Tuesday, December 27, 2011

NASCAR drivers are a changin'

   The offseason shuffle of NASCAR rides will continue into the new year, with several teams still finalizing their plans for the 2012 season.

   Among the expected moves to be announced over the next week or so:

   -- Jason Leffler, who drove in the Nationwide Series in 2011 for Turner Motorsports, is the leading candidate to drive a full season for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Camping World Truck Series, multiple sources have confirmed. It appears owner Kyle Busch will drive few - if any - races for his own Truck or Nationwide teams next season.

   -- David Ragan and Cole Whitt are the leading candidates to replace Aric Almirola in JR Motorsports' No. 88 Nationwide team in 2012, sources said. A decision is expected early next week, around the time Almirola's move to the Sprint Cup Series and Richard Petty Motorsports' No. 43 car should be officially announced.

   -- The possibility of Kurt Busch driving his brother Kyle's Nationwide team fulltime in 2012 and competing for the series championships continues to be discussed, sources said. Kurt will drive a majority of the team's races regardless. Monster is expected to be announced as the team's sponsor during a news conference in January.

   Stayed tuned for more changes.

3 comments: