Richard Petty Motorsports on hold

wilson89

wilson89

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Source: http://jayski.com/cupnews.htm#20101110d

Richard Petty Motorsports on hold: The situation at Richard Petty Motorsports remains tenuous at best, despite reports to the contrary. Last week team officials said everything was set for this weekend's Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway as well as the season finale the following week. But five truck drivers remained in Fort Worth at Texas Motor Speedway waiting for the call as to whether they were heading west to the next race or back to the shop in the east as of Tuesday evening. The organization has been in limbo as team owner George Gillett is still reeling from the financial hit he took Oct. 15 when the English soccer team he co-owned -- Liverpool Football Club -- was taken over.

RPM had planned to run two cars next season with AJ Allmendinger and Marcos Ambrose. However, until money can be secured to settle the current debts at RPM, it's uncertain how much longer the organization will be around. Sources told FOXSports.com that Richard Petty, the team's namesake, was in talks with Andrew Murstein, President of Medallion Financial Group, in a bid to gain financial control of the company from Gillett.
As a backup plan for Paul Menard, who has already announced that he will leave RPM to drive for Richard Childress Racing in 2011, the #10 Stavola Labonte Racing Chevy stayed within two hours of Texas Motor Speedway in case it needs to turn around and head to Phoenix for Menard's use. Stavola Labonte Racing has a technical alliance with RCR.
 
wilson89 said:
five truck drivers remained in Fort Worth at Texas Motor Speedway waiting for the call as to whether they were heading west to the next race or back to the shop in the east as of Tuesday evening.
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This story just keeps getting worse. I sure hope that they can get the necessary funding to continue. This has got to be a tough time to be a RPM employee or future signed employee, such as Ambrose.
 
I wish Kyle would write a book someday. I think that he was likely forced out by the suits and ,looking back , probably is just as happy that he wasn't involved in this part.
 
My 2 cents: I still think that Ray Everham is going to be a big player in this. He has already alluded to the fact he would help Petty with sponsorship, but I think it goes deeper than that. Ray is getting itchy, I think he wants to get back "in", and is just looking for the right opportunity. A 2 car program for next year would be the right way to go, align himself with Penske Dodge, assuming Penske stays with Mopar. Petty and Ford just does not have the same roll off the tongue as Petty Dodge. Dodge needs more exposure, more teams, and a Petty name behind the monoker. Ray and Richard, without any outside influence, in my opinion would be a great combo. Gillete totally screwed up the entire Petty situation. I understand that Richard needed the funding and sold out a majority stake to get it, a poor business choice by far, maybe made in desperation to keep the Petty name in the sport(?). Anyway I really hope Richard gets back in Nascar in the way he should be in it. Start with 2 teams next year, hopefully get sponsorship secured for at least 3/4 of the season so they don't need to worry after Daytona whether or not they will be racing again. Concentrate on building good cars, put the right people in place in the shops, crews, and behind the scenes. Petty already has 2 decent drivers, give those 2 guys good cars and i think they can be competitive.
 
But five truck drivers remained in Fort Worth at Texas Motor Speedway waiting for the call as to whether they were heading west to the next race or back to the shop in the east as of Tuesday evening.
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oh guido, where ye be son?
 
I hate that Richard's name is being associated with all of this mess considering he only owns something like 4% of this. I hope Evernham or someone else can come forward with some help.
 
Has Ray ever said or expressed a desire to go back as a owner?
 
SST55 said:
Has Ray ever said or expressed a desire to go back as a owner?
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Not that I know of, but the fact that he wants to help Richard secure sponsorship indicates to me that he is more involved with this than he is letting on.. perhaps just call it a gut feeling on my part.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
He has expressed the exact opposite, several times. He's a weekly guest on SNR and has said many times that he has no interest.
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Hence why i think just the opposite....when people say this it is usually a deflection.;)
 
More info on RPM.....

Being reported that the haulers remain @ TMS this morning.

Hearing RPM Texas cars are in a RFR hauler in TMS garage and have NOT been released to RPM as yet.

Hearing RPM is supposed to use Texas cars for Homestead and they cant get worked on so long as they remain at TMS.
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I think Stevie Wonder could have seen this one coming..........
 
I think Richard might do well to just quit beating his head against the wall and pull the plug on his NA__AR connections. Take RPM, with two good teams and two good drivers and drop down to ARCA. Leave NA__AR to the Hendricks/SHR's, Gibbs'. RCR's, Roush's and Ganassi/DEI's. Let Penske, MWR and Red Bull hang out with the S&P'ers. Richard is better than that. Go down where he, at least, has some decent chance of running at the front on a consistent basis. Failure just breeds failure and RPM has had a lot of failure this year.
 
Will the real owner of Richard Petty Motorsports please step forward?

Where is George Gillett Jr.?

While we watch the weekly drama unfold of whether Richard Petty Motorsports can piece together the necessary funds and forge the needed deals to make it to the race track, we hear nothing from the organization’s true majority owner.

As questions arise almost daily of whether the team is past-due on its bills, whether it can pay current employees, or whether it will make it to the next race let alone the next season, all we get from Gillett is silence.

He’s nowhere to be seen in the NASCAR garage.

Oh, he’ll toss a team public relations representative to the media wolves without a problem, but he stays silent.

He’ll leave NASCAR legend Richard Petty - only a four percent owner in the company - at the track to face all the questions, while he remains safely tucked away from the media frenzy.

The organization’s top driver - Kasey Kahne - bolts before the end of the season, but nary a word from Gillett. It’s not like he is busy with his Liverpool soccer team any more.

It’s far past time we end the charade that has clouded this team since last season.

There is nothing ‘Richard Petty’ about Richard Petty Motorsports.

Whether on purpose, by chance or by accident, Gillett has managed to tarnish one of the truly good names in all of sports, not just NASCAR. And it’s a shame.

Yes, Petty probably bears some responsibility for allowing his name to be attached to an organization over which he really had no control.

But that name was provided by Petty so the team could succeed and prosper in NASCAR and to make a connection to the sport‘s fans and potential sponsors.

It was not designed to act as a shield to insulate the true owner, Gillett, from criticism and responsibility.

I don’t know if RPM will make it to the final race of the season next weekend at Homestead, Fla. I don’t know if the organization - in whatever form - will return in 2011.

The only person who really knows, not only won’t say but won’t allow himself to be asked the questions.


From thatsracinluckydog
 
Not surprised.Typical big businessman.When things are good you see and hear from them all the time but when they screw **** up they run and hide.
 
Ray Evernham quote on this subject.....

Ray Evernham statement denying Charlotte TV report he provided funds to keep RPM afloat: " ... I haven’t yet been called upon to contribute any financial support. I have no intention of returning to a full team ownership position, but will help preserve the role of one of the legends of this sport if I can.”

It does sound like he could be open to some part in this contrary to past statements from him.
 
Call my hunch a longshot, but I think Ray is ready to get back into the sport full time.... I'm probably wrong, but I've known about this guy since i was a kid. He is a racer first of all, I watched him race when I was growing up, at local tracks around NE. and NJ.,he had quite a lot of talent before he got hurt, but most of all he knew a lot about set-ups. Being out of the limelight of owner-crew chief for what 3 years now... I think he misses it and will get back into it if the situation is right.
 
I can think of one reason why he might get back into owning a team.A little pressure from home maybe?
 
"Right now".

I think fielding a car has been real expensive for several years.
 
RPM haulers are here in garage.

x2_35d7bbf
 
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