The famed Richard Petty Motorsports team will switch from Ford to Chevrolet for the next NASCAR season, trading their Fusions for Camaros in 2018, ESPN reports. The team has also formed an alliance with Richard Childress Racing, allowing Petty to secure some shop space on the Childress campus.
Richard Petty Motorsports chose to leave its Mooresville, North Carolina shop when its lease ran out after the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The team finished 24th in the owner standings this year, and heads into 2018 with Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. taking the place of Aric Almirola, who will occupy Danica Patrick’s old spot on the Stewart-Haas Racing team.
“We needed a change, and Chevrolet and [Richard Childress Racing] clearly saw the immense value of the Petty brand, which I believe is simply the best in the sport,” Richard Petty Motorsports majority owner Andrew Murstein said Thursday, according to ESPN. “We hope to combine our best with their best and take it to another level in 2018.”
“No one has won more championships the last 10 years than Chevrolet, and no one has won more races and more championships in the history of NASCAR than Richard Petty himself. It’s a perfect match.
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The Chevy SS Cup cars were designed around the 2013 rules and aerodynamic packages, as was the case with the Fusion and Camry. When the new Camry cup cars debuted last year, it was clear that they were designed around the new aerodynamic rules and packages, and that showed throughout the season. The new ZL1 Cup Car is the same case, but a year ahead of the Camry. NASCAR isn’t making any big rules changes after 2018, and the ZL1 racecar was designed around the current rules. That’s a huge advantage, especially on bigger tracks like Michigan or Daytona. Expect to see Chevy in victory lane a lot next year and don’t expect much out of the fords. And the craziest part is that the majority of young guns In the Cup series are driving ZL1s for the 2018 season.
Looks like Dale Jr. is missing out on an otherwise good opportunity, can’t help but think what the Intimidator would be thinking right about now if he were still with us!
Black 2000 SS Camaro T-56 6spd. CA plate “RATHOF3”
Too bad people are not watching as much anymore.
I gave up with the chase and stages. The final straw was when a driver sat out half the year with a broken leg and still won a championship.
Now no Earnhardt?
I was as big of a NASCAR fan as could be but not much anymore. SR would tell Brian F what he could do with his changes.
I am fine with IMSA, Cadillac and the Pratt and Miller Corvettes. Toss in some sprint races.
I do hope JR is st Mid Ohio Next year as he will run some limited Nextel races. I do go to this race as it is fun to watch and the Trans Am race is a blast.
I can blame Jr stepping away. He has made his money and has a full life ahead. No sense ending up like Freddy Lorenzen or LeeRoy” Yarbrough not remembering who they are.
No Earnhardt isn’t a big deal to me. Jr. Is a class act and a humble man, but he wasn’t having much success on track. He won the plate races and Martinsville a while back, but he was never in the hunt for a championship. The sport has all of these great drivers with a mix of driving styles and personalities, it’s getting to be like the late 90’s again. You have Chase Elliott, son of Bill, as the new favorite and one of the few guys who consistently finish up front. Brad Keselowski is the new Dale Sr. He’s aggressive, great on plate tracks, finds amazing ways to win, yet he’s actually a great personality that the sport needs. Martin Truex is the man to beat on and off track, and there’s nothing bad anyone can say about him. Then there’s the veterans like Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Ryan Newman. Kyle Busch is the guy that nobody likes but always wins. And rivalries are also back. Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Keselowski, Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson. The only flaws I find in the Cup Series right now are the lack of road course and short track races and the fact that Moster Energy is the title sponsor. Other than that, it’s the best NASCAR has been in a long time.
Curious as to how the Camaro body style qualifies for NASCAR. It would seem like the Malibu body would be more in line with the Fusion and the Camry. The Camaro body is smaller and sleeker. I thought there were size rules.