Richard Petty Motorsports
RacingOne.com
The dust has finally settled and the brand new Richard Petty Motorsports organization is set to debut.
After completing a merger with Yates Racing, the four-car RPM stable moves to Ford in 2010 with four drivers set to do battle; Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler, A.J. Allmendinger and Paul Menard.
Robbie Loomis returns for his second season as competition director while Sammy Johns is coming back in the role which he held for many years at Richard Petty Motorsports - director of operations.
Additionally the team is in the proccess of moving to the Concord, North Carolina area to completely give RPM a new feel.
So with a new home, new lineup and new manufacturer the fiur car stable is ready to do business.
"I look forward to it," said Kahne, who again pilots the No. 9 Budweiser entry with crew chief Kenny Francis again calling the shots. "Late in the season with AJ driving the Ford and Elliott driving the Ford, they looked really good and had a lot of good things to say about the Yates engine. Combining what we have with some of the Roush guys and what we're building there is definitely something to look forward to.
"I'm excited. We went out to California and did a tire test for Goodyear and I really liked what I felt. I'm just excited for the season to start and looking forward to Daytona. It's getting close, so hopefully it comes soon and we get started."
Allmendinger will slide from the team's No. 44 to the iconic No. 43 entry this year which will carry Best Buy colors. The former open wheel standout believes the team's run in Ford livery last year gives them a head start in 2010.
"I think the last few races last year being in a Ford was real exciting for me, and obviously you could just see right from the beginning how it just boosted how fast our team was and how much better we were getting each weekend," Allmendinger said. "That was something going into the off-season -- (crew chief) Mike Shiplett and I, and everybody on the 43 team and everybody at Richard Petty Motorsports -- we could really build on and be excited about."
Count Sadler among the excited on the team as well as he returns to the No. 19 ride with Stanley/Air Force/Hunt Brothers and Reynolds Wrap sharing sponsorship throughout the season.
It's a bit of a homecoming in many ways for Sadler who comes back to the Ford stable.
"Yeah, I tell you what, the 2010 season and getting back with a lot of old faces that I remember from the Ford family, being with that organization for eight years," Sadler said. "I'm looking forward to being back with Doug Yates.
"The relationship that we've kept over the last couple of years, and the relationship that we have with his engine department means a lot to me. I know what it means to have his horsepower under the hood, not only at the restrictor plate races, but at the big tracks. There's a lot of optimism in this race team right now."
Menard joins RPM as a holdover from the former Yates team and brings his familiar family home improvement store chain colors with him to adorn the No. 98 Fusion.
With veteran crew chief Slugger Labbe in the fold coming over from TRG Motorsports, Menard is confident better things will come in 2010 which will also include a full-time Nationwide Series effort for Roush Fenway Racing.
"We spent the day in New Smyrna yesterday and it went well," Menard said of the off-season testing schedule his team has gone through to prepare for the schedule. "It was more of a getting to know each other kind of deal, but we learned some things along the way. I think what Slugger did last year with the 71 car and how much they struggled financially, they made a lot of gains and I was really impressed with what he did.
"I'm looking forward to working with him this year and the other guys up here and in the front row in making RPM a force to be reckoned with. Having Jamie come on board this year, it's cool to see Ford's focus in racing. This is a cool deal and I'm looking forward to 2010."