Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) was an American professional stock car racing team that competed in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded as a result of the merger between Gillett Evernham Motorsports (GEM) and Petty Enterprises, with former Montreal Canadiens and Liverpool F.C. owner George Gillett having a controlling interest in the organization. In late 2009, the team merged with Yates Racing and consequently switched to Ford for the 2010 season. Evernham had no involvement in the team by this time.
After funding issues due to the Gillett family's financial woes, in November 2010, an investment group including Andrew M. Murstein and his Medallion Financial Corporation, Douglas G. Bergeron, and Richard Petty himself, signed and closed sale on racing assets of Richard Petty Motorsports."Taxi tycoon Andrew Murstein is revved to build race track in New York, bring sport to fans." NY Daily News, December 14, 2010 (http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2010/12/14/2010-12-14_taxi_tycoon_andrew_murstein_is_revved_to_build_race_track_in_new_york_bring_spor.html)"Ambrose victory validates investment into RPM" NBC Sports, August 16, 2011 (http://scores.nbcsports.msnbc.com/nascar/story.asp?i=20110816174624103641708&ref=hea&tm=&series=NASCAR ) On December 1, 2021, it was announced that GMS Racing owner Maurice J. Gallagher Jr. had purchased a majority stake of the team, including both charters. The next day, Medallion confirmed it had sold all shares to Gallagher. On December 7, it was confirmed that the combined organization would operate under the banner of Petty GMS Motorsports, which was later renamed Legacy Motor Club.
Team history In the midst of a struggling economy, in January 2009 Gillett Evernham Motorsports merged with fellow Dodge team Petty Enterprises, which could no longer find sponsors for any of its cars, thus expanding the team to four cars. The organization was renamed Richard Petty Motorsports in the process. Ray Evernham was not involved in the merger negotiations, and both he and Richard Petty only maintained minority shares in the new team. Near the end of the season, the team announced its departure from the Dodge banner and switched to Ford. The team would also merge with Yates Racing, owned by Ford head engine builder Doug Yates, which had fielded several successful NASCAR drivers including Davey Allison, Ernie Irvan, Dale Jarrett, and Ricky Rudd.
By 2010, RPM's continued operation was put into question when lead driver Kasey Kahne announced his departure by the end of the season for Red Bull Racing Team. Kahne would be released by the team before the second Martinsville race with five events left in the season, after several mechanical failures. Kahne's decision was in the midst of financial problems for the Gillett family in several of their ventures, which included George Gillett defaulting on a $90 million loan he had used to purchase the team. With lackluster performance and rumors from week-to-week that the team would shut down, the chaos peaked in October when RPM's cars for the second Talladega race were briefly confiscated, and again in November when RPM's four team haulers remained parked at Texas Motor Speedway instead of heading to the next race at Phoenix, in both cases due to payment issues with engine and equipment supplier Roush Fenway Racing. The situation was resolved in November, when Richard Petty partnered with Medallion Financial (headed by lead investor Andrew M. Murstein) and DGB investments (headed by Douglas G. Bergeron) to purchase the team for "less than $50 million." Petty once again was at the helm of a race team, and retained a one-third stake in the company by investing "several million dollars" of his own. Murstein had been seeking a sports investment since 2008 when he formed a special purpose acquisition company together with Hank Aaron, a Medallion board member, and others worth $215 million."Industry Information," New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission website ()"Medallion Financial Corp." Yahoo Finance, April 8, 2010 (https://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=TAXI&ql=0) The team contracted from four teams to two following 2010. Bergeron's share was bought out by Murstein at the end of 2014.
In 2015 the team began fabricating its own bodies, and in 2016 began building its own chassis, reducing its technical reliance on Roush Fenway Racing.
For the 2018 season, RPM switched their alliance from RFR to Richard Childress Racing which also came with a manufacturer switch to Chevrolet.
On December 1, 2021, RPM sold a majority interest in the team to GMS Racing for 19 million. The deal included both of RPM's charters; the No. 43 continued to operate with its charter while the second charter – which was leased to Rick Ware Racing for the No. 51 from 2019 to 2021 would be transferred to GMS' No. 42.
NASCAR Cup Series
Car No. 19 history Elliott Sadler (2009–2010) Prior to the formation of RPM, Elliott Sadler had been driving the No. 19 for Gillett Evernham Motorsports since 2006. In May 2008, Sadler reached a two-year contract extension with GEM. However, on December 27, 2008, GEM announced that A. J. Allmendinger, who drove GEM's No. 10 car at the end of the season, would be replacing Sadler in the No. 19 for the 2009 season. At the same time the team also announced several of its sponsors were considering leaving the team and that Ray Evernham had cleared his personal belongings out of the team's race shop, but it was not clear whether it was related to the hire. On January 3, 2009, Sadler's attorney announced that he would be seeking a breach of contract lawsuit against GEM for the dismissal. Looking to avoid the lawsuit GEM and Sadler's attorneys reached a settlement six days later that would return Sadler to the No. 19 for 2009 while keeping Allmendinger with the team.
Sadler had five top-ten finishes in 2009, and finished twenty-sixth in points. Stanley was the team's sponsor for all 36 races in 2010. Due to a lack of results, Sadler announced his departure from the team in mid-season allowing this team to shut down. The team was considered to return in 2012 after Richard Childress Racing driver Clint Bowyer was offered a contract, but RPM withdrew their offer by September, with Bowyer accepting a 3-year contract with Michael Waltrip Racing to drive the No. 15 5-hour Energy Toyota Camry. Since then, the team has remained inactive. The number 19 would later be reassigned by NASCAR to Humphrey Smith Racing (which used the 19 in the now-Xfinity Series as TriStar Motorsports), and has since moved again to Joe Gibbs Racing.
Car No. 19 results Year Driver No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 Pts 2009 Elliott Sadler 19 Dodge DAY5 CAL25 LVS29 ATL20 BRI20 MAR31 TEX32 PHO32 TAL19 RCH25 DAR14 CLT31 DOV27 POC25 MCH12 SON10 NHA26 DAY10 CHI27 IND40 POC24 GLN32 MCH25 BRI26 ATL21 RCH34 NHA8 DOV30 KAN20 CAL32 CLT26 MAR21 TAL9 TEX22 PHO28 HOM41 26th 3350 2010 Ford DAY24 CAL24 LVS27 ATL19 BRI20 MAR24 PHO31 TEX18 TAL33 RCH38 DAR21 DOV28 CLT21 POC31 MCH21 SON17 NHA19 DAY22 CHI21 IND38 POC34 GLN29 MCH9 BRI29 ATL41 RCH27 NHA21 DOV17 KAN28 CAL13 CLT26 MAR28 TAL14 TEX23 PHO28 HOM28 27th 3234
Car No. 43 history
Reed Sorenson (2009)
On August 26, 2008, Gillett Evernham Motorsports announced the signing of Reed Sorenson to a multi-year contract to drive the No. 10 car. On Thursday January 9, it was announced that Richard Petty would sell his team to GEM, moving Sorenson to the No. 43 for the 2009 season in the process. The 43 ran multiple sponsorships from McDonald's, Valvoline, the United States Air Force, Super 8, Reynolds Wrap, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Charter Communications, Auto Value Bumper to Bumper, Liberty Medical, and Siemens, but only had one top-ten finish; a ninth at the rained-shortened Daytona 500. Sorenson was released the end of the season.
A. J. Allmendinger (2010–2011)
The team announced they had moved A. J. Allmendinger over to the No. 43 car for the 2010 season; he finished 19th in the points. In 2011, Allmendinger showed continued improvement, especially when he was paired with former Roush Fenway Racing crew chief Greg Erwin. The team would finish 15th in points, but it was not enough to retain Best Buy as a primary sponsor. As a result, Allmendinger was granted a release from RPM and he soon joined Penske Racing.
Aric Almirola (2012–2017)
To replace Allmendinger, RPM signed Aric Almirola, who had replaced Kasey Kahne in the 9 car at the end of the 2010 season. Almirola earned a Pole start at Charlotte in May, and collected one top 5 and four top 10s en route to a 20th-place finish in points. Aric's best run of the year may have been at Kansas in October, where he qualified fifth and lead 69 laps after taking the top spot on lap 6. But on lap 121, Almirola blew a tire, sending his Farmland Ford into the wall. He spun on lap 172 racing for the lead and lost a lap on pit road. After getting his lap back and working his way up to 13th, Almirola hit the wall once again, setting the front of the car ablaze and ending the promising run.
In 2013 Almirola returned to the No. 43; at Martinsville Speedway in October, the team ran the No. 41 to honor Maurice Petty's induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. During the 2013 season from Martinsville to Darlington, Almirola had the most consecutive Top 10s in the 43 car since Bobby Hamilton in 1996. After being fastest in practice in Talladega, his crew chief Todd Parrott was suspended for violating NASCAR's substance abuse policy. Almirola finished a career high 18th in points. For 2014, the team hired Trent Owens, Richard Petty's nephew as crew chief.
In January 2014, RPM announced a three-year contract extension with Almirola after working on one-year deals the previous two seasons. This coincided with sponsor Smithfield Foods stepping up to fund 29 races in each the next three seasons with brands Smithfield, Farmland, Eckrich, and Gwaltney. Almirola had a rather slow start to 2014, being involved in a 12 car wreck in the 2014 Daytona 500. At Bristol, Almirola posted his best career finish to date of 3rd, only behind winner Carl Edwards and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
The next week at Auto Club Speedway during the 2014 Auto Club 400, Almirola got involved in an accident with part-time Cup driver Brian Scott. Almirola made a pass on Scott for 4th place. Scott controversially moved into the back of Almirola to wreck himself and Almirola. In a post-race interview, an angry Almirola retorted "The 33 was obviously a dart without feathers and coming across the race track. He ran right into me. Man, he came from all the way at the bottom of the race track and ran into me. He's not even racing this series for points. He's out there having fun because his daddy gets to pay for it and he wrecked us. That's frustrating."
At the 2014 Coke Zero 400, Almirola would earn his first career win in the Sprint Cup Series after avoiding two major wrecks, and leading the field when the race was called off after 112 laps due to rain. His win also marked the first victory by the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43, the first victory for the No. 43 overall in Cup since Petty Enterprises' win at Martinsville in 1999, and 30 years to the day Richard Petty won his 200th race in a Curb Racing No. 43. On his big victory Almirola said "The good Lord was watching out for us today and we were meant to win. It's real special for me to win here. This is not only the 30th anniversary of this team's last win at Daytona, it is my hometown and I remember growing up watching Daytona 500s and Firecracker 400s here. To win is real special." Almirola's win guaranteed him a spot in the newly reformatted Chase for the sprint cup. He was eliminated after the Round of 16 due to a crash at Dover.