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Friday, January 15, 2010
CitiFinancial to continue Rosuh Fenway relationship: CitiFinancial announced today its continued agreement with Roush Fenway Racing to sponsor an entry in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) for the 2010 season. The community-based lender will serve as the primary sponsor on the No. 6 Ford Fusion with driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. for 18 races, and it will be the associate sponsor for the remaining events on the schedule. CitiFinancial will also support Stenhouse as he makes his bid to become the 2010 NNS Rookie of the Year and compete in the overall series driver standings. “We are extremely pleased to be continuing our relationship with Roush Fenway Racing,” said Mary McDowell, president and CEO of CitiFinancial North America. (RFR PR)
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Menard to run full-time in Roush-Fenway car: Roush Fenway will field four full-time teams in the 2010 Nationwide Series -- including a No. 98 Ford for Paul Menard, who races for Richard Petty Motorsports in the Cup Series -- and RFR president Geoff Smith said Wednesday that the stable sold has more than 75% of the sponsorship of its eight-car fleet in NASCAR's two top national series. Menard will run his first complete schedule since 2006, when he finished sixth in the championship for the second consecutive season before stepping into the Cup Series full time. That car is fully sponsored by the Menards home improvement store chain and a variety of partners. Smith said RFR's other three Nationwide programs had varying sponsorship gaps. Former series champion Carl Edwards will again compete full time in both Cup and Nationwide, running a No. 60 Ford sponsored by Fastenal and Copart in the secondary series. Smith said Edwards' car has "four open races." Colin Braun and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will run full schedules as rookie of the year candidates in the No. 16 and No. 6 cars. Braun's car has 18 races with Con-way Freight and two more with 3M, leaving 15 of the series' 35 races unsponsored. Stenhouse has 18 races with CitiFinancial backing, leaving "the remainder for sale," Smith said. Biffle is part of a previously announced deal to run a partial Nationwide schedule for Baker Curb Racing, but "at this point in time David Ragan, Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle are not doing Nationwide races with us."(NASCAR.com)
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Menard to compete full-time in Nationwide series? Kyle Busch may not be planning to run the full Nationwide Series schedule in 2010, but there are at least three guys who do. Carl Edwards will once again attempt full-time double duty as he has done several times in the past, and Brad Keselowski announced within his Penske Racing announcement awhile back that he would run both Nationwide and Sprint Cup full-time in 2010. Now add Paul Menard to that mix. Menard, who will be driving for Richard Petty Motorsports on the Sprint Cup side in 2010, will be behind the wheel for the full 2010 Nationwide Series schedule in a Roush Fenway Racing entry. This will mark Menard's first full-time Nationwide season since 2006. This season's Nationwide effort will be sponsored by Menards, among a variety of other companies. Menard will be a part of a four full-time car Nationwide effort for Roush Fenway. He will join fellow-two series full-timer Edwards and Nationwide Rookie of the Year candidates Colin Braun and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the Roush Fenway Nationwide Series stable.(WhoWon)
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
McDowell in MacDonald Motorsports ride in 2010: MacDonald Motorsports has signed Michael McDowell to pilot the No. 81 MacDonald Motorsports Dodge in the Nationwide Series for the 2010 season. McDowell, who finished 13th in the Nationwide Series standings in 2009, has permanently joined a transformed MacDonald Motorsports effort that features a new race shop, new race cars, a new crew chief. Patrick Donahue, a face familiar to McDowell, will take the reigns as crew chief of the No. 81 Dodge. Donahue was the crew chief for McDowell in the ARCA Series in 2007 when McDowell scored Rookie of the Year honors on the heels of a four-win, nine-pole season.(MMI PR)
Richardson Jr to return as driver for R3 Motorsports: With a new season comes new roles for R3 Motorsports management as they ready for their 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series campaign. Robert Richardson, Sr., sole owner of R3 Motorsports, has named Steve Plattenberger as the team's Shop Foreman to oversee the team's day-to-day operations. John Quinn will crew chief the No. 23 Chevy driven by Robert Richardson, Jr. Both were with the team at the conclusion of the 2009 season. Richardson, Sr. has two more veterans of motorsports lending their support in the corporate offices. LouAnn Santerre has been named the team's Office Manager and Tim Packman was recently brought on as the Director of Communications and Marketing for R3 Motorsports. "Right now, we have Robert Jr. in for 18 of the 35 Nationwide Series races. Mahindra Tractors is coming back for Daytona and some other races. We've been talking to other drivers about filling out the rest of the season with some deals they have going on, too. We do have the capabilities of going to two teams, as long as the situation is right." Richardson, Sr. said.(R3 Motorsports PR)
Monday, January 11, 2010
Parrott to serve as crew chief for Baker Curb Racing: Baker Curb Racing announced that they have reached an agreement with Brad Parrott to be the crew chief on the team's No. 27 Red Man Moist Snuff Ford which will be driven by Greg Biffle in the Nationwide Series this season. The announcement reunites Parrott and Biffle, who in 2004 as a driver/crew chief tandem finished third in the Nationwide Series point standings, collecting five wins, two poles and 21 top-10 finishes in 34 races. Parrot brings over twenty years of NASCAR experience to Baker Curb Racing having worked for many of the premiere organizations in the industry including Penske Racing, Robert Yates Racing, Roush Fenway Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing.(Baker Curb PR)
Kelley Earnhardt to be featured in Nationwide Insurance commericals: Nationwide Insurance will feature Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s sister, Kelley, in its 2010 ad campaign, nudging her from behind-the-scenes business manager to out-front endorser. Since she began running the business of JR Motorsports in 2001, Kelley has helped build the Nationwide Series organization into a two-car team, one of which will include Danica Patrick driving this year, while also charting the course for Dale Jr.'s own personal business ventures. He began appearing in Nationwide commercials last year as part of a yearlong ad campaign, and this year the insurance company is bringing Kelley into a more visible role. She'll star with her brother in a 30-second spot set to launch this week across multiple national cable channels, including TBS, TNT, The Weather Channel, USA and others. Once the NASCAR season begins next month, it will run on ESPN, ESPN2, ABC and Fox. Kelley's appearance is an extension of Nationwide's personal-services agreement with Dale Jr. Terms of the deal between Earnhardt and Nationwide were not available. A second spot this year will broaden out beyond the family and incorporate Tony Eury Sr., one of Earnhardt Sr.'s best friends and a longtime family associate. Another family member, Martha Earnhardt, who is the grandmother to Kelley and Dale Jr., will be featured in an ad this year for Hellmann's, a sponsor at JR Motorsports.(Sports Business Journal)
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Stremme still searching for ride: David Stremme said he is still looking for a 2010 ride and is considering beginning to work with a new Nationwide Series team that would run full time in 2011 when that series' new car is scheduled to be used in every race. "We'll see what happens here real quick," Stremme said Saturday. "I might be able to announce something, a fulltime deal. Until then, I don't really say much because if you're not signing anything, it's not worth talking about. "[I've] got some cool things working with a guy that's going to be starting up with a fulltime deal in '11 in the Nationwide Series with the new car, I think you'll see a lot of new owners coming in."(SceneDaily)
Saturday, January 9, 2010
McDougall named crew chief at Rusty Wallace Racing.: Officials of Rusty Wallace Racing announced that New York native, Scott McDougall has been named crew chief for Steve Wallace and RWR's No. 66 team, effective immediately. McDougall originally joined RWR in late 2009, after serving as engineer for CJM Racing's No. 11 team.(RWR PR)
Gaughan returns as driver for RWR's No. 62: Officials of Rusty Wallace Racing (RWR) announced today that Brendan Gaughan—a top-ten finisher in the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series standings—will again pilot the organization’s No. 62 Toyota Camry in a full-season bid for the 2010 Nationwide Series championship. Gaughan returns to RWR following a strong 2009 rookie season in the Nationwide Series. That effort included a pole win at Bristol and near victories at Charlotte, Kentucky and Memphis, en route to a ninth-place finish in the final driver standings. Backing a portion of the No. 62 team’s 2010 efforts will again be the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Stated RWR Team Owner, Rusty Wallace, “Our entire organization is very pleased to have Brendan Gaughan behind the wheel of our No. 62 Toyota Camry again. He did a great job last year in his rookie season and came really close to winning a couple of races. I feel like we’ve upgraded our program greatly over last season, so hopefully we’ll be able to give him that extra push to get him into Victory Lane this time around. (RWR PR)
Friday, January 8, 2010
Stewart to race Daytona Nationwide race: Longtime NASCAR sponsor Kraft Foods has added another chapter to its illustrious motorsports career by joining Stewart-Haas Racing, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team co-owned by two-time champion Tony Stewart. Kraft Foods' iconic Oreo cookie and Ritz cracker brands will herald the new relationship with Stewart-Haas Racing as the team's official cookie and cracker.Stewart will kick off the pairing in February at Daytona International Speedway by competing in the season-opening NASCAR Nationwide Series race behind the wheel of the No. 4 Oreo/Ritz Chevy. Kraft Foods will augment the partnership by continuing to be an official NASCAR sponsor with Oreo maintaining its role as the official cookie of NASCAR and Ritz remaining as the official cracker of NASCAR.(SHR)
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Sorenson, Vickers to share Nationwide ride: Braun Racing announced the 2010 driver line-up for the No. 32 Dollar General Toyota in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Brian Vickers and Reed Sorenson will share time at the helm of the No. 32 Dollar General Toyota. Crew chief Trent Owens will return for his sixth year at Braun Racing to lead the Dollar General team. Vickers, 26, returns to Braun Racing for his fourth consecutive season. Sorenson joined Braun Racing in 2009, driving the No. 32 Dollar General entry at Gateway. His stellar performance earned his return to the seat at Phoenix International Raceway, in addition to three starts in the No. 10 Braun Racing Camry.(Braun Racing PR)
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