By alley - Sep 12, 2017, 3:39 PM ET

Almirola out at RPM after Smithfield exit

Richard Petty Motorsports lost both its sponsor and driver on Tuesday.

Hours after Smithfield Foods

announced it would be heading to Stewart-Haas Racing next season

, RPM announced Aric Almirola also will not return to the organization. Smithfield has been a primary sponsor of Almirola and the No. 43 Ford since 2012, also the same year Almirola joined the organization.

"We have had numerous discussions with Smithfield Foods regarding the extension of our relationship dating as far back as February. 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," Petty 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.

"Losing a sponsor of this magnitude in September is a significant setback to Richard Petty Motorsports, but [team co-owner] Andy [Murstein] and I are committed to moving forward with the No. 43 team. We have a lot of great partners who have expressed their continued support, and our fans will rally around the No. 43. We've been around since 1949, and we'll be around a lot longer."

Almirola has one career win with RPM, coming in 2014 at the July Daytona race - the first win for RPM since 1999. He also earned a playoff berth that season and finished a career-best 16th in the standings.

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