Sam Hornish likely not returning to No. 9 car in 2016
Richard Petty Motorsports' No. 9 car will probably have a different driver in 2016.
Petty said Saturday that Sam Hornish Jr. isn't expected be back for a second season with the team. Hornish made his return to racing full-time in the Sprint Cup Series with RPM in 2015 and the results have not been great. The former IndyCar and Indianapolis 500 champion is 25th in the points standings and has three top-10 finishes in 34 races.
Richard Petty says no driver yet for 9 car. Not expected to be Hornish. Says need $$ but getting close. #NASCAR
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) November 14, 2015
His teammate, Aric Almirola, is 17th in the standings, the highest among all drivers who didn't make the Chase for the Sprint Cup. RPM even made a crew chief swap on Hornish's car in May, hiring Kevin Manion to be his crew chief.
Hornish drove for Kyle Busch Motorsports in eight Xfinity Series races in 2014. He won once and had four top fives. He also made one Cup start, replacing Denny Hamlin at Auto Club Speedway. He joined KBM on a part-time basis after he parted ways with Team Penske in the Xfinity Series. He finished 2nd in the Xfinity standings in 2013 with the team in the No. 12 car.
RPM recently re-upped its manufacturer agreement with Ford and likely is considering a driver who already has a relationship with the automaker. David Ragan, who started the season with Front Row and moved to Michael Waltrip Racing midway through the season after subbing at Joe Gibbs Racing, could be an option as MWR is shutting down at the end of the year. So could Chris Buescher, the current points leader in the Xfinity Series. Buescher has made a handful of starts in the Cup Series this year for Front Row.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
