty said Saturday at Phoenix, where he'll start 35th in his last race of the year. "Straight up, I got nothing. So I'm still just looking."

Sunday's race at Phoenix International Raceway (FanHouse is live-bloggin' it again!) will be Petty's last race of the 2008 season because the up and coming McCumbee will try to make the season finale next week at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Petty has tested with and considered running in a road course racing series in 2009 -- a medium of racing he has some prior experience in.

In case you hadn't noticed, Kyle Petty hasn't been in a race car since May for the Coca-Cola 600.

Since then, a number of things have taken precedence over him returning to the No. 45 Petty Enterprises Dodge. First, it was his daughter's wedding, then he had the six race TV commentator stint with TNT. Last weekend at Indy, Petty put Terry Labonte in the car to make sure the No. 45 made the race thanks to Terry's past champion provisional.

And after that Brickyard tire fiasco, it was pretty obvious that he made the right choice to not be behind the wheel.

But, after missing seven straight races because of the other commitments, Petty will also miss this weekend's Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway, instead having young gun Chad McCumbee in the driver's seat.

Petty is supposed to return to the No. 45 for next weekend's road course event at Watkins Glen -- at track he won at in the early 90's. Terry Labonte, though, will be in the car for the race at Michigan International Speedway the following week.

When I woke up Wednesday morning, inside my box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch (It's got the swirls!) was a toy die-cast car of Richard Petty's No. 43 with Fruity Cheerios on the hood.

Naturally, I was inspired to put on the hat of Kyle Petty, and predict what would happen at the Wednesday news conference hosted by Petty Enterprises -- or at least predict what I think should happen.

On the PE website, there is a word of of a news conference for "news about the future of the organization". So then, what really should be in the future of the organization? Here's my list and the odds that it will happen:

1) Get an outside investor: It's been obvious for many years now that PE has been heavily underfunded compared to the biggest teams in NASCAR. Now, there's been rumors galore this season of a new influx of cash coming on board, and I certainly hope its true.

Petty needs that investor to make the team viable in the Sprint Cup world again. Odds: 1/1

2) Sign Bobby Labonte: It's been frustrating for Bobby Labonte fans since his 2000 championship with Joe Gibbs Racing because the driver simply hasn't had the equipment to do more after his move to Petty Enterprises. There have been flashes of the Bobby Labonte of old but each time, it seems, the equipment he's in from PE holds him back.

Be sure to let voice be heard at the FanHouse NASCAR FanVote.

Petty Enterprises picked up a new crew chief this week.

Jeff Meendering, a now-former employee of Hendrick Motorsports, will take over the top of the pit box for former Cup champion Bobby Labonte, effective immediately.

Meendering served as Jeff Gordon's crew chief during the six-race stretch over the summer that normal crew chief Steve Letarte was suspended for infractions at Infineon Raceway. During that stretch, Gordon was winless but still picked up 4 Top-5s and didn't finish outside of the Top-10.

A relationship with Robbie Loomis, Gordon's previous crew chief and now vice-president of race operations at PE, helped Meendering land the job.

"Robbie Loomis gave me the opportunity to join the No. 24 team in 2001 and I learned from him, and Steve Letarte, how to prepare and execute at the track," said Meendering.

In 2007, Labonte's No. 43 Dodges finished 18th in points with no Top-5s and just 3 Top-10s. Labonte hasn't won a Nextel Cup event since Homestead in 2003 with his former team, Joe Gibbs Racing.

Petty Enterprises has suffered through a long winless streak as well. Their last win was in 1999 with John Andretti at Martinsville. However, Labonte's 17th-place finish in the final Nextel Cup Standings was the highest for any Petty Enterprises team since 1999.