Petty team denies rumor of dropping to three Cup cars

LONG POND, Pa. -- A Richard Petty Motorsports spokesman Friday emphatically denied rumors that A.J. Allmendinger would be replacing Reed Sorenson in the No. 43 Dodge this season.

Allmendinger's No. 44 has been struggling to find full sponsorship all year, fueling speculation that if RPM needed to downsize, Sorenson would be the odd man out. Sorenson, whose only top-10 finish this season came in the season-opening Daytona 500, is 26th in the Sprint Cup standings, while Allmendinger is 27th.

Sorenson

Allmendinger

A note on Ford Racing's Web site earlier this week mentioned the possibility that Petty would shut down the No. 44 when its current sponsorship commitments end after Richmond.

"We'll be running four cars all year," RPM director of media relations Drew Brown said. "It's as simple as that. I don't expect any changes. We'll be running four cars. Nothing's changed."

Allmendinger spun in Friday's practice session, coming to rest in the infield grass. He was able to drive away with minimal damage to his car.

To say this has been a tumultuous season for Allmendinger might be an understatement. After Gillett Evernham Motorsports merged with Petty Enterprises, Allmendinger was announced to replace Elliott Sadler in the No. 19, only to have Sadler threaten to file suit over breach of contract. He then was signed to a 10-race deal in January, including the Budweiser Shootout.

But as the season has progressed and Allmendinger remained in the top 35 in owners' points, additional sponsorship has been found to keep him on the track. In April, Allmendinger's schedule was extended through Richmond and an option for 2010 was picked up by the team.

Allmendinger began his racing career in go-karts and advanced through open-wheel, winning the Barber Dodge Pro Series championship in 2002 and the Champ Car Atlantic title one year later. He was Champ Car rookie of the year in 2004 and won five races for the Foysthe operation in 2006 before making the switch to stock cars with Red Bull Racing.

Without a guaranteed starting spot, the first-year team struggled mightily in 2007, as Allmendinger made only 17 races, with a best finish of 15th in the fall race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He scored two top-10s in 21 starts for Red Bull in 2008 before being replaced by Scott Speed. But a strong showing in a five-race audition with Gillett Evernham at the end of last season earned him an extension.