(photo courtesy Leon Hammack)
JR Motorsports will undergo a driver change to its No. 88 Nationwide Series team effective this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, general manager and co-owner Kelley Earnhardt announced Tuesday.
The organization has released 25-year-old Kelly Bires from his contractual driving duties of the No. 88 Chevrolet. Cup Series regular Jamie McMurray, driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, has agreed to a deal that puts him in the No. 88 for nine races. Those races include the six upcoming Nationwide Series events — Texas (April 17), Talladega (April 24), Richmond (April 30), Darlington (May 7), Dover (May 15) and Charlotte (May 30) — plus Chicagoland (July 9), Atlanta (Sept. 4) and the return trip to Charlotte (Oct. 15).
A native of Joplin, Mo., McMurray is the reigning Daytona 500 champion. He is a seven-time winner in the Nationwide Series with 27 top-fives, 59 top-10s, and three poles. No driver decisions for the No. 88 have been determined beyond McMurray’s nine races.
“We are extremely appreciative of Kelly Bires and wish him the best,” Earnhardt said. “Internally, it was evident the chemistry that is imperative for us to succeed in this highly competitive industry was simply not there. That is the fault of no one person. We owe it to our fans and sponsors to make necessary adjustments in an effort to put our best product on the track, and we’ll continue evaluating our progress until we are confident that our full potential is being reached.”
Who will drive the #88 JR Motorsports Chevy after the nine races with Jaime McMurray? Maybe Dale, Jr. needs to step into the driver’s seat and pilot his own Nationwide race car!
Who do you think would be a good replacement driver for the #88 JR Motorsports Hellmann’s Chevy?
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
