bigbadbrother
05-10-2014, 01:58 AM
(nbcsports)
The last time Ford won a Sprint Cup championship was 2004, with Kurt Busch behind the wheel for Roush Racing.
The last time Toyota won a Sprint Cup championship was … well, it has never won a Cup crown since entering the Cup series in 2007.
Heading into Saturday night’s race at Kansas Speedway, Chevrolet and Ford have both won four races in 2014, while Denny Hamlin‘s win Sunday at Talladega was only the second thus far for Toyota.
And yet a report Friday suggested that officials at Richard Petty Motorsports – including team majority owner and NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty – are considering moving to Toyota power for 2015.
According to a story on Motorsport.com, The King reportedly met with Toyota representatives two weeks ago at Richmond to discuss a possible alliance.
Petty’s current contract with both Ford and Roush Yates Engines expires at the end of this season, according to the Motorsport.com story.
Just as RPM has begun to show increased performance over the last couple of seasons, would King Richard really leave Ford for Toyota?
Better yet, why?
If Joe Gibbs Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing — the only two teams that receive Toyota factory support from its Toyota Racing Development subsidiary — have yet to win a title, where is the upside gain for RPM if it were to join the Toyota camp?
If Petty were to take his organization anywhere other than Ford, Chevrolet would seem a much more logical and realistic affiliation, particularly if RPM chooses to align itself with either Hendrick Motorsports or Richard Childress Racing/ECR Motors.
After all, Chevy has won eight of the last nine Cup championships.
Petty shifted from Dodge to Ford power near the end of the 2009 season and has proudly worn the blue circle ever since.
Moving to Toyota just doesn’t seem to make sense.
The last time Ford won a Sprint Cup championship was 2004, with Kurt Busch behind the wheel for Roush Racing.
The last time Toyota won a Sprint Cup championship was … well, it has never won a Cup crown since entering the Cup series in 2007.
Heading into Saturday night’s race at Kansas Speedway, Chevrolet and Ford have both won four races in 2014, while Denny Hamlin‘s win Sunday at Talladega was only the second thus far for Toyota.
And yet a report Friday suggested that officials at Richard Petty Motorsports – including team majority owner and NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty – are considering moving to Toyota power for 2015.
According to a story on Motorsport.com, The King reportedly met with Toyota representatives two weeks ago at Richmond to discuss a possible alliance.
Petty’s current contract with both Ford and Roush Yates Engines expires at the end of this season, according to the Motorsport.com story.
Just as RPM has begun to show increased performance over the last couple of seasons, would King Richard really leave Ford for Toyota?
Better yet, why?
If Joe Gibbs Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing — the only two teams that receive Toyota factory support from its Toyota Racing Development subsidiary — have yet to win a title, where is the upside gain for RPM if it were to join the Toyota camp?
If Petty were to take his organization anywhere other than Ford, Chevrolet would seem a much more logical and realistic affiliation, particularly if RPM chooses to align itself with either Hendrick Motorsports or Richard Childress Racing/ECR Motors.
After all, Chevy has won eight of the last nine Cup championships.
Petty shifted from Dodge to Ford power near the end of the 2009 season and has proudly worn the blue circle ever since.
Moving to Toyota just doesn’t seem to make sense.