Inside the Halls of Petty: Oh, my Martinsville home

Petty Enterprises and Martinsville Speedway, but a few combinations mean more to the history of NASCAR than those two. They were there at the beginning and they have remained a constant throughout the ever-changing world of NASCAR. Petty Enterprises has been fortunate enough to win more races at the paperclip-shaped oval than any other team in the history of our sport. Lee, Richard and John Andretti have won for Petty Enterprises at Martinsville. As we learn more about the Dodge Avenger we increase our chances of bridging that past to the present.

Inside Petty

Each week on NASCAR.COM, Robbie Loomis will take fans "Inside the Halls of Petty Enterprises." A championship-winning crew chief, Loomis has 26 victories atop the pit box and as Vice President of Operations oversees both Petty cars.

An amazing number, but it really is 19. That's how many times a Petty Enterprises car has visited Victory Lane at Martinsville. A record 19 grandfather clocks, one of the coolest trophies in sport, have been hauled back to the shop in Randleman, N.C. The King, Richard Petty, won a remarkable 15 times there. That number is easily the most all-time. The King really knew how to get through the tight Martinsville corners. Lee Petty won there three times, too. His last victory there came in the 1959 Virginia 500.

I witnessed first-hand Andretti's 1999 victory. He wheeled the car from a lap down, before any Lucky Dog stuff, and planted the car in Victory Lane. I was excited, John was excited and The King smiled, too. You can fall in love with a place like Martinsville after days like that.

So, with all of the past success that Petty Enterprises has had at Martinsville, it would seem like the best place to get our next win. We have the people in place to do it this weekend.

Bobby Labonte and the No. 43 team had a strong Dodge Avenger at Martinsville in April. Unfortunately brake problems plagued the team and didn't allow them to get the finish they were capable of. Bobby knows how to get to Victory Lane at the Martinsville Speedway. He won there in 2002. And don't forget, he also finished third in this race last season. The 43 team has been close at the COT races this season. Crew chief Doug Randolph has them competitive and that will usually mean good things with Bobby Labonte behind the wheel.

Kyle Petty has as much experience at Martinsville as anyone in the garage not named Ricky Rudd. He has enjoyed success in several different types of cars. That experience has helped him in the COT races this season. These No. 45 Dodge Avengers drive much like the big-bodied cars that Kyle drove early in his career. Kyle has had some good runs in the Avenger this year. He also grabbed a nice finish in this race last year when he brought the No. 45 home in the 10th position.

We have drivers that know how to get it done at Martinsville. We have a bunch of guys at the shop that know how to win at Martinsville. It's almost a second home to us. We've won so many times here and it has been such a great place for Petty Enterprises. So, yeah, maybe I'm a little excited about this weekend. Looking at all the record books it's hard not to be.

See you in Victory Lane,
Robbie Loomis