As expected, Richard Petty Motorsports will be scaling back its NASCAR XFINITY Series team in 2016. After declining to re-sign Dakoda Armstrong to pilot the No. 43 Ford, the organization will not run a full-time car in the sport’s second-tier division.
Instead, RPM will continue its alliance with Biagi-DenBeste Racing, which has aligned with Roush Fenway Racing in the past as well. The continued partnership between the two teams will see Aric Almirola in a minimum of five XFINITY Series events with Biagi, with the expectation that more races will be added, according to Brian Moffitt, CEO of Richard Petty Motorsports.
Said Moffitt: “Aric is running five races to date. We have some other opportunities that we will announce in the future. If we do run the [No.] 43, it will be a limited schedule.”
Brian Scott, who was recently named driver of the No. 44 car for RPM in the Cup Series, does not have any firm plans to race in the XFINITY Series in 2016. According to Scott, he hopes to race in at least a handful of events after competing in the division on a full-time basis since 2010.
Richard Petty Motorsports started its XFINITY Series program in 2011 in a one-race deal with Marcos Ambrose. Going full-time racing in 2012, the organization partnered with Michael Annett for multiple years before Armstrong took over the No. 43 ride in 2014.
Armstrong will be moving over to race the No. 26 car for JGL Racing in 2016.
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