The head of Dodge Motorsports on Friday called Richard Petty's defection a "business decision" that won't affect the manufacturer's participation in NASCAR.Richard Petty Motorsports has signed a letter-of-intent to merge with Yates Racing and field a four-car Ford team next season. It leaves Dodge with just three Roger Penske-owned cars in its 2010 lineup.
But president and CEO Mike Accavitti said that's enough for Dodge, which has had to continuously reinforce its commitment to NASCAR because of the cash problems that forced parent-company Chrysler into Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization earlier this year.
"Dodge's plan — to be a championship contender in 2010 with Penske Racing and a solid lineup of drivers — has not changed," Accavitti said. "We remain firmly focused on our objectives to be the leading manufacturer in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, win races and compete for the Sprint Cup at the right level."
RPM, the team born in a January merger between Petty Enterprises and Gillett-Evernham Racing, has been shopping for a new manufacturer since its funding from Dodge slowed earlier this season. The cutbacks during its restructuring forced RPM into at least two rounds of layoffs and payroll adjustments, all while trying to get star driver Kasey Kahne into the Chase for the championship.
Kahne is in position to grab one of the 12 berths, using a win last weekend at Atlanta to move up to sixth in the standings headed into Saturday night's deciding race at Richmond International Raceway. But the impending move to Ford has him wondering about the level of Dodge support he'll receive during the critical 10-race title hunt.
"I thought about it," he admitted. "But I can't really be concerned. I'm just going to go on with my business, and hopefully it won't affect us."
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