Thirtyyears ago, no one involved in stock car racing imagined nor predicted thedemise of Petty Enterprises.  Lee Pettybuilt the ship that has sailed ever since the beginning of . Lee Petty won three championships and was arguably the first truesuperstar of NASCAR.  His son Richardcame along and inscribed his name all over the NASCAR record books.  Countless records set by Richard Petty,widely known as ?The King?, may never be broken. 

RichardPetty won 200 races and seven championships, and that is not even scratchingthe surface of all that he has accomplished as a driver and owner.  Other than a couple of years in the mid-1980,Richard Petty's entire career was spent with the organization his fatherbuilt.  Petty Enterprises? ascendancyfrom the early 1950's to the late 1970's may have been even greater thanHendrick Motorsports? and Roush Fenway Racing's in the 2000's. 

Thirdgeneration driver Kyle Petty emerged in the late 1970's, as the teenager madehis first Cup start on longest and what was then the fastest facility,Talladega.  However, unlike his fatherand grandfather, Kyle won his first race while driving for someone other thanPetty Enterprises.  His first winoccurred nearly eight years following his debut, and it was at Richmond with the Wood Brothers, a team thatgave the Petty's fits throughout the 1960's and 1970's.

Followinghis four-year tenure with the Wood Brothers, Kyle Petty joined the FelixSabates-owned operation in 1988, which is where he enjoyed most of hissuccess.  In fact, six of Kyle's eightcareer wins occurred while driving for Felix Sabates.  Petty left Sabates following the 1996 seasonto return to the family business, and he has not won since.  In fact, since Petty's last win in 1984,which was for Mike Curb, the famed number ?43? car has three wins, two withBobby Hamilton, Sr., and one with John Andretti.

In thelate 1990's, Kyle's son Adam was developing into a fine young racer.  Many in the garage began likening Adam to hisgrandfather.  He was 100 percentdedicated to racing.  Sadly, his lifeended much too soon in a tragic accident while practicing for a Busch Seriesrace in Loudon, New Hampshire in April of 2000. Nobody saw it at the time, but that was the beginning of the end forPetty Enterprises.  Adam provided hopethat a Petty would once again rise to the top. 

Throughoutthe 2000's, Petty Enterprises has fallen deeper and deeper in the pack.  Just five years ago, Petty Enterprises hadthree teams, now they only have the ?43?, and even that is not enough toattract full-time sponsorship. 

In 2006,resurgence appeared inevitable for Petty Enterprises, as they signed 2000champion Bobby Labonte, and rehired Robbie Loomis.  However, Labonte has remained inmid-pack. 

PettyEnterprises eventually relocated to a shop closer to the Charlottearea, abandoning their long-time home in Level Cross, North Carolina.  In 2008, Boston Ventures, and investmentfirm, purchased controlling interest in Petty Enterprises with hopes of leadingthe storied organization back to the forefront. Instead, things have only worsened. Kyle Petty was basically kicked to the curb, and a sponsorship deal forthe ?45? team fell through.  That all ledus to where we are today?the discussion on the Petty decline. 

Eversince the 2008 season concluded at Homestead,the headlines are rarely pertaining to Jimmie Johnson's third consecutivechampionship.  It has been the potentialmerger between Gillett Evernham Motorsports and Petty Enterprises.  The merger would allow the ?43? team to beabsorbed by Gillett Evernham Motorsports. Meanwhile, the ?45? car would be phased out. 

Even withthe ?43? still on the track, it will not be same as when it was Richard?scar.  It will be a jagged pill to swallowfor hardcore Petty fans, as well as traditional fans that hold on to the goodold days. 

Who woulddrive the ?43? car?  Petty Enterprisesreleased veteran Bobby Labonte earlier in the week, so it will likely be anupstart driver such as Reed Sorenson or A.J. Allmendinger.  While they are talented young drivers, theycertainly have not earned the right to be in union with perhaps the mostrevered car number in NASCAR history. 

Traditionalistswere kicked while they were already down, as previously the Wood Brothersoperation announced that they will only compete in twelve races in 2009. 

The fallof former empires is somewhat reminiscent to the 1990's and early 2000's when legendarycar owners such as Junior Johnson, Bud Moore, and Junie Donlavey left thesport.  Teams owned by Bobby Allison andCale Yarborough could not survive the 1990's. 

Today,Petty Enterprises and the Wood Brothers have fallen on hard times.  Poor economic conditions forced DaleEarnhardt, Inc. to merge with another team, and now identified as EarnhardtGanassi Racing.  Robert Yates Racingbecame Yates Racing in 2008, and seems to be under the Roush Fenway Racingumbrella.  They have struggled to securefull-time sponsors since M&M's left for Joe Gibbs Racing.  While the name ?Yates? is still in thebuilding, and the ?28? car is back, it just not feel the same as it did adecade ago.