GEM Becomes RPM

Gillett Evernham Motorsports will now be known as Richard Petty Motorsports, following its recent merger with Petty Enterprises.

As part of the deal with PE, GEM agreed to keep the Petty name in the name of the new organization. Richard Petty also requested that the team use the No. 44.

The No. 44 will replace the No. 10, and will be driven by AJ Allmendinger for at least seven races.

The No. 44 will not feature sponsorship from Budweiser, which currently sponsors Kasey Kahne and the No. 9 car. It has long been a Petty tradition to not feature alcohol-related sponsors on their cars.

At the unveiling of the team’s new logo, Petty said:

We come out to let the world know we’re still in the racing business and we’re going to be bigger and better than we’ve ever been.

It’s Official: Labonte To HOF Racing

As previously reported, Bobby Labonte will drive Hall Of Fame Racing’s No. 96 Ford Fusion next season.

The team will be sponsored by Ask.com.

Following his release from Petty Enterprises, Labonte was rumored to be going to Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in the No. 41 sponsored by Target, or, more recently, the No. 8 Chevy. No word on who will drive that car, now that Labonte is out of the picture.

Labonte said of joining HOF Racing:

I’m excited to be part of what Ask.com is bringing to our sport. In a time like this, it’s great to see a sponsor come in with technology and ideas that will help all of the competitors in NASCAR and enhance the experience for all of our fans, no matter which driver or team they cheer for.

HOF Racing co-owner Tom Garfinkle said:

Jeff Moorad and I are excited to add Ask.com as a primary sponsor on the No. 96 car. We’ve been working closely with Ask.com for several weeks now, and their talented management team has come up with more creative ideas to serve NASCAR fans than I’ve seen in a long time. With our new Yates [Racing] partnership and having a true champion and class person in Bobby Labonte behind the wheel, we’re expecting great things on the race track as well.

Separately, Ask.com also entered an agreement to become the official search engine of NASCAR, meaning Ask.com has category exclusivity and a broad set of promotional rights.

Under the agreement, Ask.com will exclusively power the search experience on NASCAR.com.
 
Ask.com CEO Jim Safka said:

Through these partnerships, we will break new ground by applying our semantic search technology capabilities to NASCAR-related content while also tapping one of the largest marketing channels in America. Our goal is to win over the millions of loyal fans by providing them with the best NASCAR search experience on the Web, and introduce them to all of Ask’s capabilities when they come.

Labonte To HOF Racing?

According to NASCAR.com, three unnamed sources have confirmed that Bobby Labonte will drive the No. 96 Ford Fusion fielded by Hall Of Fame Racing and Yates Racing.

The two teams announced that they will be aligning, and that HOF Racing would be moving to Yates Racing’s shop.

So, if true, you can pretty much throw out whether or not Labonte would be a good fit for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. Labonte’s name has been linked to EGR’s No. 8 and No. 41 since he was released from Petty Enterprises.

Labonte To EGR’s No. 8?

It is being reported that Bobby Labonte has been seen multiple times at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, and his name has been linked to EGR ever since he parted ways with Petty Enterprises.

Rumor has it that now Labonte is being considered for the No. 8, where he will be reunited with his former Petty Enterprises crew cheif Doug Randolph.

Other EGR rumors include that Target may move its sponsorship over to the No. 42 and Juan Pablo Montoya, instead of the No. 41 car, which currently does not have a driver named.

Martin Truex Jr. will be back in the No. 1 with Bass Pro Shops. Aric Almirola, at this point, is expected to drive the No. 8 car, which is currently looking for sponsorship following the departure of the U.S. Army. He may be moved to the No. 41 car, though. Montoya will be sponsored by Wrigley’s Big Red and Juicy Fruit brands, but that sponsorship only covers half of the season.

Almirola said in a NASCAR.com article:

It is something they have kicked around and talked about. But really and truly we want to run four cars. That is the goal because everybody knows to be competitive you have to have a multi-car team. They have said if we have to run three cars it may be a possibility but it is not our goal.

Also, Max Siegel, president of global operations for Dale Earnhardt Inc., which is now EGR, is said to be close to leaving the team. Siegel has been working with DEI owner Teresa Earnhardt about his future plans with the team.

GEM, Petty Merge

Following weeks of speculation, it appears that Petty Enterprises has merged with Gillett Evernham Motorsports.

Terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed, but the agreement is said to have been reached on Christmas Eve. An announcement is expected next week.

Following the merger, Reed Sorenson is expected to drive the famed No. 43 car fielded by the team.

It was also recently announced that AJ Allmendinger would be replacing Elliott Sadler at GEM next season. No word on Sadler’s future, but he is rumored to be headed to Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.