With Petty Out, Where Will Bowyer Land?

Richard Petty Motorsports majority owner Andrew Murstein says his team will not sign Clint Bowyer to drive a third RPM Ford in 2012. Murstein had previously made no secret of his desire to woo Bowyer away from Richard Childress Racing, and with negotiations between Bowyer and RCR now at a virtual standstill, Richard Petty Motorsports was thought by many to be the leading candidate for the Kansas native’s services.

“It’s no secret that I like Clint and Richard likes him,” said Murstein in late August. “I think he would be a great fit for our organization. We’d love to have him. We gave him an offer recently, and we’re waiting to hear back from him." However, multiple sources tell Sirius XM NASCAR Radio's Sirius Speedway with Dave Moody that talks never progressed beyond the preliminary stage, and that no official contract offer was ever made to Bowyer.

Murstein confirmed today that RPM is no longer in the running to sign Bowyer, telling FOXSports.com’s Lee Spencer, "We are no longer in discussions with Clint. We just feel that RPM is in a great place today, especially how far we have come since last year. Both Marcos (Ambrose) and A.J. (Allmendinger) are not only having career years, but they are both moving in the right directions and improving. Clint is a great driver and we wish him the best wherever he ends up.”

With RPM out of the picture, speculation abounds concerning where Bowyer might land in 2012. A return to Richard Childress Racing is highly unlikely, with the two parties now far apart on both salary and length of contract. Multiple reports have Bowyer in talks with Michael Waltrip Racing to become a teammate to Martin Truex, Jr., and David Reutimann next season, and Sirius Speedway has learned that preliminary discussions took place within the last seven days with both Roush Fenway and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. Bowyer spent time with team owner Jack Roush last week at Richmond International Raceway, and has been seen at both the Waltrip and Earnhardt-Ganassi shops in the last week.

Bowyer failed to make the 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup after being caught-up in an early crash and finishing a disappointing 22nd in Saturday night’s regular season finale at Richmond. He is currently ranked 14th in championship points, but remains the most sought-after free agent of 2011, on the basis of four career Sprint Cup wins and a reported $10-12-million dollar sponsorship pledge from Five Hour Energy.