It looks like Steve Arpin’s run in a NASCAR Nationwide Series car may be done for the 2010 season. Arpin, a former area dirt-track standout, drove in seven Nationwide Series races for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports team this season, recording a season-best 10th place finish at Daytona International Speedway on July 2 in JRM’s #88 car, its top Nationwide Series car. But JRM, which has used multiple drivers in the #88 this season, would like a steady presence in the seat of its top car. That presence appears to be Aric Almirola, who signed a multi-year contract with JRM on Tuesday to take over as the full-time driver in the #88 car beginning next season. Almirola, a veteran of 30 Sprint Cup Series races, is currently second in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings, which is where Arpin could eventually land. Earnhardt will drive the #88 this weekend and Almirola could get some seat time in the car before this season wraps up. JRM’s second Nationwide car, the #7, will be driven by a combination of Earnhardt, Danica Patrick and Josh Wise for the rest of this year. Tony Eury Sr., the crew chief of the #88 car, said Arpin has talent and is a smart driver, but he is not at the level required to drive the team’s top car.(Post-Bulletin)(8-20-2010)
