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Joseph Andrew Petree III (born August 15, 1958), is a former
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
crew chief, driver, team owner, and broadcaster who has worked as the
rules analyst A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and the ...
for ''
Fox NASCAR ''NASCAR on Fox'', also known as ''Fox NASCAR'', is the branding used for broadcasts of NASCAR races produced by Fox Sports and have aired on the Fox television network in the United States since 2001. Speed, a motorsports-focused cable chan ...
'' and the Vice President of Competition at
Richard Childress Racing Richard Childress Racing (RCR) is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The team is based in Welcome, North Carolina, and is owned and operated by Richard ...
. After racing for years at local short tracks (most notably
Hickory Motor Speedway Hickory Motor Speedway is a short track located in Hickory, North Carolina. It is one of stock car racing's most storied venues, and is often referred to as the "World's Most Famous Short Track" and the "Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars". The tr ...
), Petree became part owner of the No. 32
Busch Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...
car for
Dale Jarrett Dale Arnold Jarrett (born November 26, 1956) is a former American race car driver and current commentator for NBC. He is best known for winning the Daytona 500 three times (in 1993, 1996, and 2000) and winning the NASCAR Winston Cup Series champi ...
. By the age of 28, Petree was already a
Winston Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. ...
crew chief on the Leo Jackson racing team. That car was driven by the Bandit Harry Gant. Petree was a color commentator for
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
and
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
's NASCAR coverage.


Championship years

In 1993, Petree was hired by
Richard Childress Racing Richard Childress Racing (RCR) is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The team is based in Welcome, North Carolina, and is owned and operated by Richard ...
, ending up as crew chief for the No. 3
Chevrolet Monte Carlo The Chevrolet Monte Carlo is a two-door coupe that was manufactured and marketed by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. Deriving its name from the city in Monaco, the Monte Carlo was marketed as the first personal luxury car of the Chevr ...
driven by
Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. (; April 29, 1951February 18, 2001) was an American professional stock car driver and team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notably dri ...
. Earnhardt won his sixth and seventh championships (1993 and 1994) with Petree. However, at the conclusion of the 1995 season, Petree left RCR and bought Leo Jackson's No. 33 team.


Car owner

Petree took over the No. 33 Chevrolet in late 1996, finishing out the year with driver
Todd Bodine Todd Martin Bodine (born February 27, 1964) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 62 Toyota Tundra for Halmar Friesen Racing, and current racing a ...
, and the team had its first full season under Petree's leadership in 1997. The rebranded
Andy Petree Racing Andy Petree Racing (APR) was a NASCAR team that won 12 races. Originally formed in 1985 as Jackson Bros. Motorsports, its ownership changed hands several times over the years, with three different owners from its beginning to its closure in 2004. ...
brought on veteran driver
Ken Schrader Kenneth Schrader (born May 29, 1955) is an American professional racing driver. He currently races on local dirt and asphalt tracks around the country while also competing part-time in the ARCA Menards Series, driving the No. 11 Ford for Fast Trac ...
, who drove the car to 2 top-5s and 8 top-10s en route to 10th place in the 1997 Winston Cup final standings. Schrader also won 2 poles in his inaugural season with the team. It marked a strong comeback for the No. 33 team, which had struggled severely in 1996, as driver
Robert Pressley Robert William Pressley (born April 8, 1959) is an American former NASCAR driver who previously served as the promoter at Kingsport Speedway in Kingsport, Tennessee. Pressley is now a County Commissioner in Buncombe County, North Carolina. Beginn ...
left the no. 33 car soon after Petree acquired the team. In 1998, Schrader received 3 top-5s and 11 top-10s. However, he fell two positions down the points ladder to 12th. Despite not receiving an invitation to the New York awards ceremony, Petree was ambitious. At Daytona in October, Petree fielded a second car, the No. 55 Chevrolet, driven by
Hut Stricklin Waymond Lane "Hut" Stricklin Jr. (born June 24, 1961) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. Racing career Stricklin grew up in Calera, Alabama. He married Pam Allison, the daughter of NASCAR legend Donnie Allison after the ...
. At the end of 1998, it was announced that
Kenny Wallace Kenneth Lee Wallace (born August 23, 1963) is an American race car driver and former reporter for Fox NASCAR. He retired from NASCAR in 2015 after driving in the national series since 1988. In a career spanning twenty-five years in NASCAR, Wallace ...
would join APR (Andy Petree Racing) in the No. 55 Square D Chevy for 1999. 1999 was a learning year for APR. The struggles of adding a second car may have shown. Schrader struggled with only 6 top-10s, en route to a 15th place in points. Wallace was more flashy but also inconsistent. He earned his career best finish of 2nd at New Hampshire International Speedway, and had 4 other top-10s, but Kenny would finish 22nd in points. Schrader's 1999 season compelled him to leave APR. However, Petree was quick in signing
Joe Nemechek Joseph Frank Nemechek III (born September 26, 1963) is an American professional stock car racing driver who last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 24 Toyota Supra for Sam Hunt Racing. Nemechek has made the second mos ...
and sponsor Oakwood Homes, after Skoal announced it would not be on the No. 33 for the first time in 21 years. The 2000 season was complete opposite for Petree's drivers. Nemechek was solid as he won 1 pole, and secured 3 top-5s and 9 top-10s. That enabled him to finish 15th in points. Kenny, on the other hand had one top-5: 2nd at
Talladega Superspeedway Talladega Superspeedway, nicknamed “'Dega”, and formerly named Alabama International Motor Speedway (AIMS) from 1969 to 1989, is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base ...
. It was a memorable one though. Wallace stayed behind
Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. (; April 29, 1951February 18, 2001) was an American professional stock car driver and team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notably dri ...
in a two-lap dash and his help allowed Earnhardt to win his 76th and final NASCAR race. Wallace admitted later that he would have pulled out had he realized that Nemechek was behind him (Nemechek would finish 3rd). Nemechek had been running a
Charlie Daniels Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. His music fused rock, country, blues and jazz, pioneering Southern rock. He was best known for his number-one country hit "The Dev ...
paint scheme and Wallace did not recognize it. Despite getting as close as anyone to Petree's first victory, Wallace left for
Eel River Racing Bahari Racing was a NASCAR Winston Cup and Busch team that operated from 1981 to 2001.The Busch team ran from 1989-1996 with Ronnie Sliver and Michael Waltrip driving, and one race with Johnny Benson at Homestead. The team's history of drivers inc ...
. Still searching for victory in 2001, Petree kept Nemechek in the No. 33 and hired
Bobby Hamilton Charles Robert Hamilton Sr. (May 29, 1957 – January 7, 2007) was an American stock car racing driver. A driver and owner in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series circuit and the winner of the 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship, Hamil ...
to drive the No. 55. A 3rd team with
Geoff Bodine Geoffrey Edwin Bodine (born April 18, 1949) is a retired American motorsport driver and bobsled builder. He is the oldest of the three Bodine brothers (with Brett Bodine and Todd Bodine), and sister Denise. Bodine lives in West Melbourne, Florida ...
driving made one start in 2000, but the deal fell through. It would turn out to be Petree's best season yet. The 9th race of the year, at Talladega Superspeedway, featured an amazing battle. After multiple lead changes, Hamilton took the lead as he took the white flag and held off Tony Stewart to win Petree's first career race. Hamilton would earn 6 more top-10s and 18th in the final 2001 rundown. For Nemechek, the season was mixed. While practicing at Dover Downs, Nemechek slammed the wall, and injured his leg. Luckily, Hamilton's son,
Bobby Hamilton Jr. Charles Robert Hamilton Jr. (born January 8, 1978) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He formerly competed in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and Camping World Truck Series. Early career When he was 15 ...
was more than willing to join his father. Hamilton Jr. ran 3 races, Wally Dallenbach Jr. ran at Pocono, and Scott Pruett took over at Sears Point. When Nemechek came back, his season was not the best and before October was over he announced his plans to leave. But Nemechek had one more trick up the sleeve. Nemechek pulled a dominating victory at North Carolina Speedway, giving APR its 2nd win from its 2nd team. However, with Nemechek gone and Oakwood leaving, the No. 33 began to fold. For
2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
, Petree still wished to run the No. 33 along with Hamilton.
Mike Wallace Myron Leon Wallace (May 9, 1918 – April 7, 2012) was an American journalist, game show host, actor, and media personality. He interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers during his seven-decade career. He was one of the original correspo ...
would drive the car for 4 races. However, with a best finish of 21st (
Daytona 500 The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three ...
) and its most memorable moment being at Talladega, (starting the big wreck) the No. 33 team's glory days were over. It would be up to Hamilton and the No. 55 team. However, just as the No. 33 quit for good, Hamilton was injured.
Greg Biffle Gregory Jack Biffle (born December 23, 1969) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 44 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for NY Racing Team and full-time in the ...
and Ron Hornaday took over. Hamilton came back and promptly announced he was leaving to his truck team. Petree was backed in a corner. By February 2003, his Cup team was done. With no sponsor to be found,
Christian Fittipaldi Christian Fittipaldi (born 18 January 1971) is a Brazilian former racing driver who has competed in various forms of motorsport including Formula One, Champ Car, and NASCAR. He was a highly rated young racing driver in the early 1990s, and parti ...
's run in the No. 33
Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
Chevy in the Daytona 500 appeared to be the final race. However, Petree wasn't quite done. His longtime friend, John Menard convinced him to look at John's son,
Paul Menard John Paul Christian Menard (born August 21, 1980) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver who last competed part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 66 Toyota Tundra for ThorSport Racing. Men ...
, who impressed Petree He signed him to a contract quickly. Paul made his debut in the No. 55 Chevrolet at
Nashville Superspeedway Nashville Superspeedway is a motor racing complex located in Gladeville, Tennessee, United States (though the track has a Lebanon postal address), about southeast of Nashville. The track was built in 2001 and is currently hosting the Ally 400, ...
, Petree's first career Busch race as an owner. It was a productive race, as Paul finished 12th. After finishing 14th at the next race at
Kentucky Speedway Kentucky Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Sparta, Kentucky, which has hosted ARCA, NASCAR and Indy Racing League racing annually since it opened in 2000. The track is currently owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. Before 2008 J ...
, Petree allowed Menard to make his Cup debut at
Watkins Glen International Watkins Glen International, nicknamed "The Glen", is an automobile race track located in the town of Dix just southwest of the village of Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. It was long known around the world as the hom ...
(after Paul had DNQd at
Infineon Infineon Technologies AG is a German semiconductor manufacturer founded in 1999, when the semiconductor operations of the former parent company Siemens AG were spun off. Infineon has about 50,280 employees and is one of the ten largest semicond ...
). That race at the Glen would be Petree's last Cup race. The next week, Paul grabbed his first top-10 at IRP. Petree, who had made some Craftsman Truck Series starts, decided to put Paul in some Truck races. Menard drove the No. 33 Menards truck in 5 races and finished with one top-10, an 8th place at Kansas. Petree signed Menard to a full Busch Series schedule for 2004, hoping to get Menard ready for a return to Nextel Cup in 2006. However, Menard had other plans. Halfway through the year, Menard signed with Dale Earnhardt, Inc., leaving Petree without at driver and a sponsor. His last Busch race would be at Chicago, which driver
Clint Bowyer Clinton Edward Bowyer (born May 30, 1979) is an American former professional stock car racing driver and commentator for ''NASCAR on Fox''. He competed in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2005 to 2020, driving for Richard Childress Racing for eight yea ...
drove. Petree's race team was dead in the water. After
Michael Waltrip Michael Curtis Waltrip (born April 30, 1963) is an American former professional stock car racing driver, racing commentator, and published author. He competes full time in the Camping World Superstar Racing Experience. He is the younger brother o ...
finished last at a Craftsman Truck race at IRP, Petree sold his equipment and his shop to
Kevin Harvick Kevin Michael Harvick (born December 8, 1975) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 4 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing. Harvick is the 2014 Cup Series champio ...
(which started Kevin Harvick, Inc.). He went to work for Michael Waltrip, as a consultant for Waltrip's Busch team.


Car driver

In 1988, Petree joined the G & G Racing team for 4 races. He finished 36th, 17th, 22nd and 30th, with the best finish at
Martinsville Speedway Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR-owned stock car racing short track in Ridgeway, Virginia, just south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in s ...
. Martinsville was also his best qualifying effort of the season. There he started 18th. While working for
Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. (; April 29, 1951February 18, 2001) was an American professional stock car driver and team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notably dri ...
, Earnhardt allowed Petree to drive his Busch car at Martinsville (1994). After starting 27th, Petree bettered his career best with a 16th. It would be his final Busch Series start. While his Cup team was falling apart, Petree tried to get some momentum going in the
Craftsman Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck based stock cars. The series is one of th ...
. Petree made his debut in that series at Martinsville in 2002. Despite an impressive 3rd place qualifying effort, Petree crashed and finished in 31st. However, the race at IRP later that year was better. He finished 12th. In 2003, Petree made 4 Truck starts and finished in the top-20 in each. He was 14th at Mesa Marin, 10th at Martinsville (career best), 20th at IRP, and 18th at the second Martinsville race. Petree's final start of his NASCAR career came at his best track: Martinsville in 2004. He started that race 9th and finished a respectable 18th. Seven months later, his team was sold and Petree's career as a car owner and a car driver was finished.


Broadcasting career

On October 12, 2006, Petree was officially named a color commentator of the ESPN/ABC NASCAR broadcast team for their Nationwide and Cup Series coverage. Petree joined
Rusty Wallace Russell William "Rusty" Wallace Jr. (born August 14, 1956) is an American former NASCAR racing driver. He has won the 1984 NASCAR Cup series Rookie of the Year and the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Championship. Over the course of his successful care ...
and
Jerry Punch Gerald Punch (born August 20, 1953) is an American auto racing and college football commentator working for ESPN, as well as a physician. Punch also does local radio spots in Knoxville Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox Cou ...
in the broadcast booth, with
Jamie Little Jamie Little (born April 9, 1978) is an American pit reporter for NASCAR coverage on Fox. Little is a former pit reporter for ESPN/ABC coverage of the Indy Racing League, although she returned to her pit reporting duty for the 2007 and 2008 I ...
,
Mike Massaro Michael Massaro (born 1970) is an American sportscaster and journalist who covers auto racing as a pit reporter for MAVTV's ARCA Menards Series coverage. He was previously a studio host and pit reporter for NASCAR on ESPN and NASCAR on NBC. He ...
, Dave Burns, Vince Welch, and
Allen Bestwick Allen Bestwick (born September 24, 1961) is an American sportscaster. He is the lead play-by-play voice for University of Connecticut women’s basketball telecasts for SNY, the lead track announcer at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the l ...
reporting from pit road. By 2011, Petree was the only member of the 2007 broadcast team still in the booth; until ESPN's final season of broadcasting NASCAR, he was joined by Bestwick and
Dale Jarrett Dale Arnold Jarrett (born November 26, 1956) is a former American race car driver and current commentator for NBC. He is best known for winning the Daytona 500 three times (in 1993, 1996, and 2000) and winning the NASCAR Winston Cup Series champi ...
, with Wallace in the infield studio and Punch on pit road. On February 10, 2015, Petree was hired by ''
Fox NASCAR ''NASCAR on Fox'', also known as ''Fox NASCAR'', is the branding used for broadcasts of NASCAR races produced by Fox Sports and have aired on the Fox television network in the United States since 2001. Speed, a motorsports-focused cable chan ...
'' as a
rules analyst A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and the ...
. However, Petree didn't return to FOX for 2016.


Motorsports career results


NASCAR

(
key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...
) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)


Busch Series


Craftsman Truck Series


References


External links

* * *
Andy Petree's ESPN BioAndy Petree NASCAR.com Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petree, Andy Living people 1958 births People from Hickory, North Carolina Motorsport announcers NASCAR crew chiefs NASCAR team owners Racing drivers from North Carolina NASCAR drivers ARCA Menards Series drivers American television sports announcers Dale Earnhardt Inc. drivers