Petty Enterprises and Gillett Evernham Motors have agrred to merge for the 2009 NASCAR season. Also, Elliott Sadler might remain in the 19.

Here’s the story from the Sporting News NASCAR wire service …

GEM, Petty announce merger

 By Reid Spencer

Sporting News NASCAR…

With the apparent disappearance of storied Petty Enterprises into a conglomo with Gillett Evernham Motors closing the book on 2008, ol’ Left Turns is left looking at 2009 with the glass half-empty and definitely without rose-colored glasses.

Not that the demise of Petty…

Checking in with musings about NASCAR …

 – News: Petty Enterprises “partners” with a venture capital firm, Boston Ventures, which actually takes over controlling interest of the Petty race teams and the Richard Petty Driving Experience.

Views: Another one bites the dust, with Petty joining…

Say this about Bobby Labonte: The man’s a pro.

Despite rampant speculation that he would follow the big-G little-o of the Cheeries/General Mills sponsorship from Petty Enterprises to Richard Childress Racing next season, Labonte would have none of it, and now The…