Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 88 last season, left the team to drive Richard Petty Motorsports’ legendary No. 43 Ford in the Sprint Cup Series.

Team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr said:

Cole is the guy we wanted, and we’re lucky to get him. 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 JRM’s driver lineup for 2012, with Danica Patrick driving the No. 7 and Dale Earnhardt Jr driving select races in the No. 5.

Whitt said:

This is a big opportunity for me, and I’m happy to be a part of the JR Motorsports team. 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.

In other JRM news, the team signed crew chief Bruce Cook to serve in the same role for the No. 5 Chevy. Cook joins JRM after serving as crew chief for Kevin Harvick Inc.’s No. 2 CWTS Chevy in 2011. That team won the owner’s championship in the CWTS. Cook helped the team win six races this season. He also was the winning crew chief for the N’wide season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway, with driver Tony Stewart.

Almirola drove JR Motorsports’ No. 88 in the Nationwide Series last season, finishing fourth in the championship standings. In 34 N’wide races, he posted seven top 5s and 18 top 10s.

He has also made 35 career Sprint Cup Series starts, posting one top 5 and two top 10s. The top five came in the 2010 Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the No. 9 RPM Ford, which had been vacated by Kasey Kahne.

Almirola said:

One of the things I am most excited about is to have the chance to drive a car as iconic as the No. 43. There is so much history surrounding that number and to have my name above the door will be really special for me. This is the first real opportunity I’ve had to drive in the Cup Series full time. Last year the No. 43 team had a lot of speed and was competitive on a weekly basis. Greg Erwin is a great crew chief and I’m excited to work with him. Everyone at Richard Petty Motorsports has a lot of enthusiasm and drive and I’m really looking forward to getting to work.

Team owner Richard Petty said:

We are thrilled to welcome Aric Almirola into the RPM family. We feel extremely fortunate to have had a number of very talented drivers interested in joining our organization, but ultimately we felt Aric would be the best fit for the team and for our current and potential partners. We have had the chance to watch his progress for the past several years and we had success with him in the past. We are really confident in his potential as a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver. We think Aric has all the makings to be the next bright star in our sport.

No word on who will replace Almirola at JRM, but rumor has it that Camping World Truck Series driver Cole Whitt could be in line for that ride. David Ragan, who was a candidate for RPM’s No. 43, is said to be a candidate for JRM’s No. 88.

The No. 7 driven by Danica Patrick was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-J (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20A-2.3A (improperly attached weight) of the Nationwide rule book.

Crew chief Tony Eury Jr has been fined $10,000 and put on probation until March 28, 2012.

Patrick plans to make her Cup debut in the 2012 Daytona 500, and eyes making the jump to Cup full time in 2013, with SHR. Those plans, however, are not definitive at this point.

In 20 starts in the Nationwide Series, Patrick has an average finish of 23.7. She has one top 5 and three top 10s, all of which have come this season.

Patrick said:

I made this decision because of how much I enjoy driving stock cars and how much I enjoy, in particular, racing stock cars. The races are so interesting. There are so many pit stops, there are so many strategies that play out, you have to take care of your car at times, you have to know when to push with it.You can kind of throw them around a little bit and overcome some handling issues. You can bump around, which is pretty fun. I just really had fun with it. It’s really about enjoying the racing and enjoying the people and enjoying my life when I’m at those races.

In 2013, she will move to Cup full time, driving for SHR.

Fellows won at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal driving for JRM in 2008.

Fellows will also drive the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevy for Tommy Baldwin Racing in the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen Sprint Cup Series race at Watkins Glen. Dave Blaney, the No. 36′s regular driver, will drive the No. 35 at the Glen.

Fellows drove for TBR last year at the Glen. He finished 40th after a suspension problem.

Fellows said:

I am excited to pick up where we left off last year. … It is always great to be a part of the Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen. We had a decent qualifying run last year at the Glen, but then didn’t finish the race after we were running inside the top-15. Although it is a year later, we are just looking to build on that.

TBR owner Tommy Baldwin added:

We had pretty good success last year until we were wrecked halfway through the race. We want to finish what we started last year. It’s always good to have a road course ringer, and Ron is the best of them. Dave has done a great job for us this season, so we are excited to field the 35 car for him as well.

At Indianapolis Motor Speedway last weekend, Earnhardt Jr said:

I feel confident that she’s content where she is and happy with what we’re doing. I think things are looking positive for us to put something together. … I would like for her to run full-time and I’m sure she is considering that, and I think she would enjoy it.

Patrick has driven 19 Nationwide races for JRM, finishing 15 of them. Her best finish came at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where she finished fourth in the Sam’s Town 300. She is slated to drive six more races for JRM later this year.

At this point, it is unclear whether JRM would field three cars in the series or if Josh Wise would be released. Currently they split seat time in the No. 7 Chevy. Also unclear is whether or not Patrick’s deal will be structured in a way that allows her to race in the Indianapolis 500.

Johnson last drove in the Nationwide Series in October of 2008 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He finished 10th in a JRM Chevy.

Johnson joins team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr, Ron Fellows, Kasey Kahne, Danica Patrick, and Josh Wise as drivers who have been behind the wheel of the No. 7.

The announcement of Johnson in the car the the Glen leaves three races open on the remaining Nationwide Series circuit. Patrick is slated to appear in the car six more times this season, while Wise is behind the wheel at least four more times.

Danica Wows at Daytona

Danica Patrick raced her tail off and tried her best to get the win Friday night in the Subway Jalapeño 250.  Though she didn’t win the race, she proved that she belongs in the Nationwide series.

She started her GoDaddy.com Chevy in seventh place and finished in 10th place.  Patrick led many laps and worked well drafting with Tony Stewart and Aric Almirola.  However, on the last lap Mike Wallace attempted to block her and caused a multi-car pile up that resulted her 10th place finish.  Leave it to a veteran to cause “the big one” at Daytona.

Patrick handled the incident well and kept her cool.  “It looked like Mike Wallace was like a fish out of water at the end,” Patrick said. “He was high, he was low and then he was high into me. It was just a cluster.”

Although the No. 7 JR Motorsports team did not get the finish they hoped for, the team was very excited about how well they ran and the progress they achieved.  “Hopefully I earned people’s respect out there some more,” said Patrick. “That’s what it’s going to take – whether you’re a girl or a boy, or young or new, you’ve got to earn the respect of your peers. That’s what I try to do every weekend.”

She seems to have the drafting aspect of it down.  Now she has to work on her intermediate and short-track skills.  When she came into the sport she had no idea how to communicate with crew chief Tony Eury Jr in NASCAR lingo.  She is quickly picking that up, helping Eury Jr get the car to her liking.  The cars are getting faster and the results are getting better for this JRM team.  She still has a lot of learning to do, but I am very excited to see how she does in the future.  I hope she will soon make the switch full-time to NASCAR so we can have a competitive female racer in our sport.

Turner Motorsports Success

Turner Motorsports is taking the Nationwide Series by storm.  Following the Subway Jalapeño 250, they now have all three drivers in the top 5 in points.  Reed Sorenson is the series point leader with one win under his belt.  Justin Allgaier and Mark Martin have also each gotten a win for the team this year.  Turner Motorsports is now the team to beat.  Reed Sorenson, Justin Allgaier, and Jason Leffler all have a legitament chance to win the Nationwide title.  Not to mention, all three drivers finished in the top 5 at Daytona this weekend and ranked fastest on the restarts.

Sorenson also won the Nationwide $100,000 ”Dash for cash” reward, given to the highest finishing young gun in the race.  Don’t underestimate this team; they only get better every week!

Joey Logano Finally the Bride

Joey Logano finally became the bride at Daytona. Logano held off hard-charging Jason Leffler to get his first win of the season for Joe Gibbs Racing.  He only led the last half mile of the last lap, but thankfully for him that’s all that counts.

Logano had help from his JGR teammate Kyle Busch to push him to the lead.  “Usually, I’m the guy that’s finished second – unfortunately — but this time I am the winner, so I’m pretty pumped up about that. This is a huge win for me for a lot of reasons,” Logano said.  I’m still not sure where Joey came from on that last restart, but congratulations to him on his long awaited win.

Reaction to this news is sure to be mixed. While some Earnhardt Jr fans want him stay with HMS because they think it gives him a better shot to win the Sprint Cup championship, others think that Hendrick is more interested in the money and sponsors Earnhardt brings in than he is in giving him the tools needed to win races and championships.

I don’t think an extension makes sense for Earnhardt Jr considering his contract ends after next season. The pairing of Earnhardt Jr with Steve Letarte has improved Earnhardt’s on-track performance, and seems to have shown that Hendrick does indeed want Earnhardt to succeed in his equipment. Some conspiracy theorists may argue that Hendrick wants Jr to re-sign with the team, and is therefore putting him in better equipment, but I’m not sure I buy that.

If you look at the seats available after the 2012 season, the pickings are slim. The end of Denny Hamlin’s contract is unknown, but it runs through at least this year, and most likely next year. Even if Hamlin’s contract ends after the 2012 season, it’s unlikely he would leave Joe Gibbs Racing. And, it’s not a Chevy team.

Matt Kenseth’s contract may end after the 2012 season. If Carl Edwards leaves Roush Fenway Racing for JGR after this season, Kenseth could possibly follow suit, seeking another opportunity for the 2013 season. But RFR has Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse Jr waiting in the wings, so the No. 17 probably wouldn’t be available. Plus, it’s not a Chevy team.

Martin Truex Jr’s contract may be up for renewal in 2012. If it is, he may seek another opportunity if he feels like the team is not performing. Michael Waltrip Racing is signed with Toyota through 2012, so they could (hypothetically) change makes to Chevy, but it is unlikely that Earnhardt Jr would want to go there with the way the team has been performing. Also, there’s no reason to think MWR would switch to Chevy from Toyota.

If Red Bull Racing leaves as expected, any new entity could have a seat available for Earnhardt Jr. It’s unclear if the team would stay with Toyota through the 2012 season, but it is a possibility. Even if the team were to switch makes, Earnhardt Jr still is not likely to want to run with a team that is just starting out. That would make it more difficult for him to contend with a championship. And, with the last couple of years he has had, I’m sure he wants to be in highly competitive equipment.

Stewart Haas Racing could be thinking of expanding to three or four cars by the end of 2012, which would give Earnhardt the option to go there. But, that team has been struggling of late and Earnhardt probably doesn’t want to wait and see if they improve.

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing may or may not be an option. Earnhardt could return to his former team (then Dale Earnhardt Inc) and possibly run the No. 8 he helped make famous. But, that is highly unlikely given the rocky working relationship he had with team co-owner Teresa Earnhardt, his stepmother.

Richard Childress Racing won’t have an opening when Earnhardt Jr’s contract is up, though with their performance of late he would probably seriously consider going there. Paul Menard is signed through 2013, and Jeff Burton’s contract runs through 2014. Clint Bowyer is on the verge of re-signing with RCR and it is likely to be a three-year deal. Kevin Harvick’s contract runs through at least 2012, but if it expires that year, he will be signed to an extension long before that. He has been carring the banner for RCR the last two years so they won’t let him get away.

Plus, a move to RCR would further intensify the pressure Earnhardt is under to win a championship because it was his father’s team. I don’t think he wants that… at least not yet.

Another option would be bringing JR Motorsports to the Sprint Cup level. All indications at this point are that he doesn’t want to do that. I don’t think he wants to headache of running his own team at this time. Three to five years from now, it may be a different story. But for right now, I think he just wants to drive.

So, when you look at all the options out there when his contract expires, it makes sense for Earnhardt Jr to stay with HMS because it is the best Chevy seat available.