ESPN

Buzzmaster

  (2:13 PM)

Kyle Petty should be calling in any minute. Send in your questions NOW!

Buzzmaster

  (2:23 PM)

We've got Kyle!

Gary (Phoenix)

How did you get started with this event?

Kyle Petty

  (2:24 PM)

With Tony. He came up with the idea after he bought the track. Over the last few years as his foundation has grown. He has involved the Victory Junction Camp more and more. This is a Tony Stewart event that we're blessed to be a part of.

Oscar, Columbus,OH

Nice job last weekend. When's the last time you've raced on dirt?

Kyle Petty

  (2:26 PM)

The last time I raced on dirt was two years ago when I was at Tony's event. The first time, it was rained out. I'm not running in his event this year. I am helping HBO in doing the commentary. I already had a sponsorship event, but I'll be there to run my mouth in the press box.

Ken (Trenton, NJ)

How strange will it be to go from the asphalt to the dirt?

Kyle Petty

  (2:27 PM)

It's really not. It's really fun to run dirt every now and then. The guys in dirt have tremendous car control. When you're on dirt you have to drive with the steering wheel and on the throttle. You have to have great car control. That's why I'm excited about seeing Montoya and Gordon go to the dirt. It's a very forgiving surface.

Ann (Fargo, ND)

What is the best or worst part about running on dirt?

Kyle Petty

  (2:27 PM)

The best part is that we don't do it for a living. We do it for fun. To go out and compete with Tony and Jeff and other guys that are good guys and good racers is the best. The worst part is the dirt. You are nasty dirty when it's over.

Ryan DC

Kyle, the first race I ever saw live was Dover Jun '95. When you won there, I remember you had to get helped from the car because you were sick. What exactly happened there? Thanks for all of your charity work too.

Kyle Petty

  (2:29 PM)

That day I had had the flu going into that race. That was just a strange race in a lot of ways. I had the flu the week before. I had really been sick and had set out the practice even. Sunday morning they brought in these tires and we didn't even change the car. When I was running the race, we were leading and that was good medicine.

Rick Augusta, Georgia

Kyle, whats it like trying to follow in the footsteps of a man so highly regarded as one of the best in Nascar? Does Richard put any pressure on you?

Kyle Petty

  (2:30 PM)

He didn't. He never put any pressure on myself of my sisters to be a part of the sport or to be in the sport. It was fun, it was cool. We grew up with race cars. There was no pressure. The only pressure is that you put on yourself.

Brad (Gadsden,Alabama)

Kyle, What is your biggest win?

Kyle Petty

  (2:31 PM)

I have to say I've been a part of two big wins. I rank them both close together. My father winning Daytona in '79, I was a part of that. I helped build the car. The biggest was probably Adam winning the ARCA race in Charlotte in the 90's.

Eric (Saukville WI)

What do you think it will be like sitting out of the cup races this year and doing commentary?

Kyle Petty

  (2:32 PM)

It's going to be fun, because it will be in the air conditioning. It will be a totally different perspective. In the past I've done some pit reporting for ESPN. I'm looking forward to it.

John- Forest Lake, MN

Do you follow Dirt Late Model or Sprint car racing? Scott Bloomquist, Steve Kinser, etc. ?

Kyle Petty

  (2:33 PM)

Real top shelf - not really. Racing every single weekend...it's just what I can read. You get the top two or three races.

Steve Capehart, Jacksonville, Florida

KyleWhat is the next step that Petty Enterprises needs to take to make the leap to the next step of improvement?

Kyle Petty

  (2:35 PM)

I think we need to stay the course. That's the next solid step. Many times a team will have a small amount of success and they will abandon their plan. I think our course has gone great. We just need to keep staying the course. The 43 and 45 keeps staying competitive, we'll have something. We see glimpses in the 43. If we can continue to climb in the points, that's the course we need to take.

Dave (Sierra Vista, Arizona)

Kyle,My wife wants to know if you'll marry her? On a serious note, What excites you most about moving to the TV booth?

Kyle Petty

  (2:36 PM)

No. 1, I'm married for 28 years. I don't think my wife would like that much. As for TV, I have some experience and can still be a part of the sport despite my age. In the past as you aged out of the sport, you didn't have that many opportunities. Now there are many opportunities for people to go out and do other things in the media.

John- Forest Lake

Do you think any top Nascar series (Cup, Busch, Trucks) will ever run on dirt? It seems natural for "trucks".

Kyle Petty

  (2:37 PM)

I think we'd all like to see it, but the Prelude to the Dream with Tony Stewart will be as close as we'll get to a Cup race on dirt. I think our sport is looking at markets now. I think the only way we'd put a dirt track on the schedule would be if we could run dirt in NYC.

JEFF, ROCHESTER, NEW YORK

Hi Kyle,what has been the biggest problem you've encountered with being both a driver and hands on owner?thank you,congrats on last weeks run!

Kyle Petty

  (2:38 PM)

Not enough time. There's not enough time to do both jobs. There's not many that do it. You look at Robby Gordon, who has bright spots and down spots. This is what I've always done. We need to look no farther than Michael Waltrip and the struggles he's having. No one person can do the whole job.

Scott (Philadelphia, PA)

Kyle what does fell like when your out front and you have 42 of the drivers in the world chasing you.

Kyle Petty

  (2:40 PM)

It's kind of like the fox and the hounds. You're the fox and they're the hounds. When they catch you, they're not just going to play with you, they're going to kill you. It's a good feeling to end the day, but when you're out there doing it, it's tough, but fun.

Garrett (Hickory, NC)

I've heard rumors that ya'll are thinking about moving from Level Cross to the Charlotte area. How true is this?

Kyle Petty

  (2:41 PM)

Robby talked about that in our preseason press conference. He floated it out there. He and my father talked about it. I think it's been put on hold. I think we need to stabalize ourselves first.

Collin, Phoenix, AZ

What are the plans for this year's motorcycle ride? Where are you guys going to be?

Kyle Petty

  (2:42 PM)

This year's cycle ride is going to be different. We've gone West Coast to East Coast. This year, we're going Maine to Miami. We're starting in Bar Harbor and finishing in Florida.

Kyle Petty

  (2:42 PM)

The people on the West Coast are tired of us.

Kyle Petty

  (2:43 PM)

Thank you for all your support with the phone calls and the letters. It was very heartwarming. I'd like to thank everyone out there with our Victory Junction Gang Camp.