Tthere was mixed reaction in the Richmond International Raceway garage Friday morning to the news that Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) and Yates Racing plans to merge for the 2010 NASCAR season and will field a four-car Ford team under the RPM name.
RPM currently fields Dodges and the move to Ford would leave Dodge only the three-car Penske Racing stable in the Sprint Cup Series.
Dodge Motorsports President and CEO Mike Accavitti issued a statement saying, "Richard (Petty) has made a business decision to merge with Yates Racing. We wish Richard and RPM luck the rest of the season and in the future.''
"Dodge's plan -- to be a championship contender in 2010 with Penske Racing and a solid lineup of drivers -- has not changed."
RPM also announced its 2010 driver lineup of Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler, A.J. Allmendinger and Paul Menard. And even some of these drivers, say they were just as surprised by the announcement as everyone else.
There is plenty of irony to go around. Sadler left Yates Racing late in the 2006 season to drive for Evernham Motorsports, which is now RPM. Kahne, the team's lead driver, was involved in a lawsuit with Ford in 2004 after he signed with Evernham to drive Dodges.
The twist in fate wasn't lost on Kahne
"This wasn't really about me, it was about building Richard Petty Motorsports," said Kahne who only found out about the merger Wednesday night -- the day before the formal announcement. "When I left Ford and went through that suit and I wasn't a big fan and they weren't a big fan of me, but time heals and a lot of those people that were involved in that aren't there now. They have new people there and I'm really excited.
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