Petty team saved…..for now?

UPDATE The situation at Richard Petty Motorsports remains tenuous at best, despite reports to the contrary. Last week team officials said everything was set for this weekend's Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway as well as the season finale the following week. But five truck drivers remained in Fort Worth at Texas Motor Speedway waiting for the call as to whether they were heading west to the next race or back to the shop in the east as of Tuesday evening. The organization has been in limbo as team owner George Gillett is still reeling from the financial hit he took Oct. 15 when the English soccer team he co-owned — Liverpool Football Club — was taken over.

RPM had planned to run two cars next season with AJ Allmendinger and Marcos Ambrose. However, until money can be secured to settle the current debts at RPM, it's uncertain how much longer the organization will be around. Sources told FOXSports.com that Richard Petty, the team's namesake, was in talks with Andrew Murstein, President of Medallion Financial Group, in a bid to gain financial control of the company from Gillett.

As a backup plan for Paul Menard, who has already announced that he will leave RPM to drive for Richard Childress Racing in 2011, the #10 Stavola Labonte Racing Chevy stayed within two hours of Texas Motor Speedway in case it needs to turn around and head to Phoenix for Menard's use. Stavola Labonte Racing has a technical alliance with RCR. FoxSports

11/04/10 After nearly a month of living on a "day-to-day and sometimes hour-to-hour basis," Richard Petty Motorsports has "secured the finances to finish out the final three races of the 2010 season." The development is "huge news for the RPM employees who have spent the last few weeks literally monitoring their checking accounts from the racetrack to see if their paychecks have been deposited." McGee: "As for 2011, Richard Petty continues to search for investors to keep the team intact". NASCAR Now and ESPN2