Backstretch Motorsports

Concord, NC) — Puzzles solved, two seats filled and one left out for now, with an almost assured announcement to come.

Target Chip Ganassi Racing (TCGR) and Dan Wheldon, driver of the No. 10 Target Honda Dallara in the IndyCar Series, announced today they have agreed to part ways. Dan Wheldon will be returning to Panther Racing’s No. 4 Honda entry

Target Chip Ganassi Racing announced they will be adding former IndyCar Series and Indy 500 champion Dario Franchitti as a teammate of the 2008 Indy 500 winner and current points leader Scott Dixon, as the driver of the No. 10 Target Honda. In addition, Chip Ganassi Racing and Target announced the details of their joint plans to take their partnership into its 20th season and beyond.

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Almirola to Pilot No. 8 Car Full Time in 2009
Rookie driver promoted to full-time Sprint Cup status next season: After spending two seasons sharing a car with veteran Mark Martin, 24-year-old Aric Almirola will take over the No. 8 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chevrolet full time in 2009. …Almirola, from Tampa, Fla., began sharing the Sprint Cup ride with Martin during the second half of the 2007 season and has continued in that role in 2008. During his 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts, the rookie driver has shown vast improvement, posting a top-10 finish in his debut this season at Bristol and qualifying third a week later at Martinsville.

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TALLADEGA, Ala. (April 26, 2008) — Polesitter Tony Stewart held off a last-lap challenge from Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Saturday to claim his first victory at Talladega Superspeedway in any series.

“Boys, we won at Talladega!” Stewart shouted as he crossed the finish line in the Aaron’s 312 NASCAR Nationwide Series race .302 second ahead of runner-up David Stremme. It was Stewart’s third NASCAR Nationwide win of the season.

Bobby Hamilton Jr. ran third, Jason Leffler fourth and Mark Green fifth, as Earnhardt dropped to sixth after Stewart repelled his last-ditch run on the final lap.

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BAM Racing withdraws No. 49 Toyota entry for Texas

One week after announcing a sponsorship program with Microsoft Small Business and qualifying seventh at Martinsville, BAM Racing’s No. 49 Toyota was withdrawn from this weekend’s Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

No details were available as to the reasons behind the decision by owner Beth Ann Morgenthau, who has operated a team in NASCAR’s premier series since 2002.

The No. 49 was 42nd in owner points following a 37th-place finish at Martinsville, having made three of six races this season. Driver Ken Schrader finished 21st at Las Vegas and 41st at Bristol earlier in 2008.

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