Richard Petty Motorsports is bringing back the No. 44 car this season as Brian Scott will pilot the team’s second car.
Scott will drive the No. 44 Ford Fusion which had been the No. 9 driven by Sam Hornish Jr. during the 2015 season.
“To speak about us changing our car number, you first have to go back to the beginning with my Dad (Lee). He started Petty Engineering and later Petty Enterprises, and he was there right when NASCAR all started. He put together a car, and the first race he entered he actually raced a car numbered 38. But, that was it. He then went and got his own car. He had to put a number on it and saw the number 42 on a license plate, and that’s how it all started. It just went forward from there,” said Richard Petty.
“It’s good to see the 44 number back where it belongs. I grew up knowing that my uncle Maurice raced the 41, my grandfather raced the 42 and my father raced the 43. I would go on to race the 44, and Adam eventually drove the 45. With Pete Hamilton driving the 40 at one time for PE, to me, those numbers were always ‘Petty’ numbers. I’m looking forward to seeing Brian Scott carrying on our tradition” said Kyle Petty.
The announcement comes after speculation spread on the internet after a photo of a No. 44 Twisted Tea car showed up on Social Media.
For those wondering Hendrick Motorsports will not change Chase Elliott’s number. Elliott will drive the No. 24 Chevrolet taking over for Jeff Gordon who retired at the end of the season. Elliott’s father Bill had previously driven the No. 9 for much of his Cup Series career.
