Petty on A.J.'s season: 'Not too good'

CONCORD, N.C. -- Car owner Richard Petty didn't mince words Tuesday when he was asked to assess the 2010 season of driver A.J. Allmendinger.

"Not too good," was Petty's immediate reply to the question.

Then he went on to explain that it's a matter of consistency, or rather lack thereof. That's what he said he would like to see more of out of Allmendinger and the No. 43 Ford team as Richard Petty Motorsports looks toward the future.

"We're really disappointed in [Allmendinger] not being a lot more consistent than what he's been," said Petty, who was at Concord Motorsports Park to film a Ford television commercial with Allmendinger and rally-car driver Ken Block. "Some of it's been our fault; some of it's been his fault; some of it's been circumstances.

"But I've always said, since the days of Lee Petty and Petty Enterprises, that you've got to have consistency. And right now, I don't see any team being consistent enough to win a championship. Somebody will get on a roll -- but with A.J.'s deal, we've got to get him more consistent and we've got to get his crew more consistent."

Petty also confirmed that he expects Richard Petty Motorsports to field only two teams next season. That's half the number it currently runs. In addition to the No. 43 car driven by Allmendinger, RPM also presently fields the No. 9 driven by Kasey Kahne, the No. 19 driven by Elliott Sadler and the No. 98 driven by Paul Menard.

Kahne and Menard are leaving to drive for other teams next season, and Sadler has not and will not be offered a contract.

"Right now we're happy with two cars. Hopefully, I think we have everything squared away [with sponsorship] on two cars," Petty said. "If something falls out of the sky, we'll remain open to that. But right now we're set on two cars."

Marcos Ambrose already has signed on to drive the No. 9 car for next season. But the crew chief on that car, Kenny Francis, could be leaving the team, as well.

"It's really in Kenny's corner. ... It's going to be his decision," Petty said. "You can only hold people so long. Then you have to tell them, 'OK, here's the contract. If you like it, sign it; if you don't, it's time to go do something else.' He's in the process of trying to figure out what he's going to do."

Allmendinger, meanwhile, said he realizes he needs to come home with more consistent top finishes. Currently 22nd in the Sprint Cup point standings, he said he hopes to finish strong over this season's final 12 races to give him a positive springboard into next season.

"If we get our stuff together and get on a hot streak, we can still finish 17th or 18th in points. I think that would be a pretty good season for being a first-year team," said Allmendinger, who has four top-10 finishes in 23 starts. "I think if you look at the teams that are contending for the Chase and run well every week, those are the teams that have been together for five, six, seven years -- and this is our first year together.

"In the end, I think we have the tools at Richard Petty Motorsports to go out there and run consistently in the top 10. We just have to go out and do it. If we finish really strong over these last 12 races, we'll have something to build on for next year."

Related:
• With new deal at RPM, Allmendinger ready to lead
• Ambrose calls move to RPM a 'dream opportunity'
• Petty, Allmendinger part of Ford '43 Fiestas' sweeps