Richard Petty says with merger nearing completion, layoffs part of process

By SceneDaily Staff
Friday, November 13, 2009
Richard Petty is a co-owner of the Richard Petty Motorsports NASCAR Sprint Cup team.

Richard Petty is a co-owner of the Richard Petty Motorsports NASCAR Sprint Cup team.

Jim Fluharty
NASCAR Scene

AVONDALE, Ariz. – Richard Petty said the Richard Petty Motorsports-Yates Racing proposed merger is still in the hands of the lawyers, but with the likelihood of it happening, RPM had to begin its staff reductions this week.

Sources indicated more than 150 people were laid off earlier this week or were told they would be laid off after the season ends next week at Homestead-Miami Speedway. RPM, which fields four teams, and Yates, which fields two, announced in September they planned to merge – and with NASCAR’s four-team limit, the staff reductions were anticipated.

“If we’re going to do what we’re going to do, we’ve got to start somewhere,” Petty said Friday at Phoenix International Raceway. “This is basically where we’re starting.”

Petty said he was in Wyoming when the layoffs were administered this past week.

“[We] have explained to everybody what our situation was,” Petty said. “The majority of people might not like it, but they understand where we’re coming from. It never goes down [easy] when you have to let somebody go. We didn’t let them go because they weren’t doing the job. We just didn’t have a job for them to do.”

Many of those laid off were in the engine shop and the car manufacturing department, sources said. The new organization will use Roush Yates Engines and likely will be based in the current Yates shop in Concord, N.C. – about 45 miles from the current RPM shop in Statesville, N.C.

“I think we’re moving there to the [Yates shop near the] airport,” Petty said. “As far as I know. Tune in next week.”

RPM driver Kasey Kahne said he has not been to the Yates shop yet and said he has not been part of any Yates-RPM meetings about next year.

“I’ve driven by [the shop] and that’s it,” Kahne said. “As far as next year and testing and all that planning, I don’t know. I know that we’re trying to win races and do everything possible to win, but as of right now, that deal is not done.

“To me, there are still a lot of unknowns. For me to go over there – I doubt that they want me over there and I don’t know if I should be over there. I don’t drive for them yet. I don’t know how all that’s going to work. I know it’s not done. I know that I’m going to have the same team and that’s all that I can ask for is sticking with [crew chief] Kenny Francis and our guys that we have.”

Francis has kept his team focused despite the layoffs, Kahne said.

“It’s just back to the track for the 9 guys,” Kahne said. “[It’s the] same thing that we’ve done all year when anything out of the ordinary happens there. They show up – same group of guys – and work hard and do everything they can to give me the best car they can give me.

“As a team, a driver, a crew chief … we can only do the things that can benefit us and help us and that’s to stay focus on doing what we enjoy doing. That’s how our whole team has been so far this weekend. It’s nice to have a group of guys like that.”

Comments

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  1. 1
    xbrownsx said:
    Nov 14, 2009 at 3:29 AM

    Also Richard, your loyal MOPAR Fans don't like this either. I will never buy anything Petty related again. Rick Hendrick will never leave Chevy. Jack Roush is loyal to Ford. The Wood brothers loyal to Ford. Your legacy is with DODGE and you're more of an icon in NASCAR than anyone. Yet you shaft your fans and your reputation...
    What a shame - Will see how your Petty Fords *gasp!* (doesn't even sound right) run at Daytona in February. Kasey, AJ, Elliott and Paul Menard must make the Chase in 2010.
    NO MORE EXCUSES for not running up front.
    Meanwhile, I'll be spending my $$ and pulling for the Penske DODGEs in 2010 - #2, #12, #77!

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  2. 2
    Phoenix987 said:
    Nov 14, 2009 at 3:37 AM

    Dodge wasn't in the sport for 25 years that PE was racing and Petty's legacy is with Dodge? He didn't run their equipment his whole career you know...

    Yeah, the merger with Yates is odd, but it's not like Yates hasn't tried to sell out almost every year this decade. The Yates/Hall of Fame deal this year, the Newman/Haas/Lanigan deal (2008), the deal that Robert Yates had to sell his team to Robby Gordon and then reneged on that deal...

    Yates was probably the one to start this merger, knowing that Petty was looking to leave Dodge. At least get Kasey Kahne back into a Ford and keep Toyota from getting one of the biggest names in NASCAR.

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  3. 3
    Anonymous said:
    Nov 14, 2009 at 6:55 AM

    IMO you do what you have to do. Richard has worked hard all his life and what he does with his company is HIS business. He has earned the right to do whatever he decides is best for his investment. Too bad for all those who collect that memorabilia crap and are suckers enough to think they own part of a business simply because they supported it.

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  4. 4
    richardclower said:
    Nov 14, 2009 at 9:35 AM

    It's not Petty's team!!!! They are just using his name to draw sponsors. Petty's legacy is in Dodge because over 175 of his wins are in a dodge.
    Gillett owns the team. Petty is just selling his name so he can hang around the race track.

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  5. 5
    dale said:
    Nov 14, 2009 at 4:17 PM

    Since Petty's name is still on the door and since he is the public face of the organization, he should have had the cajones to have actually been at the shop when these people were let go.

    I haven't had a lot of respect for him the past couple of years, even less after this fiasco.

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  6. 6
    rwilliamhayes said:
    Nov 14, 2009 at 5:05 PM

    Get out KING.Get out NOW.

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  7. 7
    galvan18244 said:
    Nov 14, 2009 at 6:00 PM

    Petty's legacy is dying every day, he has joined up with gillett who has destroyed a GOOD evernham racing team and now he destroyed the petty name, I have no respect for petty, he is just money hungry now, he has crappy drivers other than kahne. Kasey should leave now!!

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  8. 8
    jbbigrod said:
    Nov 14, 2009 at 6:28 PM

    THIS is Kasey's BEST chance to make it in this sport. WHERE else would he go, to the stupid Chuvorlevits??? . . . . I sure hope not. Yuk! . . . . I agree with numbers 3 and 4 for the most part. . . . Petty sure hasn't been Dodge all his life. Yes, he did not do too well when he went to GM, but he sure did good when he ran FORD in 1969. Ten wins in ONE season, now THAT ain't too bad. . . . King Richard is doing what he NEEDS to do, and gives his support the best he can to the guys, realizing he doesn't OWN the business anymore. . . . Right now Cousin' Carl is showing them in NW what the Fords can do. About 5 seconds ahead of the Chuvy of Harvick on lap 149. Just need Kyle to blow his engine, or whatever, and THEN we will have a close race for next week.

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  9. 9
    Werner said:
    Nov 14, 2009 at 7:37 PM

    Petty's Legacy will remain forever...he's in the HOF...can't believe that some fans will abandon him because of the switch to a FORD...i wouldn't care if he switched to a KIA....in 1958 Petty ran his 1st race...in an Oldsmobile....the years with Chrysler, 1960-1975??......Richard Petty will always be the King...

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  10. 10
    loumar206 said:
    Nov 14, 2009 at 7:41 PM

    How far the once great haven fallen, to have to sell your name & be a shill for Gellet.

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  11. 11
    Pattichris said:
    Nov 14, 2009 at 9:32 PM

    I doubt that Richard sleeps well at night...

    I don't see any way this merger is going to turn out championship cars, and Kasey is the only good driver there and, hopefully he will be abandoning the sinking ship after 2010.

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  12. 12
    fanofreed43 said:
    Nov 14, 2009 at 9:47 PM

    RPM will be out of racing all together in 2 years.

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  13. 13
    fanofreed43 said:
    Nov 14, 2009 at 9:48 PM

    When Reed is gone, so am I.

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  14. 14
    gatenpin said:
    Nov 14, 2009 at 10:16 PM

    Kasey is under contract thru 2010 with RPM; but I predict he will be driving for Stewart/Haas in 2011. At least, I hope so. Tony is a good friend and would give Kasey the equipment and team that he deserves. Then, let's see who wins that championship. Go Kasey, and win alot for RPM in 2010 so Gillett will realize what he has lost in 2011. Just please take Kenny Francis, Kole, Kale, and others with you if you leave RPM. I also see where Gillett might bring in the Middle East bad guys into NASCAR and that would be one more reason to leave!!!! Don't trust Gillett in any way and Petty should not either.

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  15. 15
    hcvarga said:
    Nov 14, 2009 at 11:08 PM

    Whatever it takes to make Kasey a winner, I'm all for. So until this takes shape and we see what happens in the next few years, I'll abstain from making comments beyond KASEY DESERVES THE BEST. I hope this is it.

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  16. 16
    wraldri said:
    Nov 15, 2009 at 12:06 AM

    Richard's hands are probably tied by some contract Gillett forced him into. But it's obvious he has no hand in the operation of the team. Why do you think he was in Wyoming rather than NC when the layoffs started. Why do you think he says he doesn't know if they're moving to the Yates shop in the next week? I feel sorry for him, because I think he's trapped in Gillett's b.s.

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  17. 17
    xbrownsx said:
    Nov 15, 2009 at 3:12 AM

    #2 Dodge was out of NASCAR for 25 years? You're kidding me? I had no idea. Who knew?...!
    DUH.... The reason Dodge got out of NASCAR in the late 70s was more related to aerodynamics of the cars being built then rather than Dodge just leaving. This was before NASCAR mandated specs on a front fascia, and cars were much closely *gasp!* related to their Detroit factory brothers style-wise.
    No matter how you slice it, Petty is a sell-out. He can't compete because he doesn't spend what is needed to be a major factor in 'Cup racing.
    This merger with Yates and Ford is a last ditch effort that will yield zilch in results for 2010.
    Frankly, if Paul Menard had no brought his family's menards sponsorship to Yates, Yates would of folded prior to this year for sure.
    Petty has signed on to a "House of Cards" organization, and the wind will be blowing a bit harder in 2010 at Daytona...

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  18. 18
    xbrownsx said:
    Nov 15, 2009 at 3:17 AM

    Anonomous (#3) who buys memorabilia and thinks they're a part of the organization? You're not too smart.
    So those who buy a Jeff Gordon shirt, or a Matt Kenseth shirt for their kids think they own a part of Hendrick Motorsports and Roush-Fenway?
    ha ha ha ha ha ha! You're funny, dude.
    You missed the point entirely. Not surprising, though.

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  19. 19
    xbrownsx said:
    Nov 15, 2009 at 3:21 AM

    #8, JBBRIGROD, do you even know why Petty went to Ford in '69? With ten wins (Ford) then why did he return to Chrysler Corp. in 1970?
    Knowing that, and you'll be a better educated poster.
    Look it up, then get back to me.

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  20. 20
    richardclower said:
    Nov 15, 2009 at 9:55 AM

    Good point #19 XBROWN.....Petty's legacy is in Chrysler products. anybody that follows Nascar at all knows he did ALL of his As- Kickin in Plymouths and Dodges.

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  21. 21
    Werner said:
    Nov 15, 2009 at 11:15 AM

    i looked up "Petty Legacy" and this is what i found...it's now the cars he drove...it's the man himself......."Accessibility was his hallmark. In a sport, and a sports world, where big stars may not have the time to sign autographs or sign everybody's autograph, Petty made a point of staying until everybody got one. His work on behalf of his sport and his accessibility to fans are seen as crucial elements of NASCAR's transformation from the dirt tracks of the 1950s to the superspeedways and multi-million dollar sponsorships of today."

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  22. 22
    Werner said:
    Nov 15, 2009 at 11:16 AM

    and he didn't charge for an autograph, which has almost become the norm nowadays with some driver apperances....

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  23. 23
    jbbigrod said:
    Nov 16, 2009 at 12:17 PM

    Unfortunately Werner, autographs have become BIG business, for the fans too. And drivers and players feel THEY should get some of the reward for the fans selling them down the road. Sad but true. - - - As far as Petty goes, he already sold out when they went with Gillette. IT is Richard Petty Motorsports in NAME ONLY. He does NOT own the company anymore. He is a spokesman FOR the company and they are using HIS name. I am not sure WHAT percentage he owns currently, but not enough to really have a say in anything over there. He probably shuddered, when the decision was made by Gillette to go to Ford, as it was when Bud went to the number 9. HE has NO say in that. - - - THAT being said; they were both GOOD business moves. - - - As far as to WHERE Petty has gone over the years, first GM, then Chrysler, the Ford, then Chrysler, NOW Ford again, is neither here nor there, #19. What counts is, Petty goes where they FEEL they will win with. . . . . I for one think they are going with a winning organization in FORD, and I think Ford is happy to have them to improve THEIR racing stats also. Look at AJ on Sunday, HE was the highest finishing Ford at 13th. Not too shabby for a young guy who so many of you say can't drive; eh?

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  24. 24
    kdsterling73 said:
    Nov 17, 2009 at 9:07 PM

    Can't blame RPM for switching to Ford. They were getting no monetary support from Dodge, so they didn't have much of a choice.

    As far as getting rid of Sorenson. Can't blame em' for that either. He'll never be more than a field filler in Cup. He might have the occasional good run, but they'll be few and far between.

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  25. 25
    scott_30_27288 said:
    Nov 18, 2009 at 6:35 PM

    When I started reading this article my blood pressure went up a bit. To see comments like these made by Richard Petty made me think that all these years I had been wrong about the man. But as I read on it became crystal clear that Richard doesn't have much more control at RPM than the average fan. He's the puppet and the pitch man for George Gillette. Richard is doing and saying exactly what he is told to do and say. It may not be right that Richard sold out to Boston Ventures(which i despise) or Gillette(which I am growing to dislike more and more) but the fact remains that Richard isn't going to be around forever and he did what he did for his own best interests. My only problem with this whole story was the fact that he was in Wyoming when all the layoffs went down. To me that's not the way to run a business. Just my thoughts.

    Scott
    Eden NC

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