Well, a huge domino as far as the silly season picture goes in the NASCAR Cup Series has fallen as Bubba Wallace will not return to Richard Petty Motorsports for the 2021 season,as first reported by The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi.
Richard Petty Motorsports confirmed the departure of Bubba Wallace with a statement.
“Earlier this morning, Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr., informed Richard Petty Motorsports he will not be returning for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season. We will complete the season with Wallace behind the wheel of the No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE.
We look forward to the next chapter in the making for the iconic No. 43 team. We will announce our new driver in the near future.”
Following the statement from RPM, Wallace released a statement of his own calling the decision to leave RPM a difficult one.
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) September 10, 2020
Wallace has emerged as one of the most marketable drivers in the sport in 2020 as evidenced by his numerous endorsement and sponsorship deals that have been landed this year. The 26-year old has had a banner career-year, as he has scored a top-five finish and five top-10s driving for the No. 43 team this season and sits 23rd in the championship standings.
The rumor mill had been churning that Wallace had been offered the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing ride earlier in the season, but as time rolled on, rumors and industry noise suggested that the No. 43 team could keep Wallace after all. In the end, Wallace will move on. But the question now becomes: to where?
