New sponsors for Petty in '06.

Kyle Petty's #45 Nextel Cup team will have a new look in 2006 after it was confirmed that current backers Georgia Pacific would not be returning next year.

Along with its Brawny brand, G-P have been the primary sponsors of Petty's #45 Dodge since the start of the 2003 season and while Petty didn't confirm the identity of any new sponsors, he indicated that the #45 would be following the increasingly popular pattern of having multiple primary sponsors.

"We're excited with the possibilities of working with new sponsors and structuring our programme to allow for our partners to share the assets of the #45 car throughout the season," said Petty, who is also the CEO of Petty Enterprises.

"Although they will no longer be our primary sponsor, Georgia-Pacific and its Brawny brand has been a great partner for Petty Enterprises and for me personally. They have been supporting us since the mid '90s with our Craftsman Series truck programme, and have been a valuable part of not only the racing team but the Charity Ride Across America and the Victory Junction Gang Camp as well."

After finishing 37th and 33rd overall in the past two years, Petty currently lies 32nd in the points standings with one top ten finish to his credit so far. With the Petty Enterprises stable as a whole not performing as well as its fans would like, attracting a number of firms for a smaller asking price appears a more achievable goal than looking for one company to stump up millions upon millions of dollars.

"Next year our programme will provide us with the opportunity to leverage several promotional tie ins and other marketing elements with a select group of complementary partners working together to do some pretty cool stuff," added Petty.

"Because we will have multiple partners, the entry point dollar-wise for this programme is significantly below what companies are paying to be full-time primary sponsors. We've had great reaction to this programme already and we think it is an exciting way to be involved in our racing platform."