When you consider all the practices NASCAR has allowed that ain't kosher over the decades, how can anyone attend a NASCAR event without a paper bag over their heads?

Greg "Eights" Ates

Petty-Yates Merger supposedly a done deal: Richard Petty Motorsports officially became a Ford operation on Thursday. The merger deal was signed between principals from RPM and Yates Racing and the appropriate paperwork was filed with Ford Motor Company. Richard Petty Motorsports brings three additional teams to the table, the #9, #19 and #43. Ford officials have said repeatedly what a coup it was to gain #9-Kasey Kahne, who finished 10th in the Sprint Cup point standings, into the fold as well as 28-year-old #43-AJ Allmendinger. #19-Elliott Sadler will also join the driver roster which included #98-Paul Menard from the former Yates organization. RPM is currently operating out of Statesville, N.C. The former Yates Racing buildings in Concord, N.C. are currently being remodeled to accommodate all four teams. That move is scheduled for Speedweeks in February.(FoxSports)(12-4-2009)

And a clothes pin on their noses! You can smell "Corruption"!( Just lift the lid off any septic tank and you'll see what I mean!)Yet, here we are talking like we are still interested in Nascar and hoping RPM will make a difference! WHY?! Is it so that when it's all over but the shouting that Ford will reign supreme and Nascar is foiled again?! WE say we don't give a $h!t but really, WE DO ! NOBODY gets stronger and better when the rules are bent in your favor! When Ford has to fight an up-hill battle, they benefit and so do we! If Nascar can "bench" the FR9 because they feel it will overtake the others, that tells us volumns of how scared Nascar is of losing control of their control over the corrupt practices it promotes! GM is hanging off a cliff by their fingers and I can't get there to stomp on their fingers fast enough ! And Nascar is just below holding onto GM's ankles! I love it! After all the raw deals Nascar has dealt Ford over the years, I'll gladly take a leak on Nascar's grave!

Will Kahne bolt RPM? he could stay: The rumor mill already has #9-Kasey Kahne out the door at Richard Petty Motorsports when his current contract ends in 2010, with Stewart-Haas Racing as his most likely destination. Kahne, however, said Tuesday during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Media Tour that he wouldn't rule out staying with RPM, which completed its merger with Yates Racing in December. "I feel like I'm in a new deal rather than with the same team," Kahne said of the merger and RPM's technical alliance with Roush Fenway Racing. "I've given a lot, and I've worked really hard for the first six years of my Cup career, and I get to decide what I want to do after that. But like I've always said, it's about performance and how well we run, and I think this could be the best opportunity that I've ever had in the Cup series. This could be a great spot for me, really. I'm open right now, because I don't know exactly what we have. I feel like the change to Yates engines, the change to working with the Roush teams and still having everybody at RPMwe've done such a good job over the last yearI feel like it's something I definitely need to pay attention to and not say, 'Man, I don't want to be here,' because this could be a spot where I really do want to be as the season goes, depending on performance and how well we run."(Sporting News)(1-20-2010)

Richard Petty Motorsports Merger Now Complete: Rumors of a Richard Petty Motorsports/Yates Racing merger began circulating a few months ago but it wasn't until today that the racing community could stop calling them rumors. "I'm here to announce the best kept secret in all of motorsports, which is that the merger between Yates Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports is officially completed," said Foster Gillette, managing partner of Richard Petty Motorsports, in a press conference Tuesday morning. The merger, which happened in December, brought some big changes along with it. During the 2010 season Richard Petty Motorsports will be running Ford Fusions, ending its long relationship with Dodge. Also, RPM will leave behind its previous home in Statesville, N.C., moving to the Yates Racing facility in Concord, N.C. Filling the four driver positions at RPM will be #19-Elliott Sadler, #9-Kasey Kahne, #43-AJ Allmendinger and #98-Paul Menard. "The addition of a great team, great talent of drivers - we have Elliott, Paul, Kasey, and AJ adding to the fleet of Fords out there on every Sunday," said Jamie Allison, Director of Ford Racing. "That's something to be looking forward to." Richard Petty Motorsports will maintain the alliance that Yates Racing had with Roush Fenway Racing and Doug Yates will be in charge or the Roush Yates engine program.(Charlotte Motor Speedway Sprint Media Tour Notes)(1-20-2010)

Great News! Lets hope Fords new found financial rebound pays off on the track this year!!

Watching a post race interview last night, it looks like Kahne is very happy with performances of his Ford.

I like seeing a Budweiser Ford again. Reminds me of Bill Elliot back in the day. I was a huge Elliot fan.

I agree. Looks awesome! 2nd at the shootout too!

Kahne to Hendrick? [Stewart-Haas?] UPDATE: #9-Kasey Kahne, the hottest potential free agent in NASCAR entering the season, has signed a multiyear agreement to join Hendrick Motorsports in 2011, multiple sources close to negotiations confirmed to ESPN.com Tuesday. The details of the deal, such as which car Kahne will drive, are still being finalized, sources said. The prevailing thought is Kahne will occupy the #5 car currently driven by Mark Martin, sources said. Martin signed a contract extension last year through the 2011 season. There is room for Martin and Kahne in the Hendrick family. Stewart Haas Racing receives chassis, engines and technical support from HMS. So Kahne could be housed there until Martin's contract was up, if necessary. In 2008 Dale Earnhardt Jr. signed a five-year deal with Hendrick. Jimmie Johnson last year signed an extension through 2015, and Jeff Gordon has a lifetime contract. Kahne is in the final year of his contract with Richard Petty Motorsports, and plans to finish the season in the #9 Ford, sources said. It is unknown whether Kahne's sponsor, Budweiser, will accompany him to HMS [which sponsored Hendrick's #25 Chevy for years]. Hendrick Motorsports officials had no comment. Calls placed to Kahne, who turned 30 last weekend, and to his agent were not returned.(ESPN)
UPDATE: Richard Petty Motorsports announced that driver Kasey Kahne has informed the team he will not renew his contract at the conclusion of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Kahne, driver the #9 Budweiser Ford Fusion, has been with RPM since entering NASCAR's premier series in 2004. "Kasey is a very talented driver and I have enjoyed watching him race. We all wish him nothing but the best and hope he succeeds in anything he chooses to do," said team owner Richard Petty. "Drivers like Kasey Kahne are the very reason we got into this sport. Kasey has helped us get to where we are today," George Gillett, owner of Richard Petty Motorsports said. "We wish him well in his future however we have the rest of this season to race together and we're looking forward to a successful remainder of the year."(RPM)(4-13-2010)

well, soo much for that. :shame:

On Race Hub on Speed last night they said that Petty had defaulted on a very big loan which sure isn't a good sign for their continued survival.

This sucks - and I surely won't be cheering for Kasey once he is in a gov't owned bowtie.

Failure is complete, to the dark side he goes.........

I cant really blame him. I mean, if Im going to get paid millions of dollars to drive a racecar, Id drive what ever they put me in... but it it was a chevy, I'd just never actually claim to drive it.

"Yeah, my car was a piece of crap today... these things really suck... good thing I'm such a good driver"
"Those ford drivers must really suck... I mean, if I had a car that awesome, I'd win every week."

Probably because Hendrick takes all the "good" drivers :shame:

48 team cheats, simple as that. Hamlin should be glad there wasn't a single additional lap in Texas or 48 would've notched another victory.

Could Kahne stay in a Ford for 2011?: And after qualifying at Infineon Raceway, Robbie Loomis, team manager for #9-Kasey Kahne, raised the intriguing idea that Kahne might stick around with his team for one more season  "Wouldn't that really be nice? And it sure would help us out." Whether Loomis was just raising an idea or whether there might be more to the issue was not clear. Kahne has signed a contract with Chevy rival Rick Hendrick beginning with the 2011 season; however Hendrick and Kahne have given no indication of what their game plan for 2011 might actually be. There is speculation that Hendrick might 'farm' Kahne out to team owner James Finch for 2011. Owners are now only allowed four Cup teams, and Hendrick already has four, before adding Kahne. But Loomis did work for Hendrick for several years, with Jeff Gordon, winning the 2001 NASCAR championship. And team owner Jack Roush, who provides engines and engineering for the Loomis-Kahne-Richard Petty-George Gillett operation, has expressed interest in how Hendrick might deal with that whole dilemma....particularly in light of NASCAR's own ruling that just forced Roush himself to cut back from five teams to four.(MikeMulhern.net)(6-18-2010)

Hmmmmmmmm.

Well isn't that interesting.

NASCAR can back down from their 4-team limit, thus exposing themselves as favoring a Chevy team over a Ford one. Or Hendrick can "farm out" to a new Chevy team, proving the team limit's only real lasting effect was to break down Roush since this would be an easy end-around. Or Hendrick can "let" Khane stay in his current ride until a seat opens up, showing NASCAR's current driver contracting rules (those few which exist) are laughably insufficient compared to the contract rules in every other major sport.

Then again, Martin will probably just retire. Or Junior gets fired (wouldn't THAT be interesting?)