Petty steps aside in Texas.

Having failed to qualify last weekend at Martinsville and with his #45 team languishing well outside the top 35 in the Sprint Cup owner standings Kyle Petty has elected to sit out this weekend's Samsung 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway.

In his place will come Petty's development driver Chad McCumbee, who stood in for the veteran driver twice last year during Petty's stint in the TV commentary box. Before he can contemplate making his third career Sprint Cup start McCumbee must first qualify on speed during Friday's Coors Light Pole session.

"At Pocono, he did a great job filling in for me when I went into the booth," said Petty, who has a best finish of 28th so far this year. "Everyone at Petty Enterprises believes in Chad and his abilities. Texas gives us a chance to get another good look at Chad without throwing him to the wolves. He should be relaxed because he knows he can get the job done there."

Last year the 23 year-old McCumbee drove the spring races at Pocono and Michigan for the #45 team finishing 25th at Pocono and 41st in Michigan. At the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway, site of this weekend's Samsung 500, McCumbee has a career best finish of 9th, achieved in the 2006 Craftsman Truck race.