Who Could Fill Marcos Ambrose's Seat at Richard Petty Motorsports in 2015?
With popular Australian Marcos Ambrose leaving NASCAR and returning to Australia to race V8 Supercars for Roger Penske and Dick Johnson, the question is now who will fill his vacated seat at Richard Petty Motorsports?
It's definitely a question worth asking since Petty is committed to fielding two Sprint Cup teams for 2015, according to Jared Turner of Fox Sports.
Despite being a team that has only won two races (Watkins Glen 2011, 2012) and failed to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup every season since Ambrose joined the team in 2011, the No. 9 Ford has constantly outperformed Petty's flagship No. 43 driven by teammate Aric Almirola.
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Still, it's a team with a legacy of mediocrity. Ambrose has performed well on multiple occasions with RPM, but he has never really hit a hot streak with the team.
So the question remains: Who would be the best driver to turn RPM's fortunes around with the No. 9?
Dakoda Armstrong
Despite being a Nationwide Series rookie, this would be the most obvious choice, as he is another one of RPM's drivers. In 28 starts, he has a pole and two top 10s. Granted, when compared to fellow rookies like Ty Dillon and Chase Elliott, results like that pale in comparison.
But with only one DNF in 2014 along with an average finish record of 20.4 (not far off from his average starting position of 20.2), it's clear that he doesn't abuse his equipment. This could be important if Petty was to bring him up to contend for the 2015 Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year award.
Chris Buescher
Of all the rookies in the Nationwide Series in 2014, Buescher has improved the most.
Despite failing to qualify for the season opener at Daytona, Buescher's fortunes have improved greatly since. After 27 starts in 2014 he has a win, four top fives and 12 top 10s. Add to that the fact that Buescher currently sits seventh in points, and it's easy to see Petty would be getting his money's worth in Buescher.
Sure, he's a rookie with not much experience. But he's a fast learner, and the No. 9 entry at RPM could be the right fit if the team was to structure the its growth around him.
Parker Kligerman
Very few drivers are more deserving of a second chance than Parker Kligerman. With a limited run in 2013 with Swan Racing, Kligerman showed much promise with top-25 finishes in both starts.
But when Swan decided to expand to two entries in 2014, both teams struggled mightily. Kligerman suffered worse than teammate Cole Whitt, as he finished no higher than 29th and had four DNFs in eight starts.
But none of that is indicative to Kligerman's true talent. It hurt his stock when he drove for Swan, which was an underfunded team living beyond its means. But having driven for Roger Penske, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch and Camping World Truck Series staple Red Horse Racing, Kligerman has shown that with the right equipment he can get the job done.
RPM is far from underfunded, and in no way would it ever be hurting for funds. Kligerman could very well bring the No. 9 some fantastic results if he was to drive for RPM in 2015.
Nelson Piquet Jr.
Maybe this is a bit hasty, but Piquet's performance at Watkins Glen as an underfunded entry really spoke for itself. Once one of the most promising drivers in Nationwide and CWTS, Piquet has been taking time away running in the Red Bull Global Rally Championship and winning.
But in his Sprint Cup Series debut at Watkins Glen, Piquet started 32nd in Randy Humphrey's Ford and finished 26th on the lead lap. Piquet managed to stay out of trouble and keep his nose clean for the race, and he managed to keep the car well within its means.
If Petty was to select Piquet he'd do well to run the No. 9 on a limited basis and help Piquet with his learning curve in the Sprint Cup Series.
The No. 9 RPM Ford
There are several other drivers out there who are beyond deserving of a chance in the Sprint Cup Series. Some are more than others, but if Petty was to use the No. 9 Ford as an vehicle for rookie learning, he could very well end up with a Sprint Cup Series star on his hands.
RPM has not been a premiere entry in many years in NASCAR, but it's no slouch either. Driving an RPM entry could very well help any one of these drivers on their rise to the top. All we can do then is stay tuned until Petty makes a decision for 2015.
Follow Joseph on Twitter: @Shelton500
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