JR Motorsports firming up plans for 2011 NASCAR Nationwide season

BRISTOL, Tenn.

The roster for JR Motorsports became clearer this week as Aric Almirola was announced as the driver of the NASCAR Nationwide Series team's No. 88 Chevrolet for 2011. But things are far from settled within the organization as it continues to iron out other plans, such as the schedule of races for IndyCar driver Danica Patrick.

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JRM is waiting for the IndyCar schedule before putting together the final plan for Patrick and the No. 7 Chevrolet, but team President Kelley Earnhardt said the driver is “on board” for 2011.

“I think she’s definitely had a difficult year getting used to these cars from where she’s came from,” Earnhardt said. “I think still everyone has to keep in check that she’s ran six Nationwide races and pretty much six stock car races in her career. She’s still very fresh and new at this and still has a lot to learn about the way these cars work.”

Patrick is making 13 Nationwide starts this season. In her six starts to date, she has a top finish of 24th which came at Chicagoland Speedway.

It has been a difficult rookie year for Patrick. In her six Cup starts, she has a best finish of 24th at Chicagoland Speedway and an average finish of 30.5.

For Almirola, running with an organization capable of winning races and championships will offer the stability he’s been missing in his career.

Almirola, 26, has experienced a challenging transition to NASCAR. He was thrust into the Sprint Cup Series at 23 having competed in just one full year in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and without a win to his credit. That 2006 season in Wayne Spears' truck is the only full NASCAR season Almirola ran before aligning with Billy Ballew this year. Driving the No. 51 Toyota Tundra — and winning races in the Truck series — offered Almirola a platform to reestablish himself as an up-and-coming driver.

“I had several other opportunities, but this was the opportunity that I looked at that I felt like being 26 years old, I could wait a few more years before going to Cup and still be okay,” said Almirola, who is currently second in the Truck standings. “I felt like this was the place where I needed to be able to prove that I can win races and run for a championship at the next level. I’ve been fortunate enough to do that this year and I didn’t want to go too fast, too quick and end up like I was a couple years ago.

“For me, this was the place where I wanted to be. They have a bunch of great partners, great sponsors that I’m looking forward to teaming up with. I felt like, for me, I could go and win races and that’s what I want to go do. I don’t want to go ride around in 20th or 30th and just make a paycheck. I want to go win, I want to go compete on a weekly basis and that’s the same thing that they want at JR Motorsports. I felt like both of our goals matched up and for me, it was more about success on the race track than it was just getting a pay check.”

Earnhardt identified Almirola as a “key candidate” in the early stages on the driver selection process. He finished third in the No. 88 Chevrolet for JRM last month at O’Reilly Raceway Park.

“With the year that he’s had this year in the Truck series and the promise that he’s shown there and the success that he’s having, we were a little bit more at his wait than ours,” Earnhardt said. “He had some other offers and some other teams talking to him. I’m glad that he chose JR Motorsports.

“I think that we can go out there and contend for the championship and win some races. Build a foundation for Aric that he can continue to build off of for his career. He’s young and he’s got a long ways to go so this is a great place for him to start.”

While full sponsorship has yet to be secured for the No. 88 Chevrolet, GT Vodka will fill 15 of the 34-race Nationwide schedule. Earnhardt expects Unilever to step up for 12 or 15 races of the remaining inventory for that car.

Earnhardt also expects her brother Dale Earnhardt Jr., to run four to six Nationwide Series races in the No. 7 Chevrolet as well in 2011. And Josh Wise, who is driving the car this weekend, has received high marks from both Earnhardt and crew chief Tony Eury Jr.

“Josh has done very well for us and kept the car in the top 20 of the owner’s points and hasn’t put a scratch on our car that I can recall,” Kelley Earnhardt said. “He’s done what we’ve asked him to do and we’re just going to continue to allow him, I think he’s got three or four more races for the rest of the year and evaluate what’s going on there.

“Depending on how the sponsorship falls out for the remainder of that car will depend on who will drive that car, but we really enjoy working with Josh.”