RPM offers Wallace partial team ownership

When rumors surfaced that Chip Ganassi was after Wallace to replace Kyle Larson, RPM immediately offered him partial ownership in their team in an effort to keep him

David Smith, writing in Forbes, says Richard Petty Motorsports has offered Bubba Wallace partial ownership of the team and part of the offer for him to return next season:

Bubba Wallace’s whirlwind 2020 NASCAR season may result in partial ownership of the team for which he drives.

Richard Petty Motorsports team owner Andrew Murstein confirmed to Forbes SportsMoney that the organization offered an ownership stake to Wallace, whose current contract with RPM expires at the conclusion of this season.

"We’re in discussions with him about an extension that includes ownership in the team," said Murstein, who expects an agreement to be finalized "within the next couple of weeks."

Wallace’s increased presence in the public eye over the last two months, which included national TV appearances after he drove a car adorned with "Black Lives Matter" on June 10 at Martinsville Speedway, attracted a new team sponsor in Cash App – a multimillion-dollar partnership across three years, per Murstein – and a personal endorsement deal with Beats by Dre.

"We went from probably having one meeting a week with a potential sponsor to five the last five weeks or so," said Murstein. "I think Bubba is probably the most recognizable NASCAR driver now, other than Richard Petty. So, we’ve got probably the two most recognizable names in the sport. It’s a marketer’s dream." Forbes