Breaking news
NASCAR Cup
Could RPM expand back to a two-car team with Darrell Wallace Jr.?
Darrell “Bubba” Wallace had a solid audition behind the wheel of the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford while substituting for Aric Almirola.
Lee Spencer
Edited: Jul 22, 2017, 5:05 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
With each of this four races, Wallace improved his performance from 26th at Pocono in his debut to 11th with his stint ended at Kentucky Speedway.
If RPM could secure sponsorship for a second squad, team owner Richard Petty would like to see the 23-year-old racer return the fold.
“We haven’t talked too much to Darrell,” Petty said on Saturday. “He’s still looking to find a home. If we had a chance, then we would definitely be more than interested in him driving the car.
“Right now, it’s up to somebody else. If someone decides to be involved with us, then we’ll work it out from there.”
In 2009, when Petty joined forces with he late Gillett-Evernham Motorsports, the organization fielded four cars. The organization ran four full-time squads the following year with Aric Almirola running the last five races for Kasey Kahne after he jumped over to Red Bull Racing. By 2011, RPM scaled down to two teams with AJ Allmendinger and Marcos Ambrose. Almirola joined RPM full-time in 2012 and has competed in the No. 43 Smithfield Ford ever since — until he fractured his T5 vertebra at Kansas Speedway on May 13.
Prior to Almirola’s injury, the No. 43 Ford was on an upswing. His two top-five finishes in the first 11 races were more than Almirola had in all of 2016. Almirola has also led more laps and posted more top-10 (three) results in 2017.
Although this is a contract year for Almirola — and Smithfield — the outlook is positive for the sponsor. Almirola has opted not to discuss his plans for 2018. But it’s possible that RPM could return to a two-car operation next year with the proper support.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Denny Hamlin leads opening Cup practice at Indianapolis
Next article Erik Jones tops final practice at Indianapolis
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Lee Spencer
Harvick reflects on career after Atlanta win, honors Dale Earnhardt
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Atlanta
Harvick reflects on career after Atlanta win, honors Dale Earnhardt
Chase Elliott: "We have a lot of work to do" after Atlanta showing
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Atlanta
Chase Elliott: "We have a lot of work to do" after Atlanta showing
Harvick leads veteran charge at Atlanta Motor Speedway
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Atlanta
Harvick leads veteran charge at Atlanta Motor Speedway
More from
Bubba Wallace
Winners and losers from a different NASCAR Cup finale at Homestead
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
Winners and losers from a different NASCAR Cup finale at Homestead
Winners and losers from a Chase-altering NASCAR Cup race at Phoenix
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
Winners and losers from a Chase-altering NASCAR Cup race at Phoenix
Bubba Wallace laments mistake after heartbreaking Phoenix loss
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
Bubba Wallace laments mistake after heartbreaking Phoenix loss
More from
Richard Petty Motorsports
Jimmie Johnson explains decision to bring Josh Berry to Legacy
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Jimmie Johnson explains decision to bring Josh Berry to Legacy
Jimmie Johnson explains why the time was right for Legacy to add a third car full time
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Jimmie Johnson explains why the time was right for Legacy to add a third car full time
Ty Dillon and Petty GMS to part ways after 2022
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Ty Dillon and Petty GMS to part ways after 2022
Latest news
Frankie Muniz transported to hospital after Daytona practice crash
General
Misc General 2 h
Frankie Muniz transported to hospital after Daytona practice crash
Ford unveils new Mustang body for 2027 NASCAR Cup season
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup 2 h
Ford unveils new Mustang body for 2027 NASCAR Cup season
IndyCar 2026 season review: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 5 h
IndyCar 2026 season review: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Kyle Larson admits he didn't think Cup title was possible in NASCAR champion's speech
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup 6 h
Kyle Larson admits he didn't think Cup title was possible in NASCAR champion's speech
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe