Revised Scheduled [18 races] 2009 Sprint Cup Races for the #78 team:
Feb. 15, Daytona 500 (finished 21st)
March 1, Las Vegas (20th)
April 5, Texas [added](31st)
April 18, Phoenix (28th)
April 26, Talladega (15th)
May 9, Darlington (21st)
May 31, Dover [added](22nd)
June 7, Pocono (33rd)
June 28, New Hampshire (27th)
July 4, Daytona (12th)
July 26, Indianapolis (39th)
Aug. 22, Bristol [added] (27th)
Sept. 6, Atlanta [added] (DNQ)
Sept. 12, Richmond (40th)
Sept. 27, Dover
Oct. 11, California [added]
Nov. 1, Talladega
Nov. 15, Phoenix
Nov 22, Homestead [added]
Contract Status: Driver:2010; Sponsor: owner
#78 Team Past News and Rumors
(NOTE: some older links may not work)
#78 team tests at Pikes Peak: To prepare for another strong Phoenix performance in Sunday's Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, the Denver, Colo-based Furniture Row #78 Chevy team of Regan Smith conducted a test session earlier in the week at the one-mile Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain, Colo. "We had another good test session at Pikes Peak," added Smith. "The last time we raced in Phoenix we also tested at Pikes Peak and it was a huge benefit. We're looking for similar results this weekend. We really want to close out the season on a positive note with solid results in Phoenix and at the season finale in Homestead (Nov. 22)." Running a part-time 20-race Sprint Cup schedule in 2009, the Furniture Row team is gearing up to run a full 36-race slate in 2010. "There's a lot of buzz at our Denver race shop right now," offered Smith. "Both the team roster and the shop size are expanding. We all have an upbeat feeling heading into next season. Running all 36 races is going to make us a better team. It's been fun and we're even going to have more fun."(FRR)(11-12-2009)
Congrats to Jay Guy: It's a Baby Girl for Carrie and Jay Guy. Carrie Guy, wife of #78-Furniture Row Racing crew chief Jay Guy, gave birth to the couple's first child – Ansley Sophia – Wednesday, October 21, 2009 at Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree, Colo., a suburb of Denver. Ansley weighed in at 8 pounds, 1 ounce and was 21 inches long. Word from the maternity ward is that mother and the little Guy are doing fine.(10-22-2009)
Furniture Row headed to California with eye on 2010: The preparation to be one of the top 35 teams in points following the fifth race in 2010 continues for driver #78-Regan Smith and Furniture Row Racing this weekend in Fontana, Calif., site of the Pepsi 500 Sprint Cup event at Auto Club Speedway. Furniture Row Racing announced in August that it will run a full Sprint Cup schedule in 2010, compared to a part-time slate of 20 races this season. Teams, which are secured in the top 35 in points following the fifth race (Bristol) next year, will have the luxury of gaining an automatic qualifying berth, something the young Furniture Row organization has never experienced. "With California being the second race in 2010, we added it to our schedule recently so we can acquire data for our important return trip in February," said team general manager Joe Garone. "We wanted to make sure that we'll have a good data book for each of the first five races next year. Our goal is to be in the top 35 and not have to worry about qualifying for the main event." Furniture Row's original 2009 schedule included two of the first five races of the season -- Daytona and Las Vegas. The organization added the other three sites -- Atlanta, Bristol and Fontana -- once the decision was made to run the 36-race Cup schedule next season.(Furniture Row Racing PR)(10-8-2009)
Smith's #78 Chevy to Showcase World Vision at RIR: The Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet driven by Regan Smith will carry a special paint scheme for the Sept. 12th Saturday night NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway. Smith's car will be fully-adorned in the colors of World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization based in Federal Way, Washington. The entire space on the car is being donated to World Vision by the team's sponsor -- the Denver-based Furniture Row Companies, one of the largest family-owned specialty home furnishings and bedding retailers with more than 330 stores in 31 states. The idea to donate the space came from Furniture Row owners Barney and Carolyn Visser, long-time World Vision supporters. World Vision is dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. More than 40,000 aid workers and volunteers comprise the international relief and development organization. "This innovative partnership with Furniture Row, one of World Vision's most faithful donors, will help bring the needs of the world's most vulnerable children to followers of NASCAR," says Richard Stearns, president of the international Christian organization. Joe Garone, president and general manager of Furniture Row Racing, said, "The global care-giving services that World Vision provides to children and families are truly inspiring and we are proud to offer our assistance in bringing this incredible humanitarian story to the NASCAR community." (Furniture Row Racing). See images of the scheme on my #78 Team Schemes page.(9-1-2009)
Furniture Row adds two more races: Furniture Row Racing driver #78-Regan Smith knows what he’s doing next season, and, in a way, that will dictate a little bit of what he’ll do the rest of the 2009 season. With the Furniture Row Racing team returning to a full-time schedule in 2010 after scaling back to a part-time schedule in 2009, the team has added next week’s race at Atlanta and Auto Club Speedway in California in October to help Smith prepare for next year. The team was at the track in Rockingham, N.C., earlier this week testing and also does some testing at Pikes Peak in Colorado, which is near its Denver base. The team will also need to build road-course cars for next year.(SceneDaily)(8-27-2009)
Smith may have full-time ride in 2010; with a sponsor? UPDATE: Regan Smith, the 2008 Sprint Cup rookie of the year, has agreed in principal to drive the #78 car for Furniture Row Racing in 2010, sources close to the situation said on Saturday. Smith is driving a part-time schedule for the Colorado-based team this season, but tentative plans are to run a full schedule next year. Smith was left without a fulltime ride after his Dale Earnhardt Inc. team was shut down due to lack of sponsorship following 2008. He has competed in 11 races this season for Furniture Row, with a top finish of 12th at the July 4 race at Daytona.(ESPN)
AND At the recent gathering of Farm Bureau PR and Communications professionals in Denver, CO, Furniture Row Racing, unveiled a new NASCAR paint concept to support and bring awareness to the ag industry as a whole; The Car of the Heartland…Official Car of the American Farmer. The people at Furniture Row Racing know and understand the hard work and devotion that ag producers across the country have made to their industry and their way of life. Furniture Row is making a substantial financial commitment to promote that hard work and devotion and to try and put American agriculture back on the radar screen of consumers across the country.
The attendees of the unveiling were moved and excited by the new car. Julie Murphy, Communications Director for Arizona Farm Bureau was brought to tears by the car and what it represents. "As a producer, I am just so grateful," she said. The Car of the Heartland represents a revolutionary change in NASCAR, one not seen in 60 years of the sport. Traditionally, car designs have been a mish-mash of logos and brands, confusing fans and diluting effectiveness. Furniture Row understands that what individual cars need is a focused message, one that fans can follow, and they are leading the way with their new Car of the Heartland. Going forward, Furniture Row needs help from Farm Bureau in the promotion of the Car of the Heartland. They need Farm Bureau members to talk to their friends and acquaintances and help tell the story of the car and promote the message of American agriculture. Colorado Farm Bureau will do its part to help promote the car and raise awareness with the public. Other industry groups are on board to help promote that car as well. If all goes according to plan, the car should run in 36 races next season.(Colorado Farm Bureau), no comment from team about this news.(8-16-2009)
UPDATE: Furniture Row Racing announced that it will run the full 36-race NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule in 2010. The race team also announced that Regan Smith will continue to drive the #78 Chevy next season. The decision to return to a full-time schedule was based on the positive effect the race team along with NASCAR's popularity have had on the Furniture Row Companies marketing and advertising programs. The race team, which ran a full schedule in 2006, 2007 and 2008, also stated that it will continue to search for additional sponsorship partners, in the form of primary or associate to help with costs and possibly grow the race team. The #78 Furniture Row team was originally scheduled to compete in 12 races in 2009. Four additional races have been added to the schedule, including Saturday night’s race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. According to Garone, there is a good possibility of adding more races.(Furniture Row Racing PR)(8-19-2009)
- More races for Furniture Row? UPDATE: For #78-Regan Smith, who knew he had only a 12-race schedule when he signed to race for Barney Visser's team this season, [team manager Joe] Garone gave the ultimate payoff on Saturday. "We're looking at adding some more races as we move forward," Garone said. "We'll announce them later, and we're working hard to get sponsors to run a full season next year. Regan's finishes absolutely led to us thinking about adding races. Man, when you're not tearing stuff up, you're just able to better prepare and better plan and do the things you need to do, so it all helps."(NASCAR.com)(7-8-2009)
UPDATE: Regan Smith told Sirius Speedway host Dave Moody that Furniture Row Racing has added the August 22 race at Bristol Motor Speedway to their 2009 schedule.(Sirius NASCAR Radio(7-8-2009) (
- #64 team withdraws been told the #64 Gunselman Motorposrts Toyota team that Mike Wallace drives for, withdrew from the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway allowing the #78 Furniture Row Racing team and driver Regan Smith to make the race. The #78 had 8 attempts, while the #64 team had 11.(6-26-2009)
- Smith's Finishing Streak Closing in on 50: There's a common denominator in Regan Smith's brief career in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series -- the 25-year-old driver has finished every race he has entered. All 49 of them to be exact. No active NASCAR Sprint Cup driver started a career chalking up as many races without a DNF (did not finish) as Smith, driver of the Furniture Row Chevy Impala SS. Smith is looking to make it 50 straight races without a DNF at this weekend's Cup race -- LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Smith's first career Cup start was on March 25, 2007 at Bristol Motor Speedway. He competed in seven races in 2007, 34 in 2008 and eight so far in 2009. His last race was two weeks ago at Pocono Raceway. After New Hampshire, the next race for Smith and the Furniture Row Racing team will be the following week at Daytona International Speedway.(Furniture Row Racing)(6-26-2009)
- Smith close to signing for 2010 ride? UPDATE: Reigning Sprint Cup rookie of the year #78-Regan Smith appears close to signing a deal for a fulltime ride in 2010. Smith lost his ride at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing before the start of this season due to lack of sponsorship. He has competed in five events for Furniture Row Racing, with a season-best 15th at Talladega two weeks ago. Smith finished all 34 races he qualified for last season in the #01 at Dale Earnhardt Inc., which has since merged with Ganassi Racing.(ESPN Insider)(5-5-2009)
UPDATE: Smith and Furniture Row Racing have been discussing an arrangement for 2010. The number of races has not been determined at this time -- the ultimate is to have Smith run a full schedule in the #78. Furniture Row Racing is currently working on sponsorship opportunities and is optimistic about 2010.(Furniture Row Racing PR)(5-6-2009)
- Smith's Talladega Return will be in National Day of Prayer Car: Regan Smith's return to Talladega Superspeedway for this weekend's Sprint Cup race will be in the #78 National Day of Prayer Chevy for Furniture Row Racing. This is the fourth straight year at the Talladega spring race that the Denver, Colo.-based Furniture Row company is donating space on the car to National Day of Prayer, an annual observance established by Congress and held on the first Thursday in May. "It's hard not to think about that last lap," said Smith, who led the field to the checkered flag in the October Talladega race, but saw victory taken away when NASCAR ruled that he passed Tony Stewart on the final lap below the out-of-bounds yellow line. The penalty relegated Smith to an 18th-place finish in his Dale Earnhardt Inc. entry. "I was being blocked and it was either passing Stewart or crashing the field," explained Smith. "I felt I made the proper move and won the race." With Furniture Row Racing running a limited schedule in 2009, the Talladega race will be Smith’s fifth Cup event of the season. He has qualified in the previous four races he entered with a best starting position of ninth, which was at last week’s event in Phoenix.(FRR PR)(4-22-2009)
- Smith Continues DNF Streak: Regan Smith finished 31st in Sunday's Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. It was the third race of the season for Smith and the #78 Furniture Row Racing team, which is competing part-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Though the Denver-Colo.-based team was slightly off its previous two performances of 21st (Daytona 500) and 19th (Las Vegas), Smith continued his impressive streak of running at the finish. He has finished every one of his 44 career Cup starts, dating back to the 2007 season. Smith and the #78 team are looking forward to the next Cup race -- April 18 at the one-mile Phoenix International Raceway. "We had two good test sessions at the one-mile Pikes Peak International Raceway, which has similarities to Phoenix," noted the 25-year-old Smith. "You never know in this business, but the gut feeling around this team is that we're going to be better in Phoenix." The Phoenix event is part of the team's current 13-race Sprint Cup schedule.(DMF Communications PR)(4-6-2009)
- Regan Smith Takes Impressive Streak to Texas: #78-Regan Smith, who returns to Sprint Cup action this weekend, will take an impressive streak to Texas Motor Speedway, site of Sunday's Samsung 500. The Furniture Row Racing driver has competed in 43 career Cup races and has finished every one of them. He has never had a DNF (did not finish). Smith's 43 Cup races include seven in 2007 (six with Ginn Racing, one with DEI), 34 with DEI in 2008 and two this year with Furniture Row Racing. "Honestly, I don't think about it (the streak) at all," said the 25-year-old Smith. "I go out there the same way every week and focus on finishing races, completing laps and getting the most I can out of the race car without tearing it up. I can't get better if you're constantly fixing racecars." The Texas event will be the third race of the season for both Furniture Row Racing and Smith as the Denver, Colo.-based team is running a part-time schedule in 2009. After Texas, Smith and the Furniture Row team will compete at the next two Cup races -- April 18 at Phoenix International Raceway and April 26 at Talladega Superspeedway. The team's current schedule includes 13 Cup races for 2009.(DMF Communications/FRR PR)(4-2-2009)
- Furniture Row Racing Announces Revised Cup Schedule: #78-Furniture Row Racing announced today a revision of its 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule. The Colorado-based team has added one race to its original 12-race Cup schedule and has revised three of its upcoming race locations. The April 5th race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth is the recent addition, bringing the current team's schedule to 13 events. The team is dropping the two road races -- at Sonoma, Calif (June 21) and Watkins Glen (Aug. 9) plus the May 31st race at Dover. Those three races are being replaced with Darlington (May 9), Pocono (June 7) and Indianapolis (July 26). The #78 Furniture Row team with driver Regan Smith entered two of the first four Cup races with Smith finishing 21st in the Daytona 500 and 20th in Las Vegas. The team's next race will be at Texas. "We all sat down and re-evaluated our schedule to see what suits our racing program the best," said Joe Garone, Furniture Row Racing's general manager. "Since we're a sponsor-owned team we have the flexibility to move in and move out of race markets. We will most likely make additional changes as the season progresses. We're happy about adding the race in Texas and hope that we will continue to make more additions, but that is dependent on the economic climate and attaining additional sponsorship. We're looking for a partner and feel that we have plenty to offer a company from a marketing standpoint with Furniture Row's more than 330 store locations in 31 states." To prepare for the Texas race next month, the #78 team has scheduled a two-day test session on Wednesday and Thursday of this week at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain, CO.(DMF/Furniture Row Racing PR)(3-16-2009)
- Smith named to drive the #78 car: Furniture Row Racing announced Wednesday that Regan Smith, the 2008 Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year, will drive the team's #78 Chevy in 2009. The team is cutting back its schedule for 2009, but will still enter 12 Sprint Cup races, beginning with the Feb. 15 season opener: the Daytona 500. "Furniture Row Racing is thrilled to obtain the driving services of Regan, who is one of the bright young talents in NASCAR," said team President and General Manager Joe Garone. "His competitiveness and enthusiasm on the track speak for itself. In addition, he is a good fit for not only our sponsor but any partners looking for strong corporate representation in the Sprint Cup Series." Smith, 25, competed in 34 Cup events for Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 2008 and became the first NASCAR sprint cup rookie to finish every race he started. The Cato, N.Y. native (25 miles west of Syracuse) started his Cup career in 2007 as a part-time driver for Ginn Racing. He joined DEI in the middle of 2007 when DEI and Ginn merged their racing operations. "I look forward to continuing my career in the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevy," said Smith. "Though it's a single-car team that battles heavy odds against the mega multicar operations, the organization has always been highly respected in the garage for its use of some of the best equipment as well as an undying commitment to growing a winning team. That's all a driver can ask for and I can't wait to get to Daytona and compete in another superspeedway race."
Team crew chief Jay Guy is also excited about Smith's signing. "I look forward to continuing the growth of this Furniture Row team with Regan behind the wheel," said Guy. "After racing against him in the Nationwide Series and seeing how much raw talent he has, I find myself both excited and optimistic for the 2009 season."(KUSA 9 News)(1-14-2009)
- Smith to the #78: 2008 Raybestos Rookie of the Year recipient Regan Smith will drive for Furniture Row Racing in 2009.(FoxSports), #78 Furniture Row Racing announced late in 2008 that it would run a limited 2009 schedule.(12-28-2008)
- #78 Team plans limited 2009 schedule UPDATE 2 Nemechek bought out: Furniture Row Racing announced it is planning a limited 2009 schedule [supposedly 12 races] for their Sprint Cup Series team and Car #78 driven by Joe Nemechek. "This has nothing to do with our on-track performance," said Team President, Joe Garone. "This is simply a business decision by Furniture Row of balancing priorities in a tough economy and, from all appearances, looks to be getting even tougher." In only its third year as a Sprint Cup Series team, Furniture Row Racing is coming off its best year, qualifying for 31 out of 35 races, earning a pole position at Talladega and having several strong finishes. As a privately-held entity, Furniture Row Companies - the team owner, primary sponsor, and one the nation's largest furniture retailers - does not make its sales figures public. But the company is looking at retail sales trends and is tightening all expenses as a result. "Running a limited schedule is simply a cautionary measure," said Tom Faulkner, President of Furniture Row Companies. "While we've been faring significantly better than most in our category, it's no secret that our business is tied to the health of the economy - in particular, housing starts and real estate sales." No additional announcements regarding team staffing or any other infrastructure or organizational changes are being made at this time. Garone added: "We've got some tough decisions to make, but we all know it will take fewer people and resources to run a limited versus full schedule. But we're also optimistic that our best days are still ahead of us."(Furniture Row Racing PR)(11-11-2008)
UPDATE: The day after the annoucement that #78 Furniture Row Racing was running a partial schedule for 2009, [Team Owner] Barney Visser released [driver] Joe [Nemechek] from his ride. Visser said that the team may not even race at all for 2009 and how money was tight. So Nemechek is looking for a ride in 2009.(joenemechek.net)(11-20-2008)
UPDATE 2: On the heels of Furniture Row Racing announcing plans for a limited 2009 Sprint Cup Series schedule, the team announced today a contract buyout of its driver Joe Nemechek. “Just like the reduced schedule announcement, this buyout of Joe’s contract has nothing to do with his on-track performance,” said team president Joe Garone. “But our contract with Joe for 2009 was for a full schedule and we’re not able to fulfill that part of the deal. Joe has been a great leader, mentor, and driver for Furniture Row Racing, this move is doing what is best for both Joe and our team. It doesn’t require us to have him drive for Furniture Row in 2009, but it doesn’t restrict him from doing what he loves -- and that’s racing at the highest level every week of the season.” In only its third year as a Sprint Cup Series team, Furniture Row Racing is coming off its best year, qualifying for 32 out of 36 races, earning a pole position at Talladega Superspeedway and having several strong finishes. As announced before, Furniture Row Companies – the team owner, primary sponsor, and one the nation’s largest furniture retailers – is a privately-held entity and does not make its sales figures public. But the company is looking at retail sales trends and is tightening all expenses as a result.(FRR PR)(11-21-2008)
- Congrats: Tracey Hughes, wife of Furniture Row Racing team coordinator/spotter Clayton Hughes, gave birth Monday (Sept. 29) to son Blake Alexander at Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C. Blake weighed in at 8 pounds, 4 ounces and was 20 inches long. Blake joins brother Cole in the Hughes household.(9-30-2008)
- Nemechek tests in Colorado: Joe Nemechek was in Pueblo Monday afternoon testing the #78 Furniture Row Chevy for Sunday's Sprint Cup road course race at Watkins Glen International. There's a 2.2-mile road course at Pueblo Motor Sports Park and Nemechek tested there before this season's earlier road race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA. Nemechek qualified 24th at Sonoma and finished 26th in the race. "We did it before we went to Sonoma and we qualified good and ran good there," team manager Joe Garone said. " What Joe liked about it was No. 1 he was able to test the same week. If you go to VIR (Virginia International Raceway) and those other places you have to do it the week before. That's tough for us because of travel." Garone explained what the team hopes to gain by testing at Pueblo Motorsports Park. "It tells you whether your car is in the ball park or not," Garone said. " It's not exactly the same obviously but it's enough to tell if the brakes work, the steering works and it drives well or not. It's what we call a functions test to see if all the functions of the car are working right. You don't do a setup on the car because you don't race there but it still gives you some good direction."(Rocky Mountain News)(8-6-2008)
- Nemechek's Mom OK: Martha Nemechek, Joe's mother [#78-Joe Nemechek], was not able to take part in Mother's Day ceremonies at Darlington Raceway on Saturday night as she had knee surgery Saturday morning. She is doing fine and thanks everyone for the well wishes.(Furniture Row Racing)(5-12-2008)
