Kahne still uncetain about future plans: From Ford Racing Notes and Quotes For Las Vegas. #9-Kasey Kahne talks about his slow start to the 2010 season and uncertainty of his plans past 2010 with RPM:
YOU’VE HAD SOME ISSUES THE FIRST TWO WEEKS.
“The car has been decent. At Daytona and last week I think we’ve been top 10 cars. We got in a wreck at Daytona and last week I just made a mistake and cost us a lot of points and a top 10. It’s disappointing, but those things happen once in a while. Hopefully, we’ll get things turned around and have good, strong run this whole weekend.”
DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE IN A HOLE?
“I don’t think our season is over, but we’re definitely in a hole as of today. We’re thirty-something in points, so that’s not very good, but we still have plenty of racing to go.”
IS IT EASIER TO SWALLOW SINCE YOUR CARS ARE GOOD?
“Our cars are good. I wouldn’t say my car is any different than it was last year. I think the Ford engine runs a little better than what we had last year and that’s nice, but as far as balance and going and leading laps or running first, second, third, we’re not there. Hopefully, we can get there with the group of people that we have and working with everybody from Ford. The Ford engine is better, but that’s it. We have a lot of people there. You’ve seen how well Roush has run in the past and we’ve run really well at times at RPM, so, hopefully, we can all put it together and figure out how to make some better race cars.”
HAD YOU EXPECTED MORE AT THIS POINT?
“I expected the cars to be better, I mean just a little bit. You’d think gaining with that many people in that group and pulling our knowledge and their knowledge together you would think, ‘Man, we’ve got to have a better balance on race cars doing that.’ That’s not the case, but I think as the season goes, hopefully, it will be the case, but not as of right now.”
WHEN DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING NEXT YEAR?
“It’s something I want to know during the season for sure, but it’s kind of nice to be able to sit back and look and watch the performance of our team, watch the performance of the Chevrolets, the Toyotas, the Fords and the Dodges and just kind of see where everybody is at and make that decision. We have plenty of time to do it, so it’s pretty nice to be where we’re at right now, I think, with that stuff and give everybody a fair shot and to kind of know the direction. But, like we see, everything is always up and down. One year one team runs really well, and the next year they’re not quite as good. It seems like Hendrick has been on a little roll here for a while, but looking at the gains of RCR it’s pretty awesome if you ask me. They made more gains than anybody. They went from wherever they were last year to being right in the middle of it. It’s pretty cool to see somebody jump like that.”
IS RPM IN A TRYOUT PHASE RIGHT NOW? DO YOU HAVE TO SEE SOMETHING FROM THEM?
“Well, I have to feel like we’re going in the right direction. This is my seventh year and I’ve stuck it out with them since day one and done everything I could to drive and done everything to communicate and I’m gonna keep doing that. In the middle of this year or towards the end of this year, when I decide to make my decision of what I’m gonna do, if I don’t feel like we’re gonna be able to run with the Hendrick cars for the next three or four years, then I’ve got to make a change. If I feel like we can, then I’m gonna stay right where I’m at.”
WILL YOU LOOK AT IT EVERY WEEK TO SEE WHERE YOU ARE IN POINTS?
“I think if we run well it would be kind of exciting to see that I jumped five spots or three spots or how that works, so I’ll look forward to running well, hopefully, and jumping up that list to see how many spots we can pick up a weekend. I saw Johnson picked up a bunch. Early in the year you can pick up a lot if you have a good race.”(Ford Notes/RFR)(2-27-2010)

Petty updates wife's condition: Richard Petty updated his wife Lynda's condition on Sunday, saying doctors are confident she can defeat cancer. Lynda Petty is being treated at Duke University Medical Center for central nervous system lymphoma, a form of brain cancer. "She's already had a couple of treatments and she went through them real good," Petty said. "Yesterday she looked at me and said, 'Get up and get out of here and get on to Daytona.' So I know she's doing pretty good. They [her doctors] feel like they can completely wipe the cancer out." Petty, who shares the Sprint Cup record of seven championships along with Dale Earnhardt Sr., is the co-owner of Richard Petty Motorsports. Petty said he hasn't been involved with the team much since Lynda became ill. RPM merged with Yates Racing last month. "Since November I've spent a lot of time with Lynda Gale," Petty said. "After more than 50 years together, I thought that's what I needed to do. I've still been involved in all major decisions [at RPM]. But some of the PR stuff I put on the back burner. She is more important than racing right now." Petty said his wife started showing systems of vision problems a year ago, but it took doctors a long time to diagnose the problem. "It took until December for them to really understand the problem and the way to treat it. They have operated on both her eyes to make sure they are in good shape when the cancer goes away." Petty said he's thankful for all the interest and support his family has received from fans and friends. "Just keep us in your prayers," he said. "We've been real fortunate. We appreciate everybody thinking about her."(ESPN)(2-14-2010)

Get well Lynda Petty UPDATE: Lynda Petty, wife of NASCAR legend Richard Petty, will undergo a medical procedure Friday to determine the underlying cause of an ongoing medical condition. "My family has always been my number one priority. I hate to miss any racing or racing-related event but at this time being with my wife Lynda is where I need to be," Richard Petty said. The Petty family is thankful for the support from family, friends, fans, and all those in the racing community and asks for the continued respect for their privacy during this time. Richard and Lynda Petty celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2009.(NASCAR.com)(1-22-2010)
UPDATE: Richard Petty's wife, Lynda, has been diagnosed with CNS (Central Nervous System) Lymphoma. Mrs. Petty will be treated at the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University Medical Center. "We are thankful for the medical team at Duke. My wife Lynda is in good hands," Richard Petty said Thursday in a team statement. "The doctors and our family are very optimistic that the treatment for this cancer will be successful." The Petty family appreciates the support from family, friends, and fans as well as the continued respect for their privacy during this time.(NASCAR.com/RPM)(2-4-2010)

Will Kahne bolt RPM? he could stay: The rumor mill already has #9-Kasey Kahne out the door at Richard Petty Motorsports when his current contract ends in 2010, with Stewart-Haas Racing as his most likely destination. Kahne, however, said Tuesday during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Media Tour that he wouldn't rule out staying with RPM, which completed its merger with Yates Racing in December. "I feel like I'm in a new deal rather than with the same team," Kahne said of the merger and RPM's technical alliance with Roush Fenway Racing. "I've given a lot, and I've worked really hard for the first six years of my Cup career, and I get to decide what I want to do after that. But like I've always said, it's about performance and how well we run, and I think this could be the best opportunity that I've ever had in the Cup series. This could be a great spot for me, really. I'm open right now, because I don't know exactly what we have. I feel like the change to Yates engines, the change to working with the Roush teams and still having everybody at RPM—we've done such a good job over the last year—I feel like it's something I definitely need to pay attention to and not say, 'Man, I don't want to be here,' because this could be a spot where I really do want to be as the season goes, depending on performance and how well we run."(Sporting News)(1-20-2010)

Richard Petty Motorsports Merger Now Complete: Rumors of a Richard Petty Motorsports/Yates Racing merger began circulating a few months ago but it wasn't until today that the racing community could stop calling them rumors. "I'm here to announce the best kept secret in all of motorsports, which is that the merger between Yates Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports is officially completed," said Foster Gillette, managing partner of Richard Petty Motorsports, in a press conference Tuesday morning. The merger, which happened in December, brought some big changes along with it. During the 2010 season Richard Petty Motorsports will be running Ford Fusions, ending its long relationship with Dodge. Also, RPM will leave behind its previous home in Statesville, N.C., moving to the Yates Racing facility in Concord, N.C. Filling the four driver positions at RPM will be #19-Elliott Sadler, #9-Kasey Kahne, #43-AJ Allmendinger and #98-Paul Menard. "The addition of a great team, great talent of drivers - we have Elliott, Paul, Kasey, and AJ adding to the fleet of Fords out there on every Sunday," said Jamie Allison, Director of Ford Racing. "That's something to be looking forward to." Richard Petty Motorsports will maintain the alliance that Yates Racing had with Roush Fenway Racing and Doug Yates will be in charge or the Roush Yates engine program.(Charlotte Motor Speedway Sprint Media Tour Notes)(1-20-2010)

Chili Bowl results - Kahne finishes 18th: Another one of those coveted Golden Driller trophies is going back to Tennessee. This time though, it’s not in Sammy’s hands as Kevin Swindell topped Saturday night’s 50-lap Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals main event that wrapped up a full slate of Rockstar Energy Drink championship feature events atop the QuikTrip Center’s Tulsa Expo Raceway. The 20-year-old from Germantown, TN, led the final 26 rounds to become the youngest winner in Chili Bowl Nationals history, adding a sixth Golden Driller from the prestigious Midget racing event to the Swindell family collection that already includes hardware from his father’s unmatched five wins. Swindell went on to take the win in the Esslinger-powered John Christner Trucking #39 Spike in front of Whitt and his father Sammy, who rallied from the tail on several occasions after using a defending race winner’s provisional to start the main event. Jerry Coons, Jr., finished fourth in the finale for the second year in a row, with two-time Chili Bowl Hard Charger Award winner Chris Windom racing from 20th to a career-best event finish of fifth. NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Kasey Kahne finished 18th after winning the first “B” Main. See more news and results at Chilibowl.com.(1-17-2010)

DVD about "the Rise of Kahne" released: Kasey Kahne Racing announced the release of a new DVD entitled "The Rise of Kahne" that documents Kasey Kahne's rise from short track racing to NASCAR superstardom. The 90-minute, documentary style DVD narrated by country music star Dierks Bentley presents fans with an insider's gaze into Kahne's life on and off the race track. Arriving just in time for the holiday season, "The Rise of Kahne" is now available for sale at www.kaseykahnestore.com for the introductory price of $19.99.
Produced by NASCAR Media Group in conjunction with Motorsports Management International and Kasey Kahne Racing, "The Rise of Kahne" follows Kahne's journey from his home state of Washington across the country to Indiana and finally to North Carolina as he battles the short track racing ranks in USAC on his high-octane drive to the elite ranks of NASCAR. Fans have a front row seat to watch Kahne charging toward his dream and chasing childhood heroes like Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon, all while building the skills needed to make it to the top, where he eventually becomes one of the most recognizable faces in American motorsports.
"What I like most about the DVD is that it made me reflect back about all the things that happened over the years trying to make it to NASCAR," said Kahne, an 11-time NASCAR Sprint Cup race winner and a former USAC National Midget champion. "It captures not only the good times, but also the bad times that are a big part of what everybody in this sport experiences."
Kahne's ascent to racing stardom is also a tale of committed family and loyal fans. He is a humble dirt- track prodigy that took his talent to the highest level, yet remains a down-to-earth guy today. It's a story any motorsports enthusiast won't want to miss, and a journey never to forget.
"The Rise of Kahne" DVD features sit-down interviews with Kahne and members of his family, exclusive video and photos, archival racing footage, behind-the-scenes NASCAR and World of Outlaws footage, and a special bonus features section. DVD cover artwork is available at sportssystems.com. For more information, visit www.kaseykahnestore.com.(MMI)(12-17-2009)

Petty-Yates Merger supposedly a done deal: Richard Petty Motorsports officially became a Ford operation on Thursday. The merger deal was signed between principals from RPM and Yates Racing and the appropriate paperwork was filed with Ford Motor Company. Richard Petty Motorsports brings three additional teams to the table, the #9, #19 and #43. Ford officials have said repeatedly what a coup it was to gain #9-Kasey Kahne, who finished 10th in the Sprint Cup point standings, into the fold as well as 28-year-old #43-AJ Allmendinger. #19-Elliott Sadler will also join the driver roster which included #98-Paul Menard from the former Yates organization. RPM is currently operating out of Statesville, N.C. The former Yates Racing buildings in Concord, N.C. are currently being remodeled to accommodate all four teams. That move is scheduled for Speedweeks in February.(FoxSports)(12-4-2009)

Blue Changes at Yates Shop: The building used by Yates Racing in Concord, N.C., soon will be gutted and prepared to expand into a four-car Sprint Cup garage when the merger with Richard Petty Motorsports is completed. The building was used to field two cars owned by Yates/Hall of Fame Racing in 2009. With the merger it will expand to the #9 of Kasey Kahne, #19 of Elliott Sadler, #43 of AJ Allmendinger and #98 of Paul Menard. The building is expected to be painted the famous Petty Blue since the organization will take on the RPM name.(ESPN Insider)(11-25-2009)

Evernham looking to be involved with race team again: Former car owner and crew chief, Ray Evernham, said prior to Sunday's season-ending Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway that he hopes to get a series of legal issues resolved in the coming weeks that may pave the way for a return in some capacity with a race team. "Unfortunately for me, there are a lot of legal things going on right now. And there will be more legal things to come," said Evernham, who remains a minority stockholder in what is now known as Richard Petty Motorsports and also serves as a color analyst on ESPN television race broadcasts. "I'm not 100 percent sure [what I'll be doing next year]. Right now I have a contract on the table from ESPN -- and I love working for ESPN. I have a blast with what I do there. We'll have to see. I'm not going to say that I'll never be back over here. I just don't know in what capacity."
Evernham has made no secret of his desire to rid himself of his minority stake in RPM, which previously was known as Gillett Evernham Motorsports -- and before that was simply Evernham Motorsports, in which he was founder and majority owner. "I've got some meetings next week. There is a lot going on where we've got to get some clear communication on -- things that are going on and where I fit in all that," Evernham said. "I own a percentage of everything as a stockholder. I am a stockholder in that business today." He also has a non-compete deal with Gillett-Evernham that he would like clarified -- if not severed altogether. That could clear the way for him to return to the garage in some capacity with another race team beginning as early as next season. Evernham added that he has not spoken with majority owner George Gillett on any consulting issues since last May.(NASCAR.com)(11-23-2009)

Kahne considering leaving RPM after 2010: from a Dodge Motorsports Notes & Quotes - Kasey Kahne Open Interview done at Homestead:
Q) HOW MUCH WILL YOU TRY AND STAY IN THE LOOP WITH RPM MANAGEMENT ON WHAT’S GOING ON?
Kahne: “I use to try and stay in the loop and then things don’t happen that they say will. At this point, I have one year left (on my RPM contract). I want to do the best job for Richard Petty Motorsports in my final year. It’s up to them what happens. They do their thing and I’ll do mine. All I can do is make myself better at driving race cars and communicating with Kenny Francis. If I do that, I’ll be happy next season.”
Q) SO YOU’LL TRY AND LOOK ELSEWHERE NEXT YEAR?
Kahne: “Yeah.”
Q) REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENS NEXT YEAR, WILL NEXT YEAR BE YOUR LAST YEAR WITH RPM?
Kahne: “That’s hard to say. Come January, I can start looking around; I can talk to other people. I would imagine the Gillett’s are going to talk to me at that point. But as of right now, the Gillett’s haven’t talked to me and I’m just kind of doing my job, doing the best that I can through the end of the season. The ups and downs of the team has made it difficult for me to really say, ‘Man, I’m going to be here for 10 more years.’ I really don’t know what’s going to happen. Truthfully, I don’t know what’s going to happen right now.”(Dodge Motorsports Transcript)(11-20-2009)

Roush's Smith not retiring: Roush Fenway Racing president Geoff Smith has decided to delay his retirement. Smith said because of tough economic times and the merger between partner Yates Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports that he will stay on at least through the 2010 season. Smith is handling a lot of the paperwork in the merger that he said is agreed to on all major issues and should be announced soon. He also plays a major role in bringing sponsors to the cars for the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series. Smith has yet to wrap up a full season of sponsorship for the #17 of Matt Kenseth.(see more at ESPN Insiders)(11-17-2009)

Richard Petty says with merger nearing completion: Richard Petty said the Richard Petty Motorsports-Yates Racing proposed merger is still in the hands of the lawyers, but with the likelihood of it happening, RPM had to begin its staff reductions this week. Sources indicated more than 150 people were laid off earlier this week or were told they would be laid off after the season ends next week at Homestead-Miami Speedway. RPM, which fields four teams, and Yates, which fields two, announced in September they planned to merge – and with NASCAR’s four-team limit, the staff reductions were anticipated. “If we’re going to do what we’re going to do, we’ve got to start somewhere,” Petty said Friday at Phoenix International Raceway. “This is basically where we’re starting.” Many of those laid off were in the engine shop and the car manufacturing department, sources said. The new organization will use Roush Yates Engines and likely will be based in the current Yates shop in Concord, N.C. – about 45 miles from the current RPM shop in Statesville, NC. “I think we’re moving there to the [Yates shop near the] airport,” Petty said. “As far as I know. Tune in next week.”(SceneDaily)(11-14-2009)

RPM Engine shop to shut down UPDATE: What's left of the original Evernham Motorsports engine shop is expected to shut down on Monday, according to multiple sources. Richard Petty Motorsports will retain the necessary personnel to complete the final two races of the season when engine duties will revert to Roush Yates engines with the move to Ford. With the merger of RPM and Yates Racing, the Petty crew chiefs were told that each team would be able to keep 17 crewmen per team. The overall reduction for the organization is expected to be 200 of 250 employees once the deal is complete.(FoxSports)(11-9-2009)
UPDATE: The NASCAR workforce shrunk by 47 people on Monday as Richard Petty Motorsports took the first steps toward shutting down its engine department in Concord, NC. RPM is making reductions in its staff with the impending merger with Yates Racing. Additional cuts are expected in the car shop in Statesville, N.C. on Tuesday. Sources said on Sunday that the three remaining teams expected to join forces with Yates will retain 17 crewmen per team. But given the move to Ford — which started at Talladega with #19-Elliott Sadler on Oct. 30th and continued this past weekend with #44-AJ Allmendinger at Texas, there's no need to continue building new Dodge cars or engines. The engine department will continue to employ 14 employees through the end of the season to assist in the organization for the final two races. Roush Yates Engines will supply powerplants for the team in 2010.(FoxSports)(11-10-2009)

Kahne to run Olympic scheme at Daytona: Budweiser announced that it will celebrate U.S. Olympians with a special paint scheme at next season's Daytona 500. Driver Kasey Kahne will pilot the #9 Budweiser Team USA Ford in the 52nd running of "The Great American Race" at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 14, 2010, and the Auto Club 500 in Fontana, Calif. on Feb. 21, 2010, both which coincide with the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games (Feb. 12-28). Budweiser Team USA Olympic Paint Scheme die cast cars will be available for purchase beginning October 23 and can be ordered through BudShop.com, Nascar.com and at the tracks. Proceeds from the die cast car sales will be donated to the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) to assist athletes' training and travel costs for the Olympic Winter Games. Budweiser has been associated with the Olympic Games since the Los Angeles 1984 Games. Budweiser first sponsored a team on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series circuit in 1983. Budweiser also is the title sponsor of the annual Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, the exclusive beer and malt beverage advertiser of the Daytona 500, and the "Official Beer Sponsor" of Daytona International Speedway, the Daytona 500 and the Coke Zero 400.(Team USA), see images of the car on my 2010 #9 Team Schemes page.(10-17-2009)

McArdle back at the track: Mark McArdle, former director of competition at Richard Petty Motorsports, was at the track Friday for the first time since departing the team at Richmond in September. McArdle and the team parted ways after a disagreement between McArdle and car owner George Gillett. McArdle is looking for a position with another team in the sport but has to receive approval from Richard Petty Motorsports. Most contracts feature non-compete clauses and require a team's approval to move to another team. McArdle would not discuss details of his departure except to say it was time for a change. "I've always advised those who work under me that if the bus is going somewhere you don't want to go, then maybe you need to get off the bus,'' he said.(Roanoke Times)(10-17-2009)

Gillett says Yates-RPM merger on track UPDATE: George Gillett Jr., majority owner of Richard Petty Motorsports [#9,19,43,44], said he hopes to form a stock-car league in Saudi Arabia as part of a contractual agreement he signed this week with Saudi Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah al-Saud, a member of the Saudi Royal Family. But Gillett emphasized that he is not selling the team. He said he hopes to finalize a merger with Yates Racing soon, and that RPM will race Fords in 2010. Gillett felt the need to address many issues about RPM after some reports this week falsely stated Gillett's new deal with the Saudi prince would lead to the prince's sports management team taking over RPM. "I came back from Europe into a maelstrom of massively inaccurate stories," Gillett said Saturday at Kansas Speedway. "So I thought we could correct it and move forward. As part of out conversations [with the Saudis], it became clear we should have aligned interest. We discussed if they had an interest in buying a small interest in RPM. A majority? Heck no. It was a very early conversation, but it was completely distorted. I come here today as a man with a clear conscious and potentially a very attractive partner. If he becomes a small investor [in RPM] I can't imagine it would be anything but positive for the sport. That's the story." Gillett said he and the Saudis are in the talks to form some type of stock-car league overseas Gillett said the merged RPM/Yates operation will be at least a three-car team and hopefully four cars. He would not confirm who if those four drivers would be Kasey Kahne, A.J. Allmendinger, Elliott Sadler and Paul Menard, which was reported earlier.(ESPN)(10-3-2009)
UPDATE: “The Yates transaction is on track,” said Gillett, whose RPM organization fields cars for A.J. Allmendinger, Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler and Reed Sorenson in the Sprint Cup Series. “We’re going now from letter of intent to a full contract.”(Racin' Today)(10-4-2009)

Petty says merger neogiations still ongoing: Richard Petty Motorsports co-owner Richard Petty says that negotiations on the team’s proposed merger with Yates Racing are continuing, and he still expects the deal to be completed. RPM and Yates officials announced Sept. 10 that they planned to merge. At the time, Petty said he thought the deal would close within a few weeks. “It’s still in negotiations, and so far they ain’t signed nothing,” Petty said Wednesday following a news conference to promote the upcoming races at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. “I feel like if it went this far, we are going to go forward with it.”(SceneDaily)(10-1-2009)

Gillett, RPM partnering with Saudi Prince UPDATE2 Petty comments: In what could turn out to be one of the oddest pairings in the history of American stock car racing, Richard Petty Motorsports' primary shareholder George Gillett Tuesday signed an 'exclusive commercial collaboration' agreement for his stake in the team to Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah al-Saud, a member of the Saudi Royal Family. The agreement signed Tuesday forms a partnership that will see the development of a NASCAR racing circuit and Richard Petty racing schools in the Saudi Kingdom and elsewhere in the Middle East. "The Middle East sport market has immense growth potential as eager fans in the region demand access to more diverse, higher caliber competition. I am delighted, enthusiastic, and honored to have the opportunity to partner with such a visionary in His Highness Prince Faisal," said Gillett after the signing. According to many however, the agreement signed Tuesday is the first step to Gillett selling his stake in the team. As the two were publicly confirming the agreement, behind the scenes, Gillett and Prince Faisal acting on behalf of the Saudi sports investment group F6 he chairs, have begun a process of 'due diligence', the examination of financial records, with the goal being that Gillett would be bought out by the end of the year. The primary deal in the works actually centers on British football club Liverpool that Gillett owns a 50% stake in, but the deal would also include Richard Petty Motorsports. The Prince was at Anfield Stadium in England on Saturday as a guest Gillett, who confirmed that he has secured funding from the Saudi prince for his NASCAR team and an agreement to build Liverpool-branded football academies in the Middle East. The entire deal is reportedly worth up to $560 million.(NASCAR Examiner)
UPDATE Foster Gillett has confirmed there are no major ownership changes contemplated at Richard Petty Motorsports. The Gilletts are the majority owners of Richard Petty Motorsports and plan on being so for a long time.(RPM)(9-29-2009)
UPDATE2: Richard Petty Motorsports co-owner Richard Petty said he didn’t know much about the business relationship formed between RPM majority owner George Gillett and Saudi Prince Faisal bin Fahad bin Abdullah Al Saud to explore commercial opportunities with Gillett and his soccer and motorsports properties. “That’s one of George’s deals,” Petty said. “You’ll have to talk him on that. That’s purely his deal. He’d been meeting with these guys for a pretty good while about his [English] football team.”(SceneDaily)(10-1-2009)

RPM & McArdie part ways UPDATE: The deal between Richard Petty Motorsports and Yates Racing already has cost one top official his job. Richard Petty, the minority owner of RPM, said on Saturday that Mark McArdle, the vice president and managing director of competition at RPM, was fired on Friday after a heated confrontation with team co-owner George Gillett Jr. at Richmond International Raceway. Petty would not speculate on how many others in the engine and chassis department might lose jobs if RPM uses Roush-Yates engines and Roush Fenway chassis as planned. Petty said RPM is moving from Dodge to Ford because Dodge could not offer financial support for 2010 and beyond. Yates already has a financial commitment for two Ford teams, and Petty hopes that will increase once the economy is restored.(ESPN.com)(9-13-2009)
UPDATE: Richard Petty Motorsports today announced the departure of Mark McArdle, the team’s vice-president and managing director of competition. “The company and Mark have decided to go in different directions. It was an amicable departure and we are finalizing some details with him,” said Rick Russell, team president. “We appreciate all of Mark’s many contributions and wish him well in all future endeavors he may pursue.” McArdle said his departure comes after achieving his goal of restoring the team to championship contention. “We have all worked really hard to get Richard Petty Motorsports back in the Chase and we accomplished that goal Saturday night,” McArdle said. “Everyone at the team should take great pride in that. I wish the company nothing but success in the future. There will be nobody rooting harder for the #9 to win the championship than me.”(RPM)(9-17-2009)

Kahne discuss's being back with Ford:
KASEY KAHNE (#9 Budweiser Dodge) WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION TO THE NEWS THAT RPM WAS MOVING TO FORD IN 2010? “I was a little bit surprised with that, but I think that it’s better for Richard Petty Motorsports in the long run. They’re trying to build our company and make it stronger and I think that it will be a good thing.”
HOW DO YOU FEEL GOING BACK TO FORD? “I think that it will be a bit different because of the way that our relationship ended last time. We’ll have to figure out how to get through that and go on with it. What Ford’s done in racing has been really good with Roush and Yates over the years. I’m happy with Dodge and what we’ve done here, but it will be a bit of a change next year. I think it’s going to be beneficial for RPM. I think we’re going to help them out too. We have some things that I feel are better than Roush-Yates have. I think their engines are really strong and they have a lot of people to work hard on both programs. If we work hard, it could be a pretty cool deal.”
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR MOVE BACK TO FORD DESPITE THE CONTENOUS WAY THAT YOU LEFT THEM IN THE PAST? “It really wasn’t about me; it was about building Richard Petty Motorsports. Obviously I left Ford…we went through that whole lawsuit…I wasn’t a big fan and they weren’t a big fan of me. Time heals and I think some of those (Ford) people are gone that caused all that. They have new people there. Ford is really excited and I can work through things. I can figure how to get by and hopefully use those guys and work with those guys to become a better racer and help our company.”
WILL LEAVING DODGE NEXT YEAR HURT YOUR ABILITY IN THIS YEAR’S CHASE? “It’s not going to hurt us in the context of support. The people that we have that have worked hard to put us where we’re at…putting the 9 car where we’re at…are a lot of good people. They still want to win races. I want to win races and we want to run as well in the Chase as we can. Hopefully it doesn’t affect us. It could, hopefully it doesn’t.”(Darnell Communications/Dodge Motorsports PR)(9-12-2009)

More details on the Petty 'buyout' of Yates: The deal that brought together Richard Petty Motorsports and Yates Racing for next season is more of a buyout than a merger, minority owner Richard Petty said on Friday. "We're basically taking over their deal," the seven-time Sprint Cup champion said before qualifying at Richmond International Raceway. "As far as I know all of that whole operation will be Richard Petty Motorsports." Petty said George Gillett Jr., who declined to comment earlier Friday, would remain the controlling owner. He said Robbie Loomis, the executive director of race operations at RPM, will continue to run day to day operations. He was unsure what role Max Jones, who co-owned Yates Racing with Doug Yates, would take but speculated that he would stay on as the general manager. Jones declined to comment. Sources close to the situation said Yates would continue to run the Roush-Yates engine program that will supply engines to RPM's four teams -- Paul Menard from Yates and Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler and A.J. Allmendinger from RPM. Petty said plans are to move from RPM's Statesville, N.C., shop to Yates' facility in Concord, N.C., to be closer to Roush Fenway Racing, which will continue to supply parts, pieces and technical support as it did with Yates. Because engines will come from Roush-Yates, RPM will have to shut down its engine department that employed more than 40 people. Petty said the potential of letting more people go during tough economic times was the tough part of the deal.(in part from ESPN.com)(9-12-2009)

Richard Petty Motorsports to run Fords in 2010, merge w/Yates: Richard Petty Motorsports and Yates Racing announced today they have signed a letter of intent to merge operations in time for the 2010 season. The four-car team will race Fords under the Richard Petty Motorsports banner.
Richard Petty: “This is a pretty big deal for us. We’re thrilled to partner with Ford. We’ve talked with a lot of folks, but in the end it came down to the success the Gilletts and I think we can achieve with Ford Racing. Right now this deal is real new. There are lots of details still left to be ironed out so we don’t have a lot of answers for anyone right now. We’ll be working on all that in the coming days, weeks and months, but we do intend to have everything in place before the start of next season. I’ve won races with Ford and plan to again.”
Team Managing Partner Foster Gillett: “Richard and Kasey (Kahne) showed us Sunday night in Atlanta that they like winning quite a bit and Ford is going to provide the support that we need to go to victory lane more often. If you are going to compete with the other teams in this sport you need a lot of support. We bring a lot to this relationship as well. We’ve won twice this season and the power of Richard Petty is hard to beat, plus we have the support of some of the biggest names in corporate America.”
Yates Racing Co-owner Max Jones: “This is certainly a great opportunity for both Yates Racing as well as Ford Racing. I have had a long-term relationship with Ford and look forward to continuing that relationship at Richard Petty Motorsports. Over the coming weeks we will continue to work with Ford and Richard Petty to lay out the best plan for Paul Menard and all of the employees at Yates Racing. We will continue to field both the #98 and #96 Ford Fusions for the remainder of the season and look forward to continued success on the track with Paul, Bobby Labonte and Erik Darnell.”
Yates Racing Co-owner Doug Yates: “This plan is clearly in the best interest of the Ford Racing community. On a personal level, I am excited about the opportunity to focus my full energy on building Ford horsepower. We look forward to working with Richard Petty Motorsports to produce power second to none. There are many details to be worked out with Richard Petty Motorsports and as we finalize those details we will keep everyone informed.”
Director of Ford North America Motorsports Brian Wolfe: "I am very pleased that Richard Petty Motorsports has made the decision to switch to Ford for the 2010 season. They had choices to consider other than Ford and it's gratifying to us that they have enough faith in the Ford Motor Company and what we're doing to make the switch. We believe we can provide them with superior analytical tools and powertrain, and we will work with them closely on the technical front to help them become even more competitive than they are. What's also really cool to me is the chance to have someone with the class and the legacy of Richard Petty involved with Ford. Combine that with the chance to work with the Gillett family, who we have great respect for, and add some great drivers to the Ford camp, well, it's hard not to be excited about this opportunity."
Note: Paul Menard will be one of the drivers in the Petty team joining #9-Kasey Kahne, #19-Elliott Sadler and #44-AJ Allmendinger.(Richard Petty Motorsports)
and the PR doesn't mention Reed Sorenson or what car number Menard will run and with this merger, looks like the #26 Roush Fenway Racing team may now go away as they it not merge with Yates Racing now, since Yates and RPM merging is at the four car limit mandated by NASCAR. So unless something changes, two more cars/teams are lost: would expect RPM to run the #9, #19 and #43 so either the #44 team or the #98 team would go away and the #26 Ford that was rumored to be going to Yates.
UPDATE: on Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128, Sirius Speedway radio show, Reed Sorenson, current driver of the #43 RPM Dodge, was interviewed and said he knew a few weeks ago that he would not be back with Richard Petty Motorsports in 2010 and he is looking for a ride in 2010. Sorenson says he has enjoyed working with all his current sponsors in 2009 and a few would like to stay with him.(9-10-2009)

Kahne wins at Atlanta: #9-Kasey Kahne won the Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway for his 2nd win of 2009 and 11th of his career. Kahne moves up to 6th in drivers points, up 5 spots. #29-Harvick finished 2nd followed by #42-Montoya, #00-Reutimann, #5-Martin, #11-Hamlin, #83-Vickers, #24-Gordon, #39-Newman and #16-Biffle. Points leader #14-Stewart finished 11th, #48-Johnson has rear-end problems and finished 36th, #99-Edwards had debris go thru an oil cooler and lost many laps finishing 37th, #2-Busch wrecked and finished 38th. Other Chase contenders: #17-Kenseth finished 12th and #18-Busch 13th. Vickers is now 13th, 20 points out of 12th and Kyle Busch is 14th, 37 points out of 12th. Pole sitter #1-Truex Jr. finished 26th down a lap after leading 68 laps early in the race. There were 9 cautions for 42 caution laps and there were 31 lead changes among 13 drivers.
For race results, awards and more, see my Atlanta Race Results Page.
For drivers and owners points standings, see the Drivers Points Standings page.(9-6-2009)

Security guard ends civil suit against Kahne: #9-Kasey Kahne has finally been able to wipe his hands from an alleged shoving incident at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November 2007. According to Miami-Dade County court records, a lawsuit brought by track security guard Archibald Hutchinson against Kahne and NASCAR was dismissed Aug. 24. The Richard Petty Motorsports driver has maintained his innocence in the matter, and a misdemeanor battery charge was dismissed in June. “All matters and things in dispute have been amicably settled,” stated the stipulation for dismissal signed by attorneys for NASCAR, Kahne and Hutchinson. The terms of any settlement were not disclosed.(SceneDaily)(9-4-2009)

Petty staying with Dodge? It appears Richard Petty Motorsports will not move from Dodge to Toyota next season. At least that's the impression that Lee White, who heads Toyota Racing Development, gave last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. White said he believes that Mike Accaviti, the president of the Dodge brand, is doing all he can to keep RPM in the fold. He also said that would be a good thing, that the sport needs all four manufacturers to be strong. He actually seemed to wish them luck and didn't seemed bothered that Toyota will not be welcoming in another organization. It makes sense -- Toyota's interest in RPM was tweaked when Red Bull Racing appeared set to leave the fold for General Motors and an association with Hendrick Motorsports. Now that Red Bull is set to re-sign with Toyota, there is not the urgency to get another organization. Having said that, there are no guarantees that RPM will be back with Dodge even if Toyota is out of the picture. The organization has had talks with General Motors as well. But all signs point to Dodge fielding cars for RPM and Penske Racing moving forward.(ESPN Insider)(8-27-2009)