MOTORSPORTS 101

Phoenix Racing owner James Finch released his driver lineup for the remaining four races of the 2012 Sprint Cup Series for the No. 51 Chevrolet on Tuesday. AJ Allmendinger and Regan Smith will split the races.

Allmendinger stepped into the car the past two races at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway when Kurt Busch vacated the seat to move to Furniture Row Racing. Allmendinger will stay in the car the next two races at Martinsville Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway. 

Smith, who was supposed to take over for Busch starting at Charlotte, ended up racing the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports entry for the injured Dale Earnhardt Jr. the past two races. He will get his shot with Phoenix Racing in the final two races at Phoenix International Raceway and Miami-Homestead Speedway.

No announcements have been made for a driver or even if the team will stay in the Sprint Cup Series for 2013 yet.

Smith does know he will be racing full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2013 after he reached a deal today to drive the No. 5 for JR Motorsports.

 "This is an extremely good opportunity for me," Smith said in a statement released by the team. "Dale Jr. and I first started talking about this several years ago, but the timing never matched up to where we could make it happen. Now it's time. I'm happy to be a part of this organization. I don't want to just win races. I want to be the team that dominates races and contends for the championship."

JR Motorsports has struggled in the 2012 season with Danica Patrick and Cole Whitt running full schedules. Smith will look to turn the team into a title contender.

Allmendinger still is searching for a ride for 2013 so it will be interesting to see where he ends up landing. Smith will also still be on some teams radars for a Sprint Cup Series ride even after announcing his Nationwide Series deal. 

Tags: Charlotte Motor Speedway, Cole Whitt, Danica Patrick, Furniture Row Racing, james finch, JR Motorsports, kansas speedway, Kurt Busch, martinsville speedway, Motorsports, Nationwide Series, phoenix racing, Regan Smith, Sprint Cup Series, Texas Motor Speedway

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