Richard Petty Motorsports has confirmed that Elliott Sadler will switch from his usual Dodge entry to a Ford Fusion for the NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Talladega this weekend.

The move comes ahead of RPM's switch to Ford for the 2010 season, with the team electing to run the car at Talladega as part of its preparations for the move.

While Sadler will be at the wheel of the Ford for the final restrictor plate event of the campaign, he will return to the familiar surroundings of the #19 Dodge for the final three races of the season.

“Richard Petty Motorsports is working with Ford Racing as we get ready to make the full-time switch at Daytona in 2010,” he said. “Since this is the final restrictor plate race of the season, we made the decision to run a Ford to get some work done in advance.

“This will be our first time to practice and work on a Fusion under real race conditions. It should help us get ready to make a strong showing at Daytona and put us in the best position to start next season.

“I'll be back in a Dodge at Texas, Phoenix and Homestead, but since it's important to start a season off on the right foot we thought we'd try to get a head start.”

Sadler previously raced a Ford during his time with Yates Racing and took all seven of his career poles running in Ford machinery – the last of which came at Talladega back in May 2006.

His three Sprint Cup victories also came behind the wheel of a Ford car.