Category: XFINITY Series

JR Motorsports Tabs Cole Whitt For No. 88 Chevy in 2012

[media-credit name=”Jr Motorsports” align=”alignright” width=”296″][/media-credit]MOORESVILLE, N.C. (January 4, 2012) – JR Motorsports’ flagship team will compete for a NASCAR Nationwide Series championship with one of the sport’s up-and-coming stars, as Cole Whitt has been tabbed to drive the company’s flagship No. 88 Chevrolet in 2012, team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced today.

Whitt, a 20-year-old native of Alpine, Calif., will also compete for Sunoco Rookie-of-the-Year honors. He comes to JR Motorsports from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, where he finished ninth in last year’s championship standings with one pole, two top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. To date he is the youngest driver ever to win the USAC (United States Auto Club) National Midget championship, as his title-winning effort in 2008 put him alongside esteemed former USAC national champions such as Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne.

“Cole is the guy we wanted, and we’re lucky to get him,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “He’s got raw, untapped talent, but we are most impressed with his ambition. I sought advice and input from people I respect in the industry, and the overwhelming consensus was that Cole has the potential to do great things in this sport.”

The signing of Whitt completes the 2012 driver line-up for JR Motorsports, which will compete in Nationwide Series competition with Whitt in the No. 88 Chevrolet, Danica Patrick in the No. 7 Chevrolet, and Earnhardt Jr. in select races in the No. 5 Chevrolet. All three drivers will compete in the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 25.

“This is a big opportunity for me, and I’m happy to be a part of the JR Motorsports team,” said Whitt, who was introduced to employees Wednesday morning. “I’m grateful to Dale, Kelley and everyone at JR Motorsports for giving me this chance. It’s an honor to work with the Eurys, and I will do everything in my power to put this No. 88 team where it belongs in Victory Lane.”

Whitt got his start racing karts and saw immediate success with eight International Karting Federation championships and two World Karting Association grand national championships. He was the Hoosier Sprint Car Rookie of the Year in 2006 and earned 34 top-10 finishes in 60 USAC starts in 2007 before winning the championship in 2008. Whitt advanced to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2010, promptly notching two poles and finishing fourth in points in his first year.

OTHER NEWS: JR Motorsports has hired Bruce Cook as crew chief for the No. 5 team, which will run primarily with Earnhardt Jr. in select races. Cook comes to JR Motorsports from Kevin Harvick, Inc., where he served as crew chief in 2011 in the Camping World Truck Series, predominately for the No. 2 KHI Chevrolet, which won the owner’s championship. With Cook atop the pit box, his team scored six wins, 19 top-fives and 22 top-10s. Cook was also the winning crew chief of the Nationwide Series season-opener at Daytona in 2011 with driver Tony Stewart.

ABOUT JR MOTORSPORTS: Based in Mooresville, N.C., JR Motorsports is the management company and racing operation for Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR’s nine-time Most Popular Driver and winner of more than 40 NASCAR-sanctioned races.  JR Motorsports competes in multiple racing divisions, including the NASCAR Nationwide Series where the team owns 10 victories.  To learn more about the organization and its stable of drivers which include Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick and Cole Whitt, visit www.JRMracing.com. The JR Motorsports facility also houses the JR Nation retail store, Hammerhead Entertainment and JRM Licensing.

“RHR Standing By That Roderick Is “NASCAR’s Next Super-Star”

[media-credit name=”Randy Hill Racing” align=”alignright” width=”226″][/media-credit]ABILENE, Texas (January 3, 2012) – – Randy Hill, owner of Randy Hill Racing (RHR), announced today the contract extension of NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) driver Casey Roderick that will parlay into the 2012 season.

Roderick, a former winner in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, joined RHR last June and has made three NNS starts at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, Dover (Del.) International Speedway and Homestead-Miami (Fla.) International Speedway respectively. Roderick’s best finish occurred at Watkins Glen where he finished 25th. The Lawrenceville, Georgia native turned an impressive career-best qualifying effort of 20th in the season-finale at HMS.

The duo hopes to contend for the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship in 2012 beginning with the season-opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway next month.

“Casey is a very talented racecar driver,” said Hill, a successful entrepreneur, rancher and inventor. “He brings a level of enthusiasm, support, dedication and loyalty that made my decision to extend his contract a no-brainier. He learned a lot last year and we know we’re going to continue that learning curve this season. However, I believe you will see a more focused, relaxed driver behind the wheel and it will pay dividends on the race track with results.”

Hill added, “Without a doubt, I still believe that Casey is NASCAR’s next-super star. I know what he is capable of doing. He’s shown on other various levels of racing what he can do. It will just be a matter of time before he does it in NASCAR. Everyone at RHR will be happy to be a part of it.”

The 19-year old Roderick is humbled about the opportunity to again drive for RHR in 2012.

“I’m happy to call Randy Hill Racing my home,” said Roderick, a former INEX Legends Car Series standout. “We have been through a lot together but we all continue to have the same goal in mind. Randy has made some aggressive changes during the off-season to ensure the team can be contenders on race weekend beginning at Daytona. I have faith in him that we’re going to do that; I’m incredibly thankful and glad he has faith in my talent and abilities behind the wheel and I don’t plan to let him down.”

Randy Hill Racing also announced today that the team has purchased another Ford Mustang from Roush-Fenway Racing (RFR) and that automobile will be utilized for the 2012 season.

Further details on the team’s 2012 effort will be forthcoming soon.

For more on Randy Hill Racing, please visit randyhillracing.com.

Join the team on Facebook by clicking here (Randy Hill Racing).

Tweet with us through Twitter at @RandyHillRacing.

[media-credit name=”www.turnermotorsportsllc.com” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]MOORESVILLE, N.C. (January 2, 2012) – Turner Motorsports, along with Great Clips, Inc., is proud to announce that Kasey Kahne will increase his time behind the wheel of the No. 38 Great Clips Chevrolet in 2012 to compete in 15 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) events. Up and coming driver, Brad Sweet, who has competed on a limited basis in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) for the last two years and in the USAC Sprint Car Series and World of Outlaws Series for Kasey Kahne Racing (KKR) for the last four seasons, will make a run for the Rookie of the Year title and will round out the balance of the 33-race NNS schedule when Kahne is not behind the wheel.

Kahne began his NNS career wheeling the No. 38 car with Great Clips, Inc. serving as sponsor. Together, Kahne and the world’s largest salon brand reached momentous milestones including capturing Kahne’s first NNS victory in 2003 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It was also Great Clips’ first win as primary sponsor. In 2005, Kahne captured his second career win at Texas Motor Speedway before stepping out of the ride as he progressed to the Sprint Cup Series ranks. In 2010, Kahne decided to return to the NNS on a limited basis and found himself back at the helm of the No. 38 machine, sporting the banner of his longtime sponsor. During both the 2010 and 2011 NNS seasons, Kahne piloted the car for eight races, racking up four top-five and six top-10 finishes.

Following in the footsteps of Kahne, Sweet made a name for himself in the national open-wheel racing circuits. After being tapped to drive for KKR in 2008 by Kahne himself, Sweet became a superstar in his own right in the USAC racing world with victories including the Belleville Midget Nationals, the Knoxville Midget Nationals and both the Sprint Car and Midget “Four Crown Nationals” at Eldora Speedway. Showing no signs of slowing his success, Sweet will embark upon a new adventure as he makes his debut in the NNS in 2012 with Turner Motorsports. No stranger to the Great Clips Racing family, Sweet has made 18 NCWTS starts as well as one NNS start (2010) sporting the Great Clips banner over the last three seasons.

Kahne has thoroughly enjoyed reuniting with his longtime sponsor and is looking forward to another season representing the Minneapolis-based company.

“I have had such a long-standing relationship with Great Clips and it’s been great teaming back up with them again,” says Kahne. “They gave me my first real shot in this sport and that is something I have never forgotten.”

For his part, Sweet is ready to jump into this next phase of his career and is grateful for the support of Great Clips, Turner Motorsports and Kahne.

“I can’t begin to say how excited and grateful I am for this opportunity to compete in the Nationwide Series and to join Kasey in representing Great Clips both on and off the track,” says Sweet. “Turner Motorsports is a first class organization with equipment capable of contending for wins week in and week out. I don’t think I could be in a better position to take the next step in my racing career.”

Great Clips, Inc. is currently the longest-running sponsor in the NNS and has used the Nationwide Series as their primary marketing platform for the last 11 years. Their sponsorship began in 2000 with Akins Motorsports as they climbed on board to sponsor the team’s No. 38 entry with driver, Christian Elder. Mark Green piloted the No. 38 for one season before general manager, Doug Stringer, hired up-and-coming talent, Kasey Kahne, thereby solidifying Great Clips commitment to their NASCAR sponsorship.

About Turner Motorsports: Turner Motorsports, LLC, established in 1999, has completed its sophomore season of NASCAR competition. Owned by Texas businessman Steve Turner, the organization has expanded in 2011 from a two-truck operation in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) to become the largest stand-alone multi-series team in NASCAR’s top-tier touring series. Turner Motorsports operates out of an 110,000 square-foot state-of-the art facility in Mooresville, N.C. The Chevrolet-backed team has created alliances with General Motors’ powerhouse teams Hendrick Motorsports, which provides engine support for both its NNS and NCWTS programs, and Earnhardt Technology Group for drive train and suspension technology assistance. Turner Motorsports’ marketing partners include Great Clips, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, BRANDT, Exide, AccuDoc Solutions, Wolfpack Rentals, Fraternal Order of Eagles and ABF Freight. For more information on Turner Motorsports, visit www.turnermotorsportsllc.com.

About Great Clips: Great Clips, Inc. was established in 1982 in Minneapolis. Today, Great Clips has more than 3,000 salons throughout the United States and Canada, making it the world’s largest salon brand. Great Clips salons employ nearly 30,000 stylists who receive ongoing training to learn advanced skills and the latest trends. Make Great Clips your choice for value-priced, high-quality haircare for men, women and children. No appointments needed, and salons are open nights and weekends. And, it’s more convenient than ever with Great Clips’ Online Check-In. To check-in online, visit www.greatclips.com or download the app for Android and iPhone. For more information about Great Clips, Inc. or to find a location near you, visit www.greatclips.com.

[media-credit name=”Randy Hill Racing” align=”alignright” width=”226″][/media-credit]ABILENE, Texas (December 28, 2011) – – Officials from Randy Hill Racing (RHR) announced today that it has parted ways with Spraker Racing Enterprises, crew chief and team manager Jeff Spraker effective immediately.

The change allows both entities sufficient time to solidify new opportunities and options for the approaching 2012 racing season. “We are extremely appreciative to Jeff (Spraker) and all of his employees for helping ignite our program in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards and NASCAR Nationwide Series,” explained Randy Hill, owner of Randy Hill Racing. “Our team wishes them nothing but the best in their future endeavors.”

Hill, a successful entrepreneur from Texas who still plans to field an entry in the NASCAR Nationwide Series added, “We’re very close to finalizing everything for 2012. We will be at Daytona for the Nationwide race and we’re looking forward to having Casey (Roderick) at the helm of our Zer08 (No. 08) Ford Mustang.

I also feel that the ARCA Racing Series is a great stepping stone. ARCA was incredibly welcoming to us (Randy Hill Racing) when we made our debut at Iowa Speedway in July. We brought Ross Chastain to their open test at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway two weeks ago and we’re hoping to open the door for newer talent as the new season draws near. We’re confident in the direction of our team and looking forward to the future and impending season(s) ahead.”

Further details on the team’s 2012 effort will be forthcoming shortly after the New Year.

For more on Randy Hill Racing, please visit randyhillracing.com.

Join the team on Facebook by clicking here (Randy Hill Racing).

Tweet with us through Twitter at @RandyHillRacing.

Northeastern Supply, one of the nation’s leading regional distributors of plumbing, heating, HVAC, air conditioning, water systems and hardware supplies will return to team sponsorship in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for the 19th consecutive year in 2012. The Baltimore, Maryland-based company will return as an associate sponsor with Turner Motorsports for the fourth straight season and in support of the #31 Brandt Farm Equipment team and driver Justin Allgaier.

[media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]“Our NASCAR program has grown significantly over the years, and because of the strong support our racing program receives from our customers and vendors each year, it was a no-brainer to make it 19 straight seasons of such activity in 2012,” said Steve Cook, Northeastern Supply’s President and CEO.

During the company’s nearly two decades of NASCAR programming, Northeastern Supply has grown from a business with six branches in two Middle Atlantic States to one operating 32 branches and distribution centers conducting business in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, DC.

“The associate support we have given so many NASCAR teams in the Nationwide Division over the years has been an interesting journey for our company, and because of how they do business and treat their sponsors, it was an easy decision for us to remain with Turner Motorsports for another season,” Cook explained.

“We enjoyed three good seasons backing the efforts of the Great Clips team and drivers Jason Leffler and Kasey Kahne. Now we’ve decided to move over to Justin Allgaier and the #31 Brandt Farm Equipment Chevrolet team in 2012 in hopes of helping them challenge for the championship,” Cook added.

Allgaier is the 25-year-old Riverton, IL driver who in his last two Nationwide Series campaigns has posted two victories and finished fourth and third, respectively, in the 2010 and 2011 driver championship competition. Allgaier’s 2010 effort came while driving a Dodge for Penske Racing before moving over to a Chevrolet at Turner Motorsports last season in which he recorded six top five and 17 top ten finishes in beating everyone in points except for champ Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and runner-up Elliott Sadler.

Nicknamed “Little Gator” at a young age because of his small size and ferociousness behind the wheel, Allgaier began developing his talents driving quarter midgets and by the time he was 12 had already earned more than 100 feature wins and five championships.

Allgaier steadily progressed up the competition ladder, moving to Late Models at age 13. In 2001, at just 14 years of age, Allgaier made national headlines when he became the youngest driver to ever qualify for the ‘A’ Main in the famed Chili Bowl indoor midget event in Tulsa, OK. That performance enabled Justin to earn a shot to race full bodied stock cars two years later when he debuted in the ARCA RE/MAX Series with a team part-owned by former NASCAR star Ken Schrader. In three starts in this high-level competition that season, Allgaier earned a best finish of 11th and the experience served as a springboard to a full-time ARCA effort in 2006.

In 2007, after returning to the Chili Bowl and earning a third place finish in the ‘A’ Main behind now 3-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and veteran J.J. Yeley, Allgaier ran all 23 ARCA races and finished fourth in driver points after winning once, posting four top five and 11 top ten finishes. He also found time that year to win five UMP Late Model Series and three midget races, displaying ability to successfully drive pretty much anything on four wheels.

Allgaier raced 21 times in 2008 in the ARCA RE/MAX Series, and at the age of 22 captured the overall championship with a 6-win, 14 top-five and 16 top-ten campaign that directly propelled him to NASCAR and a driver development contract with Penske Racing. He made his Nationwide Series debut for Penske that same year before competing full-time in the country’s second top stock car circuit in 2009.

In 35 starts that season, Allgaier recorded three top five and 12 top ten finishes en-route to a 6th place finish in driver points. Only a lack of sponsorship dollars kept Allgaier from continuing with the Penske organization beyond the 2010 season when Justin had a breakout year that included his first Nationwide Series victory, two poles, an average 11th place finish and a 4th place effort in driver points. Penske Racing’s loss is obviously Turner Motorsports’ gain and now to the benefit of Justin’s newest sponsor, Northeastern Supply.

Allgaier will be the lone Turner Motorsports driver to carry the Northeastern Supply flag in 2012 that will feature the hard-charging chauffeur in various Northeastern Supply promotions conducted throughout the season. Heading these promotions will be a variety of customer-driven events to be held in conjunction with each of the two NASCAR race weekends at the Dover (DE) International Speedway, Northeastern Supply’s “home” race track.

“We’re excited to have Northeastern Supply back in the Turner Motorsports family next year,” Allgaier stated. “The upcoming season will be Northeastern’s 19th consecutive in NASCAR Nationwide Series competition and fourth straight with Turner Motorsports. I know they have several big events scheduled throughout the year and I’m honored to have the chance to be included and play a more integral part in them.”

Allgaier is the latest top name to be added to the impressive list of drivers who have been sponsored by Northeastern Supply over the years. That list includes Leffler, Kahne, Yeley, Mike and Kenny Wallace, Jason Keller, Phil Parsons, Sterling Marlin, Hank Parker, Jr. and Kevin Lepage.

BULLINS CHOSEN TO LEAD NO. 22 DISCOUNT TIRE DODGE NATIONWIDE SERIES TEAM

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (December 21, 2011) – Penske Racing announced today that Jeremy Bullins has been named crew chief of the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Bullins makes the move from Richard Childress Racing where he most recently served as race engineer for the No. 29 car entry in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

“We are pleased to welcome Jeremy to the Penske Racing team,” said Roger Penske. “His experience and engineering background will allow him to integrate well with our approach to preparing our race cars and executing at the track. We are excited for Jeremy to lead the No. 22 team and to continue with the winning tradition that has been established over the last two seasons.”

Bullins will join a team that has quickly become one of the most successful in NNS competition. Over the course of the 2010 and 2011 seasons, the No. 22 Dodge has scored 12 wins with Brad Keselowski as its primary pilot. In its first season of existence, Keselowski led the No. 22 team to the 2010 NNS title, the first-ever NASCAR championship for Penske Racing. Bullins will take over for Todd Gordon, who last week was promoted to crew chief of the Penske Racing No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger in the NASCAR Cup Series.

“It is an honor to have the opportunity to join Penske Racing and lead this successful program,” said Bullins, who was race engineer for seven Cup Series point-paying wins on the No. 29 car over the last two years. “The No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge team is one of the premier teams in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Not many people get the opportunity to work with a driver of Brad’s caliber in their first crew chief position. I am excited to get to work and get ready for the 2012 season.”

Keselowski will share the driving duties with Penske Racing development driver Parker Kligerman in the No. 22 car during the 2012 campaign. Keselowski, the former series champion, is looking to continue his rise up the NNS all-time wins ladder. With five more victories, Keselowski will enter the top 10 in career wins.

“I am very proud of what we have been able to build over the last two seasons with the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge team,” said Keselowski. “I am confident Jeremy can continue to build on that. He brings an impressive resume from a solid organization. It is also good that we were able to move quickly to bring Jeremy aboard Penske Racing so we can all start working together to prepare for 2012.”

Penske Racing is one of the most successful teams in the history of professional sports. Competing in a variety of disciplines, cars owned and prepared by Penske Racing have produced 350 major race wins, 412 pole positions and 23 National Championships. For more information about Penske Racing, please visit www.penskeracing.com.