GEM Becomes Richard Petty Motorsports

CONCORD, N.C. (Jan. 19, 2009) – NASCAR legend and seven-time Sprint Cup Series champion Richard Petty announced today that his recently merged race team, co-owned by Petty Holdings and Gillett Evernham Motorsports, will continue to carry on the storied Petty legacy in the form of Richard Petty Motorsports.

“This begins the next great chapter for the Petty name in NASCAR,” said the team’s namesake and co-owner Richard Petty. “It was very important to us, not only to see the Petty name out on the racetrack, but also to be competitive and get all of our cars back into victory lane and competing for Sprint Cup Series championships on a regular basis.”

Richard Petty Motorsports will field four Dodge entries in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Kasey Kahne will pilot the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge, Elliott Sadler the No. 19 Stanley Tools/Best Buy Dodge, Reed Sorenson the No. 43 Dodge, and AJ Allmendinger in the No. 44 Dodge.

“To bring the No. 43 and 44 together under the Richard Petty Motorsports banner means a lot to both me and my family,” said Petty. “And then to pair with the No. 9 and 19 and their history really shows the spirit of this partnership. We are bringing two winning organizations together to take a competitive step forward for many years to come.”

“This is a great day for everyone associated with our race team,” said team co-owner George Gillett, whose business interests also include ownership in the legendary Montreal Canadiens in the NHL and the English Premier League’s Liverpool FC soccer team.

“To continue Richard Petty’s legacy is without question the most important factor in this relationship. Our goal is to win not one championship as Richard Petty Motorsports, but to win multiple championships.”

Petty Enterprises was the most successful team in NASCAR history owning 268 Cup victories since 1949. Since spearheading Dodge’s return to NASCAR in 1999, Gillett Evernham Motorsports had recorded 15 victories and has consistently been one of the top performing teams in NASCAR.

Richard Petty Motorsports will operate out of the GEM race shops in Statesville, N.C. and engine shop in Concord, N.C.