Richard Petty Motorsports announced today that it has made changes to its crew lineup in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Mike Ford will now lead Marcos Ambrose and the No. 9 Ford, while Todd Parrott has been assigned as crew chief for Aric Almirola and the No. 43 Ford. In addition, team members from both teams will also make the switch with their respective crew chief. Several pit crew members were also changed recently in an attempt to strengthen the entire RPM organization and improve the performance level now and into the future.
The changes are effective immediately.
Richard Petty Motorsports currently has one win, three poles, 10 top-10 and three top-five finishes this season in the Sprint Cup Series. The team was also in position to make the Chase for the second consecutive season with driver Marcos Ambrose.
"We're continuing to make improvements at Richard Petty Motorsports and we've added talented people to our organization this season," said Sammy Johns, director of competition. "This move is to make sure that we are using that talent to the fullest to get the best results for our teams each weekend. We feel this adjustment will strengthen the organization, allow us to continue to compete for wins and ultimately challenge for championships."
Ford and Parrott are both veteran, winning crew chiefs. Parrott has one Sprint Cup championship, a Daytona 500 championship and 31 Sprint Cup wins to his credit. Ford has six Chase births and 25 Sprint Cup race wins on his resume. Both are looking at the change as an opportunity to better Richard Petty Motorsports.
"Aric has really shown the desire and dedication to get his first Sprint Cup Series win," Parrott said. "It was great our team helped lead Marcos to his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win and poles. We are now ready to help direct Almirola and the No. 43 team to the same results and better."
Ford is also ready to work with Ambrose and the No. 9 race team.
"Marcos is a racer who has proven to win poles and races," Ford said. "Our goal is to take my experiences and make sure we can consistently run up front and continue to win races."
Ford, Parrott and their teams will be working with their new respective drivers this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway.
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