JR Motorsports will field cars for Kasey Kahne and Brad Sweet for the 2013 Nationwide Series season. Great Clips, which signed on to sponsor three Sprint Cup races for Kahnes No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in 2013, will move its sponsorship from Turner Motorsports to JRM to support the Nationwide Series effort. Kahne ran 15 races for Turner Motorsports in the #38 Great Clips Chevyt in 2012. After a decade-long association with Kahne, Great Clips made its Sprint Cup debut as his co-primary sponsor at Texas Motor Speedway in November.( Fox Sports )(1-1-2013) UPDATE: An official announcement of Kahnes addition to JRMs Nationwide program could come as early as Wednesday, sources said. Kahne is expected to run up to 15 races with JRM in 2013, splitting time with Brad Sweet. It was unclear which car number the duo would use.( Charlotte Observer )(1-1-2013) UPDATE 2: Turner Motorsports announced that their successful two-year-long primary marketing partnership with Great Clips, Inc. will not continue into the 2013 NASCAR season. The parting of ways is an amicable one, with both companies mutually coming to the decision in order to enhance their growing marketing platforms. Though Great Clips, the longest-running sponsor in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, will no longer serve as a primary sponsor of the organizations #38 entry, there remain opportunities for joint partnerships in the future. This past season marked Great Clips 12th year in the series as primary sponsor. The company spent five years as a partner of Braun Racing, before it was acquired by Turner Motorsports two years ago. Turner Motorsports will soon be announcing their plans for the 2013 season.(Turner Motorsports)(1-2-2013) UPDATE 3: Great Clips Inc., the worlds largest hair salon brand, has signed a primary sponsorship agreement for 28 races next season with JR Motorsports. The partnership brings Kasey Kahne and Brad Sweet to JR Motorsports, adding to a lineup that already includes Regan Smith, the series most recent winner, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. The addition of Great Clips further establishes the JR Motorsports line-up for 2013, albeit with substantial changes from two months ago. First, it guarantees the company will field at least two entries in 28 of 33 Nationwide Series events. Smith is already committed to driving a full schedule, and Earnhardt Jr. will compete in select races in a third car. Additionally, car numbers have been reassigned to align with Kahnes branding in the Sprint Cup Series. Kahne and Sweet will split time in the #5 Chevrolet for 27 races. Smith will compete for a championship in the #7, and Earnhardt Jr. will carry his familiar #88 in a limited schedule that presently stands at four races. One of Earnhardts races will be with Great Clips branding to fill out the 28-race sponsorship package. JR Motorsports General Manager Kelley Earnhardt Miller said the organization still isnt committing the #5 team to a full-season slate but continues to work at securing sponsorship to fill out the remaining six races. A race schedule for Kahne and Sweet in the #5 Great Clips Chevy is still to be determined. So, too, is Earnhardt Jr.s complete Nationwide Series slate. To date his only announced races are Feb. 23 at Daytona International Speedway and March 9 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, both in the #88 TaxSlayer.com Chevy.(JR Motorsports)
