Sam Hornish Jr. won’t return to Richard Petty Motorsports in 2016

Richard Petty said Sam Hornish Jr. is unlikely to continue driving the No. 9 Richard Petty Motorsports car beyond this season, the seven-time NASCAR champion told reporters Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway.

While Hornish has struggled in his in his first season with the team, having collected just three top-10 finishes and ranked 25th in points, the reason for change goes beyond performance. RPM lacks sponsorship for the No. 9 and is looking at signing a driver who can bring both results and funding.

“We’ve got to look at sponsorship as much as anything else,” Petty said. “It’s a combination deal. “We can’t just go with a driver and then not have the money, and we can’t go with just the money and not have a driver, so it’s gonna be interesting.”

RPM signed Hornish to replace Marcos Ambrose, who returned to Australia to race V8 Supercars. Although announced as a multi-year deal, like many driver contracts Hornish’s agreement included team options and specific performance clauses.

Petty said RPM will continue as a two-car team in 2016 with Aric Almirola remaining driver of the No. 43 with full sponsorship secured.

As for the No. 9 car, no decision has been made on a replacement but David Ragan and Xfinity Series points leader Chris Buescher regarded as the favorites to land the ride. Ragan is currently with Michael Waltrip Racing, which is shutting down at the conclusion of the season, with Buescher a Roush Fenway Racing developmental driver. Both RPM and Roush are Ford-supported teams.

“We’re still working on what we’re gonna do with the 9 car,” Petty said. “Things are looking up. We’ve got some stuff coming down the pike, but we don’t have it corralled yet.”