Sam Hornish Jr. won't return to Richard Petty Motorsports

AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) Richard Petty says Sam Hornish Jr. will not return to the No. 9 car next season.

Hornish is in his first season driving for Richard Petty Motorsports. The Indianapolis 500 winner is 25th in the Sprint Cup standings and has just three top-10 finishes on the year.

RPM teammate Aric Almirola is 17th in the standings, the highest-ranked driver who did not make the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

The team in May gave Hornish a new crew chief in an effort to spark results, but nothing has clicked.

Petty did not indicate Saturday who will drive the No. 9 next season, but stressed sponsorship would play heavily into the hire.