Elliott Sadler in an RPM Ford at Talladega

Elliott Sadler To Drive Ford in Talladega

STATESVILLE, N.C. -- Elliott Sadler's No. 19 Stanley car will race as a Ford for the first time in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. Sadler is racing the Ford Fusion in preparation for Richard Petty Motorsports switch to Ford beginning in 2010. Sadler will return to his familiar No. 19 Dodge entry for the final three races of 2009.

ON DRIVING A FORD AT TALLADEGA: "Richard Petty Motorsports is working with Ford Racing as we get ready to make the full-time switch at Daytona in 2010. Since this is the final restrictor plate race of the season, we made the decision to run a Ford to get some work done in advance. This will be our first time to practice and work on a Fusion under real race conditions. It should help us get ready to make a strong showing at Daytona and put us in the best position to start next season. I'll be back in a Dodge at Texas, Phoenix and Homestead, but since it's important to start a season off on the right foot we thought we'd try to get a head start."

Petty in Ford

* This is the first Ford entry in the history of Richard Petty Motorsports.

* In 1969, Richard Petty made 48 out of 50 starts in a Ford. He recorded nine wins, 29 top-fives, 36 top-10s and led 2,291 laps. Petty raced a Plymouth the first two races of the season recording a win at Macon and a second-place finish at Montgomery.

* Richard Petty's last race driving a Ford entry was Dec. 2, 1969 at Texas World Speedway (College Station, Texas). Petty drove the entry to a 21st-place finish.

* The last time a Petty-owned team (Petty Enterprises) fielded a Ford Sprint Cup Series entry was April 14, 1985 in the TransSouth 500 at Darlington Raceway (Darlington, S.C.). Morgan Shepherd drove the No.1 entry to an 18th-place finish.

* Richard Petty Motorsports

* Formed in a January 2009 merger of Gillett Evernham Motorsports (GEM) and Petty Holdings. GEM (formerly Evernham Motorsports) was founded in 2000 with support from Dodge.

* Evernham Motorsports fielded three Ford entries for Casey Atwood in 2000. Atwood's best finish was 10th at the Miami-Homestead Speedway to end the season.

Elliott Sadler in Ford

* Sadler will drive a No. 19 Stanley Ford Fusion at Talladega, before returning to a Dodge for the final three races of 2009.

* Sadler drove 130 points races in a Robert Yates Racing Ford from the 2003 Daytona 500 to Watkins Glen 2006.

* Sadler has seven career pole awards, all coming in a Yates-prepared Ford. (Last, May 1, 2006 at Talladega).

* Sadler has 269 career Sprint Cup Series starts in a Ford with the Wood Brothers and Robert Yates Racing from Daytona-1, 1999 to Watkins Glen '06.

* Sadler has three career Sprint Cup Series wins - all in a Ford. Two of Sadler's three wins came in a Yates prepared entry. (Last Sept. 5, 2004 at Fontana)

* Sadler's last 118 Sprint Cup Series races prior to this weekend have come in a Dodge. (First, Aug. 20, 2006 at Michigan)

* Sadler's only appearance in the Sprint Cup Series Chase for the Championship came in 2004. Sadler collected two wins, eight top-fives, 14 top-10s and led 254 laps in route to a ninth-place points finish in a Ford for Robert Yates Racing.

-credit: rpm