Petty Enterprises is a team that is capable of having good finishes, they had a couple top 10s and a bunch of top 15s late in the going this year and they nearly won a race in 2002, it seemed like they were on a rebound that year. Now it's time to figure out the problem at hand after the dismal 2003 season, oh where, oh where do we start? Hmm, maybe Mike Ege, the engine builder? During this years Pepsi 400, I believe the 43 and 44 were unable to qualify for the race. Now, when two of your drivers are unable to make the race, wouldnt you go berserk on your engine builder and fire him?
No, it appears they havent. Firstly, What needs to be done, is the engine staff to be fired completely and a new staff hired, hell, at this point, where your team is, you'd be willing to try anything.
Secondly, get drivers who know what a stock car feels like, basically experienced veterans. I dont have that much for Christian Fittipaldi, for a man who's never recorded a top 10 finish in a Busch Grand National car and has seen less than a year of action in that series to be hired by a Winston Cup team, that's nuts, no that's not just nuts, it's just wrong. You'll need veterans, guys who've been in the sport long enough who know how to set up a car and can help pile up some good finishes as the team grows.
Thirdly, talent, I'll just say Christian Fittipaldi didnt have it, maybe a year back in Busch Series and he'll be ready for the big leagues however he's just running laps and crashing into walls out there. There are lots of promising young drivers in the Busch Grand National Series, Craftsman Truck and ARCA ranks, you'd have to be either blind, dumb or deaf not to be looking that way. I've been hearing rumors that Petty Enterprises has had their eye on Shane Hmiel for a while now (he is still in drug rehabilitation BTW ), it is also rumored that Steve Hmiel, who's the technical director at Dale Earnhardt, Inc. might come along if Shane goes to Petty Enterprises. Unlike Fittipaldi who was just thrown into the car this year, it might be best to have a young driver try out 4 or 5 races in preparation for a rookie of the year title hunt the next year.
Lastly, it might be in Petty Enterprises best interest to switch manufacturers if need be. Just a suggestion.
With the right amount of stuff, from my standpoint, Petty Enterprises should get at least a win within the next three years and should be able to land a car in the top 20 in the points during that time.
Really it seems to me that they never look for talent in the busch or Arca ranks; they just hire who ever is out of a ride in Winston (Nextell).