Saturday’s running of the NAPA Auto Parts 200 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal was an historic night for the Nationwide Series, and NASCAR in general. As the rainy weather crept its way onto the tracks, the race was red flagged, and for the first time ever in a NASCAR points race, the teams switched over to grooved tires to run the remainder of the race.

The rain was eventually stopped 26 laps short due to poor visibility, and in the end, it was Canadian native, Ron Fellows, out in front of the pack when the race was officially called. Throughout the majority of the race it appeared as though Marcos Ambrose was going to run away with things, leading a race high 27 laps, but a late pit road speeding penalty cost him, and Fellows was there to take advantage.

For Fellows, who was driving the no. 5 entry for the Dale Earnhardt Jr. owned JR Motorsports, it was his fourth career road course victory in 13 Nationwide Series starts, and he also became the first Canadian to ever win a major NASCAR event in Canada.

Fellows was followed to the line by another Canadian native, Patrick Carpentier, who finished 2nd. Ambrose was able to recover from his earlier mistakes on pit road and came back to finish 3rd. 4th place went to Ron Hornaday, and 5th was Boris Said.

Carl Edwards - now 2nd in points - finished 6th, while the series points leader, Clint Bowyer, crossed the finish line in 9th. Brad Keselowski dropped the 2nd position in the points race to Edwards with a 12th place run, dropping Brad down to 3rd overall.

Jacques Villeneuve and Joey Logano dropped about 10 positions in the running order each when they wrecked into other cars during the final caution period.

“I hit a lapped car with no brake lights. I have no idea who it was,” Logano said. “I couldn’t see 5 feet in front of me down the straightaway, under caution. Somebody stopped. I locked up all four and boom! … It’s just not right.”

They each went onto finish 16th and 17th respectively.

It should be noted, however, that the accidents during the final caution were caused by poor visibility, and were not tire-related. In fact, there were really no tire issues the whole race, which should serve as a huge pick-me-up for Goodyear after the debacle that they went through last week at Indy.

Complete Results of the NAPA Auto Parts 200     /     Current Nationwide Series Points Standings

Image details: The Meijer 300 served by picapp.com

Good morning, everyone. It’s another Friday here in mid-July, and it’s a hot one out there ….. which is rather fitting, because that’s the only way to describe the NASCAR scene as of late! I welcome you to another edition of our overly-glorified “Loose in Turn Three” segment. Of course you all know me, and with me as usual are my fellow NASCAR Bloggers, Bruce Simmons and Charlie Turner.

Just as we do every week, we have a trio of topics that the three of us are going to be discussing, but before we jump right into that, let’s start with some background on this week’s featured stories just to make sure that we’re all caught up. Over the last two weeks we’ve seen things already begin to shape up for one helluva 2009 season as the two biggest announcements for NASCAR’s Silly Season have taken place within that timeframe.

Last week in Daytona, Mark Martin was announced as the driver-to-be for the #5 car over at Hendrick Motorsports, which at the time was the easily the most coveted available ride on the market, and knocked down what we thought could be the biggest “domino.” Tony Stewart apparently must have had an Ace up his sleeve, though, and decided to trump that announcement with one of his own, as he announced yesterday in Chicago that Joe Gibbs Racing has granted him his release from the organization prior to the expiration of his current contract. Stewart will depart the no. 20 ride to head over to Haas CNC Racing, which will be renamed to Stewart Haas Racing next season with Stewart as a 50% owner of the company.

Stewart’s announcement now sort of realligns the “dominoes,” and sets the no. 20 car atop the pedestal as the best available car on the market, and makes Ryan Newman the marquee name that could be entering free agency this offseason. Whatever Joe Gibbs Racing and Ryan Newman decide to do from here could have a major impact on the rest of the garage area next year. If Newman winds up in the no. 20 car, then that would keep young Joey Logano out of a full-time Cup ride for at least another season. If Newman joins Stewart over at Stewart Haas Racing, then the no. 12 car at Penske Racing becomes available. If he stays at Penske, then the second Stewart Haas seat will remain open.

There are still a lot of drivers out there waiting to see what these guys intend to do. Their actions will play a factor to who Casey Mears is driving for next year, and could determine if guys like David Stremme or Scott Riggs have a job in the Cup Series at all. That said, let’s take a look and see what exactly Joe Gibbs Racing should do from here.

Q: With Tony Stewart’s departure from Joe Gibbs Racing, who should they look to fill the #20 seat?

TZ: Of course, the obvious answer is Joey Logano, which is what would most likely happen, but I don’t think that’s the best course of action for them to at least pursue. Imagine this … give Logano a full season racing the Nationwide Series in 2009, and field a fourth team car to get him in a few Cup races late in the year. Instead of rushing him into the #20 seat, take advantage of the driver market while it’s worthwhile. Put a damper on all of the Stewart / Newman to Haas CNC talks, and go after Newman. Ryan’s got nothing to gain at Haas CNC in terms of ownership, so why wouldn’t he want to consider driving one of the most marketable cars in NASCAR? A 2010 lineup of Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and Ryan Newman would make it a lot easier for that organization to handle losing Smoke.

Bruce:  You already put out the good answer with Joey Logano filling the seat, and my Ryan Newman fan mode likes the idea of him moving to Gibbs rather than Logano filling the seat right away.  But the chemistry of driver and crew chief:  That’s out next concern!

The other aspect to ponder is with the economy in the down slide that it’s in, is fielding a fourth car going to be worth it for Gibbs?  Food for thought.

Charlie:  Joey Logano has been doing most of the CoT testing for Joe Gibbs Racing this year. He won’t be any younger than Kyle Busch was when he started with Hendrick Motorsports. That #20, Home Depot Chevy with Stewart at the wheel was one of NASCAR’s most recognizable brands. That’s gone after 2008. Might as well start building the new #20 right off the bat.

Now, Ryan Newman moving over to Joe Gibbs Racing next season is certainly a possibility - and, probably a dream come true for most Flyin’ Ryan fans - but, the consistent rumors floating around right now would put Newman driving the car opposite of Smoke over at Stewart Haas Racing.

Newman was tearin’ up the track his first couple of seasons in the Sprint Cup Series, but ever since Matt Borland departed as Newman’s crew chief, the road’s been a little rocky for the no. 12 team. He’s shown signs of life this year - particularly with his win at the season opening Daytona 500, but the team has had their struggles as well, and Newman now currently sits outside the top-15 in points with just 8 races remaining until the cutoff for the Chase. Read more on this over at Bruce’s NASCAR Bits ‘n’ Pieces as we answer the question of:

With the rumors of Ryan Newman signing on with Tony Stewart under Haas-CNC, and Jack Daniels as his sponsor, do you think his on-track performance will improve?

Moving down to the Nationwide Series for a moment, rumors have begun to circulate that the Navy may be pulling out of their sponsorship program there with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and JR Motorsports. The organization picked up their first two wins earlier this season with both Mark Martin and Brad Keselowski pulling into Victory Lane, but with a lack of backing from the Navy, this could potentially jeopardize the operation as it stands now.

There was some talk earlier in the season as to whether or not Earnhardt would be looking to promote JR Motorsports up to the Sprint Cup level as early as next season, and then most recently there has been rumors (though they’ve already been denied) that DEI could be looking to sell or maybe even grab hold of some financial backing. Head over to On Pit Row to read the rest on this one as we answer the following question:

It has been reported that Dale Earnhardt Jr’s JR Motorsports has lost the Navy sponsorship for the #88 Nationwide Series car for 2009. If you’re Jr, now what?

By now, most of you are probably familiar with the many rumors surrounding the status of Casey Mears and the no. 5 team over at Hendrick Motorsports for 2009. Several sources are indicating that Rick Hendrick may have notified Casey last week that his tenure with HMS was coming to an end at the conclusion of this season, and already, the rumor mill has been lit up once again with all sorts of speculations.

The most intriguing, and for once, make-sense of these rumors comes from Lee Spencer over at Fox Sports, where she throws out the notion that Hendrick may be looking to promote Brad Keselowski from the Nationwide Series ranks, where he currently drives for Hendrick affiliate, JR Motorsports. Keselowski, who earned the first NNS win of his career earlier this season, could be Hendrick’s long-term solution to the Joe Gibbs Racing phenom, Joey Logano, but if these sources hold true, Hendrick would likely take a much different approach.

Whereas we could see a fourth team car implimented by JGR next season just to get Logano a full-time ride, Hendrick would approach it from a different angle, engaging Keselowski into a driver/mentor program, pairing him with the guy that’s done just that for a living since retiring from full-time action in 2006 … you guessed it, Mark Martin.

I never thought I’d see the day that Mark Martin would get behind the wheel of a Hendrick-branded car, but I’m seeing it now. ESPN is reporting that Mark has already confirmed that he will depart DEI after this year. In an odd twist to the story, though, they are also reporting that Martin will join the no. 5 team in an effort to make one last full-time run at the championship. That part of it I’m having a tough time buying off on for a couple of reasons. Aside from ESPN’s shakey and somewhat unreliable NASCAR reporting this year, I really feel that if Mark was going to take on another full season of racing, it would’ve been last year when he was well in position to make a bid for the Chase before finally stepping out of the car at Bristol.

Of course, we haven’t thrown nearly enough names into the fire to get the spicy rumor mill that we’ve grown quite accustomed to this year, so nascar.com decided to make sure we all took notice to the comments made by Juan Pablo Montoya on Sunday.

“Is it really true that Casey Mears is out of the 5 car?” was the first thing he said when confronted by reporters following the Toyota Save/Mart 350 at Infineon.

I’ll admit - I’m not too privy to the details of Montoya’s current contract with Chip Ganassi Racing, but that deal’s about to expire, then Juan is a name that has floated under the radar with flying colors, and would certainly add a little more flavor to the silly season gossip. He’s already holding his own over at Ganassi - even in the midst of working with three different crew chiefs during the first 16 races of the season. You have to wonder what the former Formula One star could do in some Hendrick furnished equipment!

So, is Mears on his way out of the Hendrick camp? Yeah, I think he is. It’s a notion that we’ve toyed around with all season long - even before the recent rumors - and, to me, the deck is stacked against him on this one. It’s a make-sense move for HMS to let him go. Bringing Keselowski up through the ranks would allow them to concentrate their championship efforts on the trio of Gordon, Johnson, and Jr. next season … and, even a longshot deal like Montoya would expand their merchandise and fan base even more.

Now, where he could wind up is anyone’s guess. The fourth car over at Richard Childress Racing would be my first inclination, but there are several other possibilities still lingering out there. Even with Greg Biffle expected to announce a re-signing with Roush-Fenway Racing this weekend, a potential slot could still open up there if Jack were to release Jamie McMurray from the organization, as many people were speculating on just a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, issues still do not appear to be resolved between Ryan Newman and the Penske Racing organization, and I’ve even heard talk about Casey headed somewhere like Haas CNC Racing, or even a return to Ganassi.

Yes … Silly Season is still a mess.

*Credit photo to Newscom.

Image details: Camping World RV Rental 250 served by picapp.com

Carl Edwards was named the winner of Saturday night’s Camping World RV Rental 250 at the Milwuakee Mile, and pulled into Victory Lane in the Nationwide Series for the first time since winning in Nashville last June, but the 250-mile race was hardly one that lacked emotion, excitement and controversy.

The first half of the race was dominated by polesitter, Brad Keselowski, who was looking to his second win for JR Motorsports in a three-week span, but despite leading the most laps on the evening, it just wasn’t meant to be. Last week’s race winner, 18-year-old Joey Logano, caught Keselowski at the front of the field and the two raced side-by-side with 79 laps remaining in the books. Logano drover underneath the race leader to take the position through turns 3 and 4, but a slight bobble slid him up into Brad’s fender and took him out of contention for the win.

Then, during the final round of pit stops, Logano made contact with points leader, Clint Bowyer, on pit road as the two rubbed fenders and shuffled Joey back to fourth while Carl Edwards took the lead. Bowyer then passed Edwards with 39 laps to go and held the position until the next caution flag. The restart came with 25 circuits remaining. Edwards got underneath him on the restart and knocked him sideways and drove away for the win.

Logano was able to pass Bowyer as well, as he wound up finishing 2nd, and Bowyer had to settle for 3rd. Fellow Sprint Cup regulars, David Ragan and David Reutimann completed the top-five in 4th and 5th. Scott Wimmer continued with his recent success with another top-ten finish in 6th, and Mike Bliss came home in 7th. Brad Keselowski rebounded from his earlier adventure with Logano and was relegated to an 8th place run, while Jason Leffler and Jason Keller rounded out the top-ten finishers.

There were no changes amongst the top-four spots in the standings, as Bowyer now stretches his points lead to 188 points over second place, Brad Keselowski. David Ragan and Mike Bliss each jumped up a spot to 5th and 6th over Kyle Busch, whom did not attend the race this weekend.

Check here for complete Camping World RV Rental 250 race results.

Nationwide Series Standings:

After winning the Federated Auto Parts 200 last weekend at Nashville Superspeedway, reporters caught up with the race winner, Brad Keselowski, who offered the following statements:

“You know, I knew we could do this but you never really know other than in your heart until you can prove it on the racetrack, and we’ve been so close and it’s seemed like we’ve caught bad breaks and today we caught the right breaks and that’s what we needed.  We needed a little bit of luck with a fast racecar, and we had a fast racecar today and, call it a bit of luck.

I don’t know if it’s a monkey off my back, I don’t know if I’ve been here that long. But, it’s not like I came into this sport winning.  I feel like I’ve paid some dues, I did some stuff with some lower level teams.  You know, when you’re doing that with lower level teams and you’re breaking down every week and you’re blowing up or whatever it is that happens you always question yourself, ‘why am I doing this?’ And then you catch that break like I did to get to drive for Dale Jr. and U.S. Navy Chevrolet and that kind of validates or vindicates you.  And then I got a team that just keeps getting better every week and I keep getting better every week to go with it and, you know I felt like it was just a matter of time.”

The win was the first for the #88 car for JR Motorsports as well. Car owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr, also offered his sentiments regarding the outcome of the race:

“I just was just amazed, you know I really was.  I knew they were on the verge.  They looked like they were gonna run for some wins throughout the rest of the year, and it’s just been so hard to get that team competitive. It’s so hard to start a team and get it to where it’s competitive and the merger with Rick and his Busch deal last year kind of pushed us over that hump. Getting Tony Sr. helped us a bunch.”

But, as is often the case, while Keselowski and Earnhardt celebrated their hard fought victory, the rest of the garage wasn’t exactly full of smiles. Several drivers, including points leader, Clint Bowyer who got roughed up in the closing laps of the race, were all but ecstatic.

For a complete audio transcript following the race, please visit the Nationwide website.

Brad Keselowski picked up his first win in the Nationwide Series on Saturday night, and the first of the season for JR Motorsports, as he took the lead from points leader, Clint Bowyer, with just five laps remaining and then cruised on his way to victory, winning the Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville Superspeedway.

Keselowski set the stage for the finish of the race when he stayed out on the track on lap 79 of the 225 lap event as the rest of the leaders made their way down pit road, led by then race leader, Joey Logano. The call from Tony Eury Sr. put Keselowski on a completely different pit sequence than the rest of the field, and it proved to be a factor late in the race.

With the rest of the field making their final pit stops with 77 laps remaining, Keselowski made his with just 41 left, giving him tires that were 36 laps fresher than the rest of the field when the caution flew with just ten laps left. David Reutimann, who was leading the race at the time, was ambushed by Clint Bowyer on the restart, but a few laps later, it was Brad Keselowski making the pass for the lead, and he never looked back, as he went onto win the race and collect the first checkers of the season for JR Motorsports.

David Stremme and David Reutimann both went onto take position from Bowyer as they finished 2nd and 3rd, and Clint was relegated to 4th, followed by David Ragan in 5th. They were followed by the cars of Mike Wallace, Scott Wimmer, Kelly Bires, Landon Cassill, and Greg Biffle to complete the top-ten.

Joey Logano won the pole for Saturday’s race, marking only his second career start. He led 64 laps in the event and appeared to be an early favorite to win, but he got caught up in a 4-wide race through turn 2 that resulted in him getting clipped by Greg Biffle and slamming into the outside wall. He went onto finish 31st. His teammate, Kyle Busch, who is making an unprecedented tri-fecta run this weekend, finished three laps down in 20th.

Clint Bowyer remained atop the Nationwide standings, while Reutimann’s run was enough to bump him up two spots to second. Kyle Busch dropped a spot to third, and Carl Edwards’ thirteenth place run drops him down to fourth overall. Brad Keselowski remains in fifth.

Nationwide Series Standings (from nascar.com):

*Credit photo to Newscom.

Image details: CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 served by picapp.com

Some of the most popular talk this year in NASCAR’s ever growing rumor mill has circulated around Tony Stewart and his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing, which currently carries him through the 2009 Sprint Cup season. With numerous rides potentially being opened for 2009, and offers reportedly being thrown at him all over the place, the media has long speculated that Tony has asked for an early release from his contract following the conclusion of this year, though sources have yet to confirm such allegations. Many want to believe him to be a solid candidate to fill the new seat opening up over at Richard Childress Racing, while some claim that he is looking towards Haas CNC Racing or maybe even JR Motorsports (should Dale Earnhardt Jr. elect to bring the team into Cup competition next year) where he could potentially gain ownership interests in the team, as well as reviving his long-standing relationship with GM and Chevrolet.

On the other side of the spectrum, there’s been a lot of hype revolving around 18 year old, Joey Logano, who is set to make his Nationwide Series debut this weekend at Dover for the Heluva Good! 200 on Saturday. Not since the emergence of Jeff Gordon to the stock car world in the early 90’s has a driver’s NASCAR debut been so highly anticipated, and some have even taken to nicknaming the kid as “Sliced Bread,” in reference to the ol’ saying, “the best thing since sliced bread.” Mark Martin spotted Logano out three years ago at the age of 15 and already claimed that he was a driver to keep an eye on. Since then he’s managed to win the 2007 Camping World East Series championship in a season that brought him seven victories, and he also won in his ARCA Series debut earlier this year. He’s so highly thought of that Joe Gibbs Racing has even decided to debut him in the Nationwide Series behind the wheel of the no. 20 car - the winningest car in the series so far this year - and, even signed him to an 18 race deal this year.

The only problem currently staring the suits at Gibbs Racing in the face right now - and, it’s a good problem to have - is that they have too much talent, right? Already filling their lineup in the Cup Series is a two-time Cup Series champ in Stewart, the current points leader in Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin, who made the Chase field in both of his first two seasons in the series, and appears to be well on his way to doing so again this year. So, when you take these two stories and add them together, the quick summation is that Logano would be a very likely candidate to take Stewart’s place upon his departure from Joe Gibbs Racing … but, according to David Newton over at the Sporting News, that’s not exactly what Gibbs has in mind.

JD Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing, says that rather than focusing on replacing one of their current drivers, their goal is to have Logano seat a fourth team car when he’s ready to progress to the Sprint Cup Series. He stated that they’re still negotiation with Stewart for an extenstion beyond 2009. He also stated that under no circumstances would they release Smoke from his current obligations, and also reitterated the fact that Tony has never asked to be released.

“We’re still just trying to feel out exactly where he is and exactly he feels. We want him to be here,” says Gibbs. “I want him to be here for a long period of time. At the end of the day, all we can control is through next year.”

A large factor in determining Tony’s future with the organization also lies with sponsor, Home Depot, whom has sponsored Stewart since his arrival to NASCAR in 1999. Home Depot reported a first quarter decline in earnings of 66 percent, and their long-term future in the sport is reported to be uncertain.

“They really are in a lot of ways the decision maker,” Gibbs added. “We want to make sure whatever we do is something that encourages them. We wouldn’t do anything unless they were on board and excited about it.”

I fully expect Stewart to not only finish out his current contract obligations with Joe Gibbs Racing, but to also sign another long-term contract that will lock Tony up with the organization until the near-end of his driving career. I do, however, see him pursuing ownership opportunities outside of JGR, very much in the same fashion that Dale Earnhardt Sr. did late in his career. The only obstacle to doing so is JGR’s current commitment to Toyota, but if anybody could cut a deal to drive for one manufacturer and run a team in the same series under another, a name like Tony Stewart just might be it. Then again, with the horsepower that Toyota’s pumping out, as well as the money and resources they carry in their pocketbook, the best business decision for Tony should he pursue this course could very well be the emblem already on his car.

DYN Imposes:
This week, Do You NASCAR also asks its readers …

1. Will Tony Stewart sign a deal with JGR past the 2009 season?
2. Logano or Stewart - Who would Home Depot rather sponsor on a long-term deal?
3. How long will it take for Joey Logano to progress to the Sprint Cup Series?
4. Which driver will give JGR their next Cup Series championship?

Image details: CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 served by picapp.com

Kyle Busch has visited the Nationwide Series Winner’s Circle three times this season from behind the wheel of a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, but Saturday night, he won the Carquest Auto Parts 300 by driving his no. 32 Braun Racing ride to the front of the field, and stretching out a tank of fuel over the course of the final 68 laps.

Busch had to hold off his JGR teammate, Denny Hamlin, to secure the win on a green-white-checkered finish that ended under caution when Mike Wallace slammed the wall. Hamlin finished ahead of the no. 88 JR Motorsports car driven by Brad Keselowski, whom Hamlin had an earlier on-track altercation with just moments before. Keselowski had gotten into the back of Hamlin earlier on, and as the field drove under caution, Denny decided to take a swipe at him in retaliation to what he described as ‘poor racing eitquette’. Immediately following the race, as Busch was taunting the crowd with his post-race victory bows en route to grabbing the checkered flag, both drivers’ pit crews got into a shoving match that was eventually separated by NASCAR and track officials.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brian Vickers finished fourth and fifth to round out the top-five, followed by points leader, Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, David Ragan, and Jimmie Johnson in sixth through tenth. Carl Edwards ended the evening with a decent 13th place finish, and Kasey Kahne ran in a disappointing 16th after getting caught up in a late-race tussle.

The win gives Kyle Busch his fourth Nationwide victory of the season, and his first for Braun Racing. He also has three Sprint Cup Series victories on the season, as well as two wins in the Craftsman Truck Series while driving for Billy Ballew Motorsports. The race ended a six-race winning streak for Joe Gibs Racing in the series, but does give Toyota their seventh consecutive win.

Nationwide Series Standings (from nascar.com):

Image details: NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race Practice served by picapp.com

He’s a full-time driver for Hendrick Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series, he owns JR Motorsports and runs the car himself part-time in the Nationwide Series, he’s a part owner of two race tracks, owns a television production company, a clothing line, and a real estate company. During the course of the year, he’s added two more daunting tasks to his hectic life when he opened up his new bar, Whiskey River, and joined up with the US Navy to open his own boot camp division, the Dale Jr. Division.

Now, the Lead Lap and Scene Daily are both reporting that Dale Earnhardt Jr. may have plans to bring JR Motorsports to the Sprint Cup Series level sooner than expected … in 2009 as a matter of fact. Earnhardt immediately discounted any rumors that he might pursue his good friend and former teammate over at Dale Earnhardt Inc, Martin Truex Jr.

Earnhardt said, “For the first year coming out of the box, man, we’ll struggle like hell. He’s going to have deals offered to him by these great companies around here, and from DEI. I’ll be at the bottom of that list, right there with Haas CNC Racing and a couple of other people.”

Truex has raced for Earnhardt in the past, and the two have remained good friends since parting ways at DEI, however Earnhardt doesn’t seem to believe that him joining JR Motorsports at the beginning of the company’s venture in the Cup Series would be in Martin’s best interests. DEI recently picked up a one-year option on Truex that secures him with the company for the 2009 season, but Martin and his attorney dispute the legality of the wording in the contract. This could be a sign that Truex is unhappy and wants to leave the company, but if a seat happens to open up over at Penske or Roush-Fenway Racing, I would expect him to pursue options there first.

Image details: Subway Fresh Fit 500 served by picapp.com

In an unprecedented event, the United States Navy announced  last week the creation of an 88-person field for their “Dale Jr. Division.” The division will be incorporated into the Navy’s recruit training Boot Camp, with Sailors-to-be able to begin applying for inaugural class as early as May 24th at their local Naval recruiting station.

The Dale Jr. division will be begin in August at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois and will be visited by Earnhardt himself after the recruits’ initial processing, and again upon completion of their training. Brad Keselowski, driver of the no. 88 Navy Chevrolet for JR Motorsports in the Nationwide Series, will also visit the division and take part in various aspects of the training, to include marching, damage control, and physical training.

“This is the first time we’ve developed a National level recruiting program focused on the synergy of the Navy and a high-performing, non-military partner,” stated Capt Jack Hanzlik, Chief of Naval Personnel, Public Affairs Officer.

The 88-person division is open to all enlisted men and women, and available for any of the Naval career fields. Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive the no. 83 Navy Chevrolet for JR Motorsports to kick off the division on May 24th in the Nationwide race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

In Other News:
- Kevin Harvick has recently implemented a rigorous drug-testing policy within Kevin Harvick Inc. “in the absence of any solid drug testing by NASCAR.” Harvick has already put tests in place for all of his drivers and crew chiefs in the Nationwide and Craftsman Truck Series, and has hired an independent drug testing company to test the rest of the employees within the company.

- When asked about the future surrounding Tony Stewart with Joe Gibbs Racing, Coach Joe Gibbs stated that Tony has not approached anyone at JGR about an early release from his contract, and that Stewart will continue to drive for the organization at a minimum through 2009. In response to whether or not there would be any potential ownership options for Smoke at JGR, Gibbs stated, “I think our deal is kind of set the way it is. I think there’s some stuff we could do to get him started with his own team if that’s what he really wanted. I think there might be some possibilities there. It could be a number of things, and again, it’s kind of new to us.”