Aric Almirola won't return to Richard Petty Motorsports in '18

— -- Richard Petty Motorsports is looking for a sponsor for the 2018 season, as Smithfield informed the team that its sponsorship will move to Stewart-Haas Racing next year.

RPM had been confident that it would continue a relationship with Smithfield, a meat-processing company, and is scrambling to find an anchor sponsor. Negotiations with current driver Aric Almirola also stalled as the team attempted to finalize the sponsorship deal,?and the team confirmed Tuesday afternoon that Almirola would not return to the team next season.

"Over the past few months, Smithfield had continually told me they wanted to be with us, and I recently shook hands on a deal to extend our relationship," he said in a statement. "I come from a time when we did major deals with sponsors like STP on a handshake. I'm sad to see this is where we are now.

"This decision is very unexpected, and we are extremely disappointed in this late and abrupt change of direction."

Smithfield Foods CEO Kenneth M. Sullivan said he was disappointed in Petty's statement after Smithfield spent tens of millions with the team and the performance wasn't up to par.

"RPM's claims of a 'handshake deal' to extend our sponsorship are unequivocally and patently false," Sullivan said in a statement Smithfield posted on social media. "Smithfield's numerous discussions with RPM over the past several months focused exclusively around one issue: RPM's inability to deliver on the track and the organization's repeated failure to present a plan to address its lack of competitiveness."

While RPM's future appears in limbo, so does the SHR driver lineup.

Danica Patrick announced late Tuesday afternoon that she would not return to SHR next season. Kurt Busch does not have a 2018 deal and is awaiting word on whether Monster Energy, which also sponsors NASCAR's top series, will continue to sponsor him. Monster Energy sports marketing director Mitch Covington said he had no comment about the company's 2018 plans.

SHR has said previously that it is trying to work things out with Busch, who, along with Kevin Harvick, qualified for NASCAR's playoffs set to begin this week.

"Details of the agreement, including the driver who will be added to SHR's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series lineup in 2018, will be provided at a later date," SHR said in a news release.

Almirola, Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne are all free agents for 2018 and all possible replacements for Patrick and Busch at SHR. It is unclear whether Smithfield could sponsor Almirola -- sponsorship contracts in NASCAR sometimes contain clauses that prohibit a sponsor from moving with a driver -- but SHR also has open inventory on the Clint Bowyer car in addition to the cars currently driven by Patrick and Busch.

"Smithfield has activated heavily and successfully within the sport, and we're honored to be a part of the brand's forward initiatives and strategy," SHR executive vice president Brett Frood said in a statement.

"Although we're not ready to announce the full details of the program, we look forward to this new endeavor while remaining focused on the upcoming playoffs and putting forth the best effort possible to win more races and contend for another championship."

Almirola was 20th in the standings when he broke his back in May. He missed seven races and was replaced by Regan Smith, Billy Johnson and Darrell Wallace Jr. during his absence. The team has not appeared to get back in sync and is 25th in the team standings.

RPM crew chief Drew Blickensderfer told FS1 that it was, and still is, the organization's intention to have Wallace, whose nickname is "Bubba," drive the team's No. 43 Cup car next season. Wallace, the first African-American to compete in Cup in 11 years, improved throughout his four races with RPM.

"It's a little harder road than we initially expected -- we're going to have find some sponsorship to get Bubba," Blickensderfer said. "We believe solidly in Bubba"

RPM was a two-car organization up until this season when it downsized to one car focusing on Almirola. Medallion Financial Corp., headed by president Andrew Murstein, is the primary owner, with seven-time Cup champion and inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Petty serving as a minority owner and the face of the organization. Murstein also is owner of the New York Lizards professional lacrosse team.

"The decision to leave Richard Petty Motorsports and join Stewart-Haas Racing was difficult but we feel this move will improve our competitiveness on the track and strengthen our position as a leading consumer packaged goods company," Smithfield said in a statement it posted on social media.