Hearing that the deal for Chad McCumbee has been finalized for the move to Sprint Cup in 2009, and an announcement is expected sometime within the next week.(8-9-2008)
UPDATE: Petty Enterprises has not decided on a driver for its #45 car next year, team official Robbie Loomis said Friday, but Chad McCumbee remains one of the top candidates for the ride. Michael McDowell and Casey Mears are some of the other drivers who have been mentioned, though Mears appears poised to sign with Richard Childress Racing. Loomis said the team was still speaking with multiple drivers. McCumbee, spending his off-week from the Craftsman Truck Series in the Cup garage at Michigan, said he’s “working hard” on trying to land a ride with the Pettys. The North Carolina native has run several events for the team in its #45 car and recently had a solid run at Pocono. “I’m just kind of floating around for now, waiting to see what’s going to happen,” he said. He added that he expects to hear a decision within the next couple weeks at the latest. Scene Daily)(8-16-2008)
UPDATE 2: Chad McCumbee is under contract to drive for Petty Enterprises in 2009, though the number of NASCAR Sprint Cup races he and the second Petty team will run as a teammate to Bobby Labonte will depend on sponsorship, the team has confirmed. Petty Enterprises Chief Executive Officer David Zucker was asked about his plans for McCumbee at the Street & Smith’s Motorsports Marketing Forum. While it has been expected that McCumbee would drive the team’s Cup car next year, the team has not officially announced that McCumbee would compete at the Cup level next year. After the forum, Chief Marketing Officer Mike Bartelli said in an e-mail that McCumbee is under contract for 2009, while the number of races would be contingent on sponsorship.(SceneDaily.com)(12-3-2008)
