July 17, 200719 yr Smith to replace Marlin in No. 14 car at Indianapolis Almirola moving to Ginn Racing as part of restructuring Regan Smith will replace Sterling Marlin in the No. 14 car next week at Indianapolis, and Busch driver Aric Almirola will split time with Mark Martin in the No. 01 car as Ginn Racing continues its ongoing restructuring, NASCAR.COM has learned. Smith had been splitting time with Martin in the No. 01 and driving in the Busch Series, but Ginn recently shuttered its Busch operation as part of a rollback that also involved some layoffs. Looking to get the young driver more seat time, Ginn will move him into the car driven until recently by Marlin, who turned 50 earlier this month and was not likely to be back with the team next year. Almirola was credited with a victory in a Busch race at Milwaukee earlier this season, but was stung when he was replaced during that event by Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin, who arrived late from the Nextel Cup event at Sonoma, Calif. Almirola came up through the developmental program at Gibbs, which viewed the 23-year old as a prime candidate to pilot an eventual fourth Nextel Cup team. What happens to Joe Nemechek's No. 13 car at Ginn is still unknown. The teams of Nemechek and Marlin have been beset by sponsorship woes, a situation that has forced the Ginn team -- which came within a few inches of winning the Daytona 500 in February -- to step back and reorganize. The U.S. Army, which backs Martin's No. 01 car, is the only full-time sponsor the team currently has in place for next season. Wow. All of this and a possible merger between Ginn Racing and DEI? Just wow.
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.