Will Richard Petty Motosports be back in NASCAR in 2011?

Happy Nevada Day! If you go to the parade today, I'll be at the announcing station at Fourth and Carson, just across from the Legislature building. Come by and say hello.

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The continuing slow economy and the ever-increasing cost of competing in NASCAR's top series have put an iconic team in jeopardy. Richard Petty Motorsports, which had already announced a cutback from four cars to two for the 2011 season, has had a really bad week. Team principal George Gillett has suffered financial setbacks including the sale of his English soccer team, and RPM's Talladega cars were repossessed after Martinsville by supplier Roush Fenway. This was in the wake of Kasey Kahne's refusal to complete the Martinsville race, claiming illness. Kahne was immediately released from the team and will drive the Red Bull Racing No. 83 at Talladega this weekend. Aric Almirola will replace Kahne in the number 9 RPM Ford. The team is losing Budweiser sponsorship on that car for 2011, and the whole situation puts in jeopardy the careers of A.J. Allmendinger and Marcos Ambrose, who is slated to move to RPM next season. Ambrose has already been replaced by Bobby Labonte in the No. 47 Toyota for next season, although sponsorship commitments prevented his early release to take over the number 9 RPM car for the remaining five races of 2010. Will there be a Richard Petty Motorsports team in NASCAR in 2011? At this point, there is serious concern that the Petty name may be missing from the sport for the first time since NASCAR's inception.

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While the RPM team's cars have been returned for this weekend's Talladega race, the focus is on the tightening Chase for the Championship. Denny Hamlin's victory at Martinsville last Saturday night closed the gap to points leader Jimmie Johnson to six points, with Kevin Harvick 62 points back in third. The gap widens after that, with Kyle Bush 172 points in arrears in fourth. Jeff Gordon's championship chances are fading, with a 203-point deficit to make up and only five races left to do it in. Gordon is separated from 11th-place Greg Biffle by 113 counters, with Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart, Jeff Burton, Kurt Busch, and Matt Kenseth between them. Any driver from Kyle Busch on back who gets caught up in the "big one" at Talladega tomorrow will be effectively out of the hunt. If you elect not to brave the weather and stay home from the parade this morning, you can watch Talladega Cup qualifying starting at 9 a.m. Because Talladega is a semi-impound situation, the teams locked into a starting spot will qualify in race trim, while the go-or-go-home drivers will be in full qualifying setup. This could provide a few unusual drivers starting up front, maybe even a surprise pole-sitter. I'll be watching it later today on my DVR.

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Speaking of rain, those of us who grew up racing on road courses have been known to scoff at NASCAR drivers who don't race in the wet. However, even the Formula 1 racers weren't able to start of the inaugural Korean Grand Prix on time last weekend due to a torrential downpour. The race started behind the safety car, and as the track dried tire strategy became critical. The season standings were scrambled as well when points leader Mark Webber spun into a wall and was collected by another car, ending his race and moving him from a 14 point lead to an 11 point deficit. Teammate Sebastian Vettel lost an almost certain victory when his engine let go in the closing laps of the race. Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso vaulted to the top of the point standings with his win in Korea with 231 points to Webber's 220. With two races to go, 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton of McLaren and Red Bull's Vettel are still in the championship hunt with 210 and 206 points respectively. Red Bull still leads the Constructor's championship points, 426 to McLaren's 399. Ferrari is still in play with 374 points, but no other teams have a mathematical chance of taking the title. The series races in Brazil next Sunday, and then finishes the season the following weekend at Abu Dhabi.