Four Potential Replacements For Ambrose, One Dark Horse

It was announced Saturday morning that Marcos Ambrose would be leaving Richard Petty Motorsports and NASCAR after the 2014 season. This announcement did not come as a big surprise as rumors of Ambrose leaving and returning home to Australia had been in the air for several weeks.  Those rumors intensified when it appeared that Team Penske wanted Ambrose to be a part of their V8 program in Australia in 2015. With Ambrose no longer in the No. 9 car and Stanley Tools already leaving after this season, it’s a bit up in the air as to who will drive the No. 9 machine in 2015.

The biggest free agents are already off of the market for next season. Clint Bowyer and Greg Biffle resigned with their current teams and Carl Edwards jumped ship and will be with Joe Gibbs Racing next season. With those three names off of the board the selection is somewhat thin, but here is what’s left in the pool.

David Ragan:

Ragan is currently the frontrunner to land the ride with RPM in 2015 according to multiple sources. Ragan will be a free agent after 2014 as his contract is set to expire with Front Row Motorsports and the No. 34 car. The Ragan to RPM move isn’t even merely speculation as Ragan himself has come out and spoke about possibly driving the No. 9 machine in 2015.

"If Richard Petty had interest in me driving the car, I would certainly talk to them some. As a 28-year-old, I want to be around the sport for a long time and feel like I have a lot of good years in front of me. I’m very grateful for the opportunity that Bob Jenkins and Front Row Motorsports have given me. I’ve had a lot of fun and won a race. But you never know what the future might hold. About this time every year, you look at your options in other series or with other teams and other sponsors to go and race and I’d love to have the opportunity to talk to them for a little bit. But I’m sure there are a lot of drivers in that same situation."

The other thing that is working in favor of Ragan is the fact that he is already an established Ford Racer. On top of that Ragan has a good relationship with the current crew chief of the No. 9 team from time they both spent at Roush Fenway Racing.

Sam Hornish Jr:

Earlier in the week it was announced that RPM was beginning to look at plans for next season should Ambrose not return. In light of the announcement on Saturday one would have to assume that RPM had a heads up as to what was coming down the pipe which is why they began looking. While the above mentioned Ragan was the main focus, Hornish Jr. was the other driver that was linked to RPM. According to sources Hornish Jr. is the current backup plan if the team isn’t able to land Ragan. Originally there were rumblings about possibly having both drivers split time in the car but that has seemed to go away over the last couple of days.

David Gilliland and Parker Kligerman

Both of these drivers have to be considered in the mix as they both yet to have contracts for the 2015 season. Of the two it would seem that Gilliland is more likely as it appears Kligerman is leaving NASCAR for other racing opportunities. Of course, RPM offering Kligerman a deal might change that but it doesn’t seem likely to happen. While Gilliland also falls in that not likely category he will at least be looking for a NASCAR ride for 2015 which makes him a touch more likely than Kligerman. At the end of the day though neither of these drivers appear to be in line to secure the No. 9 ride in 2015 unless something drastically changes.

That then brings us to the dark horse. After Ambrose made his announcement on Saturday there were some rumblings of AJ Allmendinger possibly looking to make a return to RPM and take over the No. 9 ride. While I don’t like to say anything is impossible, Allmendinger to RPM in 2015 seems to be as close to that as possible. Allmendinger is currently under contract through 2016, his sponsors are also signed with him through 2016 and beyond in some cases. While I am sure that RPM would love to bring in a chase driver to fill their void next season, it just doesn’t look like that is going to be in the cards.

I would be foolish if I did not mention Corey LaJoie to close out this article. LaJoie is a talented driver currently with RPM that could get the nod for the No. 9 ride if they wanted to go that way. The only issue with LaJoie (and the reason for him not be a focal point in this piece) is that he is very green and inexperienced. Also, there has not been any indication that he is in the running for that spot.

With Ragan and Hornish Jr. as the most likely ones which would you prefer to see with RPM next season? Is there a better fit that was not mentioned? Be sure to let us know what you think by commenting below.

Christopher Olmstead is the Editor of BeyondTheFlag.com on the FanSided Network. Follow us on Twitter @Beyond_The_Flag and “Like” us on Facebook.