Kelley Earnhardt, co-owner and general manager of JR Motorsports, said that Aric Almirola will drive the #88 Chevy for the organization in the Kroger 200 at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis on July 24. Almirola replaces veteran Cup Series driver Elliott Sadler, who had been slated to run the race for JR Motorsports. “I think Aric Almirola is going to drive the car for Indy,” said Earnhardt, citing logistical problems with getting Sadler, who drives the #19 Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports in the Cup Series, settled in the car for the Nationwide Series event at O’Reilly. Earnhardt also mentioned that Almirola, who recently was in the news for serving as a standby relief driver for four-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, is one of several drivers being considered for a possible full-time job driving the #88 in the Nationwide Series in 2011. She added that Steve Arpin and Josh Wise, two drivers currently splitting time in the #7 Chevy with Danica Patrick for JR Motorsports, also are under consideration for that job.(NASCAR.com)(7-15-2010)
UPDATE: JR Motorsports is not considering is a move to the Sprint Cup Series. “No Cup plans,” team co-owner Kelley Earnhardt said on Wednesday. “No Kasey Kahne. No Mark Martin. Nothing for JR Motorsports. At this point, we would need to get started on that, and it’s definitely not in our future for 2011.” Instead, Earnhardt and her brother, Dale Earnhardt Jr., need to find sponsorship and drivers for their Nationwide Series cars for next year. She knows Danica Patrick will drive in 13 races in a GoDaddy.com-sponsored car and that Grand Touring Vodka will sponsor 15 races with a driver to be determined. But that doesn’t even fill one full season for an organization that plans to have two Nationwide cars again next year. Kelley Earnhardt said the organization needs to know a little more about NASCAR’s plans to change the Nationwide Series rules to help promote younger drivers. She needs to know, she said, if there will be limits on Cup drivers and what programs are in place to help young drivers so the team can convince a sponsor to support an up-and-coming driver. “It would be nice to know specifically what we’re working with and what we can sell and do,” Kelley Earnhardt said. “In the environment that we’re in from the economic standpoint, it takes a personality to sell a sponsor. Performance and being up front and somebody they can market and somebody the consumer is going to recognize and want to be a part of whatever they’re doing is so important.” Sponsors are hesitant to go with a young driver, she said.(SceneDaily)(7-15-2010)
