ppc Racing is leaving Ford and appears to be moving to Chevy next season, a source close to the team confirmed. ppc Director of Sponsor Relations Andy O’Hara said the team is still searching for a driver and sponsor for its #22 for 2007. Kenny Wallace is still in the mix, though Craftsman Truck Series driver Matt Crafton has been linked to ppc.(NASCAR Scene)(10-19-2006)
UPDATE: A photo taken during a commercial shoot for ESPN shows John Andretti in a driver suit with a Chevy emblem.(12-8-2006)
UPDATE 2: One source close to the sport indicated that ppc was attempting to sell one of its car numbers for 2007, likely the #22. With AutoZone gone and [Kenny] Wallace focusing on a full-time Cup career with Furniture Row Racing, the #22 is in a state of limbo. Matt Crafton is rumored to be in the mix as the driver, should a sponsor be found. Andretti, who finished right behind Wallace in the series points, appears to be set for 2007, with sponsors Freedom Road RVs and Camping World, though that could not be confirmed.(NASCAR.com)(12-29-2006)
UPDATE 3: ppc Racing owner Greg Pollex has confirmed that his team will switch from Ford to Chevrolet this season, running a single car in NASCAR Busch Series competition. Speaking on Sirius NASCAR Radio’s Sirius Speedway, Pollex said, “We are still working on a sponsorship deal for our second car, and we had hoped to announce everything at the same time,” he said. “But at this point, there’s no sense in waiting any longer to annunce it. We have Chevrolets in the wind tunnel already, including a really good superspeedway car for John Andretti to drive at Daytona.” Pollex said his former #22 team — now #14 after a “number swap” with Fitz Racing earlier this week — will likely not return in 2007, unless a last-minute backer can be found. He admitted talking to Craftsman Truck Series driver Matt Crafton about driving for him next season, but said contractual concerns and a lack of sponsorship prevented it from happening. “Matt has one year left on his truck contract, which we didn’t know about,” he said. “He will fulfill the terms of that contract. If we had been able to land a full-time sponsor, we may have talked to his Truck team about buying out the contract. But as it stands right now, he will probably be racing for them.”(1-4-2007)
