With Marcos Ambrose leaving NASCAR at the end of the season, an empty seat awaits the No. 9 car for Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM).

Speculation in the garage is that part-time Nationwide Series driver Sam Hornish Jr. will take over for Ambrose starting next season. MRN.com’s Pete Pistone has given credence to those rumors.

Hornish has run in 8 Nationwide races so far this season, with an impressive stat line: one win, three top 5’s, and four top 10’s. He last ran a full-time Cup schedule in 2010 for Team Penske, with a high finish of 10th (New Hampshire).

Before NASCAR, Hornish ran in the IndyCar Series where we was a three-time champion, and winner of the 2006 Indianapolis 500.