Denver-based Furniture Row Racing on Wednesday named Regan Smith its driver this season, replacing Joe Nemechek. Smith, 25, was the 2008 Sprint Cup rookie of the year with Dale Earnhardt Inc.
“Furniture Row Racing is thrilled to obtain the driving services of Regan, who is one of the bright young talents in NASCAR,” Furniture Row team president and general manager Joe Garone said in a release. “His competitiveness and enthusiasm on the track speak for itself.”
Furniture Row signed Smith despite promising him just 12 chances to race in NASCAR’s premier series this year. The fourth-year team has downsized, going from a full-time effort to part time.
“Given the situation in the garage, there are lot of teams that are unsure about this year,” Smith said. “Teams that think they’re full-time teams might turn to part-time teams. It’s a tough time. I’ve seen what we have to work with — the Hendrick (Motorsports) motors — and I’ve been to the shop in Denver. I’m convinced this is a good opportunity. We want to run more than 12 races, but we want to focus on running those 12 as could as we can.”
Smith will make his debut with Furniture Row while trying to qualify for next month’s Daytona 500.
“I look forward to continuing my career in the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevy,” Smith said. “Though it’s a single-car team that battles heavy odds against the mega multicar operations, the organization has always been highly respected in the garage for its use of some of the best equipment as well as an undying commitment to growing a winning team. That’s all a driver can ask for and I can’t wait to get to Daytona and compete in another superspeedway race.”
Smith, from Cato, N.Y., started 34 Cup races last year, and became the first Sprint Cup rookie to finish every race he qualified for. In 2007 he began his Cup career as a part-time driver for Ginn Racing. He joined Earnhardt Inc. when that team merged with Ginn last year.
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
