Stremme in, Austin out of No. 64 RWR car for Nashville
By Bob Pockrass - Associate Editor
Thursday, March 20, 2008
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David Stremme has replaced rookie Chase Austin for the Pepsi 300 Nationwide Series race this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway.
Stremme has driven in the first five races for Rusty Wallace Racing this year and Austin was scheduled to start the race for the team this weekend as the pair share the driving duties along with Max Papis, who will compete on the road courses.
But with Stremme having posted two top-10 finishes in the last three races, team owner Rusty Wallace announced he has opted to keep the former Cup driver in the car.
“We have all been really pleased with the performance of the No. 64 team [with Stremme] so far this year,” Wallace said in a statement. “David’s top-five at Las Vegas was one of the best finishes by a non-Cup driver this year and we’re heading into Nashville with two top-tens in the last three races.
“Because of that, we’re looking at the stand-alone races as very real opportunities to put our No. 66 [with Steve Wallace] and No. 64 cars in Victory Lane. We feel that right now, having David in the No. 64 allows us to keep up the momentum we’ve built.”
The 18-year-old Austin, who was signed at age 15 by Hendrick Motorsports, became the first African-American driver in the Nationwide Series to compete on an oval when he drove for RWR at Memphis Motorsports Park. He posted a 41st-place finish.
“This is by no means a reflection on Chase,” Wallace said. “He’s a great kid and he’s still a big part of our 2008 plans. He’ll still be in the No. 64 this year, as will Max Papis.
“We’ve just changed Chase’s schedule a bit to allow the No. 64 team to capitalize on their momentum.”
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