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Team owner Robby Benton put a driver in the top 10 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series standings for the first time in three seasons when Kenny Wallace finished seventh in 2011. So how did Benton respond? By deciding to not just field a Nationwide car again for Wallace but also a full-time truck for John Wes Townley.
When Sam Hornish Jr. made his first venture into stock-car competition in 2006, he brought with him one of the most impressive resumes of any open-wheel driver. At 27, Hornish was already a three-time IndyCar champion with 19 career wins in open-wheel competition, including a victory in the 2006 Indianapolis 500. There was little left for the Penske Racing driver to accomplish, so he did what many others have done when they’ve reached the top of their profession – he began looking for a new challenge.
Elliott Sadler battled for the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship in 2011 with Kevin Harvick Inc. Sadler did not win the championship, however. And that, to some, was a major surprise.
If Turner Motorsports wants to win a Nationwide Series championship, it will be up to Justin Allgaier to get it done in 2012. ... “Last year, I thought we could [contend] but we couldn’t run with Elliott [Sadler] and with Ricky [Stenhouse Jr.] – we had moments of greatness and we had times where we had really fast race cars, but we just never really had that speed week in and week out,” Allgaier said.
Michael Annett will drive a Nationwide Series car for Richard Petty Motorsports in 2012, the team announced Thursday. Annett, who drove for Rusty Wallace Racing last year, brought the Pilot Flying J sponsorship to the team after Wallace suspended operations earlier this month.
CONCORD, N.C. – Joe Gibbs Racing plans to field two full-time Nationwide Series teams and hopes to have a third team compete in at least most of the races. Sponsorship isn’t sold for all the races, so the driver lineup and exact number of races is still in flux, said team president J.D. Gibbs.
CHARLOTTE – Travis Pastrana has had no desire to get back on a motorcycle in the last couple of months as he tries to rehab his shattered right ankle. The action sports star competed in the Race of Champions in December, tested a car for the Rolex 24 At Daytona a couple of weeks ago and is scheduled to test a Nationwide Series car next week.
CHARLOTTE – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will defend his Nationwide Series title, driving the full 33-race schedule again for Roush Fenway Racing. Stenhouse confirmed those plans Saturday at the NASCAR Preview at the Charlotte Convention Center. Stenhouse won the 2011 championship but his team has yet to announce sponsorship for 2012, though team owner Jack Roush had hinted that Stenhouse would likely return to the series.
Morgan Shepherd, who turned 70 last October, plans to run the full NASCAR Nationwide Series season in 2012, his Faith Motorsports team announced Thursday.
MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Looking for a teammate to split the Nationwide Series schedule in his first year as a team owner in the series, Kyle Busch didn’t have to look far. He just had to call his brother, Kurt.
Ryan Blaney, the son of Tommy Baldwin Racing Sprint Cup driver Dave Blaney, will drive in six Nationwide Series events for TBR in 2012. The 18-year-old Blaney, who won the K&N Pro Series West race at Phoenix in November, will have sponsorship from SealWrap Repair Tape. He will attempt to make his Nationwide debut April 27 at Richmond.
Joe Gibbs Racing announced Tuesday that Sports Clips will sponsor entries for the organization in one Sprint Cup race and seven in the Nationwide Series for 2012.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – When Dale Earnhardt Jr. hired Brad Keselowski to drive for JR Motorsports five years ago, he had watched him race for a long time. The same couldn’t be said for his new driver, Cole Whitt. Earnhardt Jr. had barely seen him race.
Former race engineer Matt Lucas has been named crew chief for the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 entry in the Nationwide Series, according to a team statement. Lucas, who served as race engineer for the team in 2010-11, replaces Jason Ratcliff, who has been elevated to crew chief for driver Joey Logano and the organization’s No. 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup team.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Travis Pastrana has gotten back into a race car to test, and while he gets back into shape after suffering a broken ankle last year, his 2012 NASCAR schedule is still taking shape. The action sports star originally was going to run seven Nationwide Series races in 2011 and then 20 in 2012. But after breaking his ankle at the X-Games two days before he was scheduled to make his Nationwide debut last July, his 2012 plans have been in flux.
Former NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Bobby Hamilton Jr. has filed for bankruptcy to reorganize his debts, according to U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Tennessee. Hamilton Jr. filed the Chapter 11 bankruptcy papers last week. Hamilton Jr. and his wife are listed as debtors, as is his company, Hamilton Entertainment.
Phoenix Racing will field a Nationwide Series car in select races for driver Kurt Busch in 2012, team officials said Monday.
Rusty Wallace Racing has shut down its day-to-day racing operations as it continues to look for sponsorship for it’s two car operation. Steve Wallace and Michael Annett were expected to compete in the Nationwide Series this season, and now both are looking for rides as the organization, which opened in 2004, doesn’t plan to field cars in 2012.
Mark Martin, slated to run a limited Sprint Cup schedule for Michael Waltrip Racing in 2012, will compete in the Nationwide Series at Las Vegas for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Johanna Long will drive the ML Motorsports No. 70 car in the Nationwide Series for 21 races in 2012, the team announced Thursday. Long will drive for Mary Louise Miller, one of the few female team owners in NASCAR. The car will have sponsorship from Biomet and Foretravel Motorcoach.
