Keselowski, JR Motorsports To Cup?

Jayski is reporting via ESPN Insider that JR Motorsports may move to cup in 2010, with Nationwide Series driver Brad Keselowski behind the wheel.

In order for that to happen, Rick Hendrick would have to sell his ownership stake in the team, due to NASCAR’s car ownership limit, but that would be a formality.

Keselowski is negotiating exclusively with Hendrick Motorsports. HMS does not have an opening for a driver next year, which could lead to JRM moving to Cup.

Team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr has said previously that it may be more economical to move to Cup, which is sure to fuel a lot of the rumors.

Another option mentioned would be putting Keselowski in a third Stewart Haas Racing car, which is powered by HMS engines and chassis.

The report speculates that Keselowski in a SHR Chevy would kill rumors than Martin Truex Jr will leave Earnhardt Ganassi Racing for SHR next year.

That may not be the case, however, because SHR could always expand to found cars.

JR Motorsports Considering Cup?

With the recent announcement of the driver lineup for the No. 5 JR Motorsports Chevy in the Nationwide Series, the rumors that the team is planning to move to Sprint Cup next season are starting to surface again.

Last year, team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr created a minor media frenzy when he implied that JR Motorsports would move to Cup if the Nationwide Series moved to a car of tomorrow.

At one point during the 2007 off-season, it was rumored that Dale Earnhardt Jr was going to drive for JR Motorsports with Martin Truex Jr as a teammate. Jr revealed that he would be driving for Hendrick Motorsports shortly thereafter.

As long as JR Motorsports stays in the Nationwide Series, these rumors will not go away. And, the announcement that Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart would be piloting JR Motorsports Chevys has heated that rumor up again.

While I do not doubt for an instant that Jr would consider taking his team to Cup level, I’m not sure he would do it next year.

His team is decent, but I would think he needs to see more consistency, and more wins before considering making the jump. He also is probably seeking a Nationwide Series championship first.

That said, he may look at a team like Stewart Haas Racing, and think that this might be the time to jump to Cup. SHR’s consistency and relatively good performance may make the idea more appealing.

The downside to him moving to Sprint Cup would be that he would lose Newman and Stewart, as they have Cup rides already. He does have Brad Keselowski, who has a lot of potential, and could be groomed into a consistent threat to win. But, Keselowski is green, and there’s more of a win now philosophy in NASCAR, especially with the economy the way it is and sponsors so hard to come by.

Add in the fact that if Jr turned Sprint Cup owner, the calls that Jr is too distracted to win a championship would only get louder.

At the end of the day, whether Jr decides to move to Sprint Cup or not, I would hope that his decision is based on more than just money.

JR Motorsports Announces Driver Lineup For No. 5 Chevy

On Monday, JR Motorsports announced the plans for its No. 5 Nationwide Series entry for the remainder of the 20009 season.

The No. 5 Chevy will be split among team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr, all-time series wins leader Mark Martin, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, and Scott Wimmer.

Jr will drive at Texas Motor Speedway in April, Talladega Superspeedway in April, Lowe’s Motor Speedway in May, Daytona International Speedway in July and Atlanta Motor Speedway in Sept. in Chevys that will be sponsored by Fastenal, Godaddy.com, and Unilever.

Martin will drive the Chevy at Richmond International Raceway in May with Lipton as a sponsor. Tony Stewart will drive at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Oct. with Delphi as a sponsor. Stewart already has one victory in the series this season, winning the Camping World 300 at Daytona in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevy.

Newman will drive the No. 5 Fastenal Chevy in four races: Dover International Speedway in May, Chicagoland Speedway in July, Michigan International Speedway in Aug., and Kansas Speedway in Oct.

Wimmer will also pilot the No. 5 Fastenal Chevy for six races: Darlington Raceway in May, The Milwaukee Mile in June, O’Reilly Raceway Park in July, Iowa Speedway in Aug., Bristol Motor Speedway in Aug., and Richmond International Raceway in Sept.

Wimmer said in a JR Motorsports press release:

I am really excited to be associated with JR Motorsports and a great sponsor like Fastenal. I will be running at tracks that have been good for me in the past and look forward to my first event with JR Motorsports at Darlington in May. Hopefully, we can get the Fastenal car in the Winners Circle.

The announcement leaves two races without a named driver — the road-course events at Watkins Glen and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, both in Aug. Drivers for those races will be announced at a later date. Last season, Ron Fellows drove the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevy to victory in the NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, so he may be considered for that race.

Earnhardt Jr. drove at Watkins Glen last year, presumably to get more experience at road courses, so he may take one of those races.

Also, anytime you mention road courses, you have to mention Boris Said’s name. He could also be considered.

Earnhardt Jr said:

This No. 5 team carries a strong tradition and a lot of expectations, and we are fortunate to attract such quality talent to help carry on that tradition. We had a similar set-up with this team last year, and we were able to go to Victory Lane twice. Obviously with this driver line-up, there’s no reason we can’t exceed last year’s win total.

Fastenal To Sponsor JR Motorsports’ No. 5

JR Motorsports announced that Fastenal has signed on to sponsor its No. 5 Chevy for 14 Nationwide races in 2009, starting with the O’Reilly 300 at Texas Motor Speedway with Dale Earnhardt Jr. behind the wheel.

He will also start the Winn Dixie 250 at Daytona International Speedway in July.

The other 12 races and drivers will be decided at a later date.

Delphi To Sponsor JR Motorsports’ Nos. 5, 88

JR Motorsports has announced that Delphi will be the primary sponsor for the No. 5 Chevy for one race with driver Tony Stewart.

Delphi will also sponsor Brad Keselowski in the No. 88 Chevy for six races.

And, Delphi will serve as associate sponsor on all of the Hendrick Motorsports Chevys and uniforms for 2009.

Unilever announced earlier that it would sponsor JR Motorsports’ No. 5 for ten Nationwide races next season.