Zastava_101

RPM considering Kurt Busch in #43 car? Sirius XM NASCAR Radio's Sirius Speedway with Dave Moody has learned that in an effort to retain sponsor Best Buy, Richard Petty Motorsports has proposed replacing AJ Allmendinger as driver of the legendary #43 Ford with Busch. RPM struggled to re-sign Best Buy a year ago, negotiating until early January before inking a one-year contract. The electronics retailer served as major sponsor of the #43 team in 26 events this season.
Richard Petty Motorsports Chief Operating Officer Robbie Loomis confirmed today that discussions have been held regarding Busch, saying, "Best Buy has been a great partner for a long time, and AJ Allmendinger has done a fantastic job for us. He's coming off his best season yet, but I can tell you there is a lot of interest on our part in having Kurt Busch in the fold. It makes sense to have Kurt with our team, if we can make it work.
"Our main focus is to continue building on what we finished the season with last year," said Loomis. "But right now, I feel like I'm running down two different sets of train tracks. From a personal standpoint, nothing has excited me more than when I heard Kurt had become available. I'm excited about the opportunity to add a driver like Kurt Busch to Richard Petty Motorsports. I would mortgage my house to make Kurt a part of this team. We value what he has done on the race track. He has won a (Sprint Cup) championship and worked for a first-class operation like Penske Racing. Guys like that don't come along every day."
Allmendinger finished 15th in 2011 Sprint Cup Series championship points, with one Top-5 and 10 Top-10 finishes. His best finish was a fifth in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in late May. Busch won a pair of races this season at Infineon and Dover en route to 11th in points, tallying eight Top-5 and 16 Top-10 finishes. He parted company with Penske Racing earlier this month, in the aftermath of a much-publicized verbal confrontation with ESPN pit reporter Dr. Jerry Punch during the 2011 season finale at Homestead Miami Speedway (Sirius Speedway).
AND no word what Allmendinger would do IF this happens; and not too sure Jack Roush [who Busch drove for before Penske and had issues with], who team supplies cars and engines to RPM would allow this to happen.(12-13-2011)

2 Go Snake

I could see why RPM would be interested in Kurt Busch. He has alot of knowledge and does know how to drive a race car. He is not afraid to give feedback to the crew chief. He will find the flaws in a race team.
I was hoping AJ could win several races. He is a very talented racer. However, I dont know if an ordained minister would be greedy enough to do what it takes to win races against Tony Stewart , Jimmy Johnson, and Jeff Gordan. To attract good sponsors, a team MUST WIN !!!!!

Zastava_101

I don't think Jack Roush will allow Busch to drive one of his cars again.

red pony

I couldn't agree more! Kurt's bad judgment in the past really hurt him! Plus his attitude of late has been deplorable! Just google his name and youtube is loaded with negative publicity about his treatment of his team! IMO he acts like a real bung-hole!

jacostang

Maybe he learned his lesson.... Wait, what did I just say..... Where is that Omega 13???

2 Go Snake

Jack may not want Kurt in cars he owns, but he cannot control what RPM might want for a driver in their cars they bought from Roush.

3Mach1

Agreed! But Im not sure Jack has any say in this. RPM is making a big mistake imo. Kurt is talented but doesnt play well with others. I hope he finds himself in the seat of a go cart the rest of his career. I would not give him the time of day if I were a team owner nor a sponsor. What the heck is Best Buy thinking? This guy is a problem child.

red pony

What Robbie Loomis wants now he might regret later! Kurt earned his reputation by his actions! That's hard to undo! Jack Roush may forgive but he certainly won't forget Kurt's bad judgment call in '05! He caused Roush Racing a lot of bad press over those driving charges! Ford already fights an uphill battle with Nascar! They don't need a hot-headed spoiled brat that acts like a juvenile delinquint driving their cars!

Zastava_101

Busch has media's attention. I guess it doesn't matter to Best Buy if it's good or bad.

2 Go Snake

What people remember is who won races.Once a driver wins for a sponsor, all past behavior by the driver is forgotten. Remember that spoiled brat Tony Stewart, he is now the champion and all have forgotten his previous bad behavior. I think Best Buy wants the car they sponsor to be sitting in Victory Lane.

Zastava_101

When why are Matt Kenseth and Trevor Bayne (as well as Ricky Stenhouse Jr.) having so many issues with finding a sponsor?

Hytek

I thought I heard somewhere that JR wanted too much $$..?

red pony

I agree with what you say! There's only one thing that keeps Kurt from winning and that's Kurt himself! You can't be blaming your team for every little thing wrong in a race! Heck, he even blamed Nascar for ruining his career for bringing the "Car of tomorrow" into the Cup series! Everybody else can win with it, why not Kurt?! He gets penalized for speeding down pit lane... who does he scream at? His team! You can't expect your team to be behind you when you act like that! It's a wonder sombody hasn't grabbed him and rattled his cage !

Zastava_101

Allmendinger to Penske? Ragan to the #43? UPDATES: Rumors floating around that A.J. Allmendinger could be headed to the #22 Penske Dodge and David Ragan to the #43 RPM Ford. If true Allmendinger moves over from the #43 RPM ride and Ragan moves from the sponsorless possibly closed up #6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford.(12-21-2011)
UPDATE: AJ Allmendinger will be named the driver of the #22 Sprint Cup car at Penske Racing on Wednesday, a source close to the situation told ESPN.com. Allmendinger finished 15th in points this past season driving the #43 Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports. He became available after RPM lost primary sponsor Best Buy to Roush Fenway Racing. Allmendinger will replace 2004 Cup champion Kurt Busch, who reached a "mutual'' agreement to leave Penske Racing after a 2011 season in which he had several profanity-laced run-ins with the media and his team. He was picked over David Ragan, who interviewed with the Dodge team and sponsor Shell Pennzoil shortly after Busch was released. Ragan could be a candidate for the 43. He also could drive for Phoenix Racing, with which he had a tentative agreement before pursuing the 22.(ESPN)(12-21-2011)
UPDATE 2: Penske Racing has named AJ Allmendinger as the driver of the team's #22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger for the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Allmendinger, who has competed in the Cup Series since 2007, is coming off a strong season that saw him finish 15th in the series standings while battling for a position in the Chase for the Championship. The 30-year-old native of Los Gatos, Calif., earned one top-five, 10 top-10 and 22 top-15 results in 2011 while driving the #43 car for Richard Petty Motorsports.
"AJ is a very talented and motivated driver and we believe he will be a terrific fit with our team," said Roger Penske. "He has shown great promise and consistent results on the track over the last few seasons and working with Todd and the Shell-Pennzoil Dodge team will allow him to take the next step and compete for race wins and a spot in the Chase in 2012."
"Shell and Pennzoil are extremely pleased by Penske Racing's selection of AJ Allmendinger to drive the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge," said Lisa Davis, President of Shell Oil Products U.S. "AJ has consistently demonstrated great potential and continuous improvement as a driver, and with Penske's track record, our employees and customers can look forward to seeing him contending for wins and ultimately a championship in the NASCAR Cup Series. We know he will represent our brands well on and off the track and we look forward to a successful 2012 with AJ behind the wheel."(Penske Racing)(12-21-2011)
UPDATE 3: Statement from Richard Petty Motorsports: "Richard Petty Motorsports has released AJ Allmendinger to pursue other opportunities within the sport," stated team Chief Executive Officer Brian Moffitt. "AJ is a talented driver whom we all enjoyed working with and we wish him the best." Our plan remains to run a two-car team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2012 and we are continuing down that path," said Moffitt. "We believe there are several very talented drivers who are still available and would embrace the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the legendary No. 43 Ford Fusion. We continue to move forward and are optimistic about the future of this race team."(RPM)(12-21-2011)

2 Go Snake

AJ would be a good fit with the Penske team. I am sure he will do very well at Penske. David Ragan is pretty tight with Ford. I could see him do well at RPM if he has a crew chief who is willing to gamble on pit strategy.

Zastava_101

#43 driver to be announced today?: Sources say David Ragan is likely to replace A.J. Allmendinger [who went to the #22 Penske Dodge] in the #43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford, with an announcement possible as soon as tomorrow [Friday].(Sirius Speedway)(12-23-2011)

Moosetang

I'm not too broken up abut AJ leaving RPM, that relationship just wasn't going anywhere, but I don't think Ragan is the best solution, either.

Evil_Capri

Sources, Sources . .

http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/cu...y-motorsports/

And if the sponsorship was in place I would put Stenhouse, Jr. in the #43. But I think Jack wants to place him firmly under the 'Roush' banner if possible . . .

I also read (somewhere) that Kurt didn't want to go to RPM . . . can't remember where I read it.

Zastava_101

+1.

I don't think he'll have much success at Phoenix Racing.

2 Go Snake

It is hard to tell what kind of year Kurt will have at Phoenix racing. Kurt could do quite well. He does have Hendrick equipment and you know Hendrick does have enough influence in Nascar to keep his equipment up front. Look at how well Regan Smith ran this year. Smith was out running many highly sponsored teams.
I am hoping David Regan finds a Ford to race for someome. David Regan was just on the edge from becomming a superstar and had figured out how to win. Remember how close he came to winning the Daytona 500.