J-Dub's JR Motorsports Update

((HT: examiner.com))

((ed. note- We're going to start showing you these when he pumps them out because he is finally writing things after a long absence not of his own doing- even if it is about the Nationwide Series...))

The NASCAR Nationwide Series is in the second of a two-week break, gearing up for the Scotts Turf Builder 300 on March 20 at Bristol Motor Speedway. JR Motorsports will probably only be entering one car into the NNS race – Kelly Bires and the #88 Hellmann’s Chevrolet. Danica Patrick, driver of the #7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, has rejoined IndyCar full-time, and will not race for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and JRM again until New Hampshire on June 26.

Kelly Bires Update:

Bires ((pictured, thanks facebook.com)) has a good car during Las Vegas qualifying, but ended the race very early when a tire somehow got cut down on Lap 6 – sending the #88 Hendrickcars.com Chevrolet hard into the wall. Replays of the crash showed what appeared to be tire parts coming out from underneath the #88 before it struck the wall. Bires was looking to improve on his 7th place finish in Fontana, and will have to wait until Bristol to get the car back on track. On his Twitter feed on March 10, Bires said, “Just spent some time at JRM and took the guys out for lunch. Bristol cars look awesome! Excited for my first race with Hellmanns!”

Some have said the Bires would be the “Invisible Driver” at JRM when they signed Danica Patrick, but Bires has responded well. Bires has developed quite a fan following, and his Facebook page was covered in condolences after Las Vegas. Some of the FB comments said, “Sucks that that happened, that car looked great. Hopefully you guys can catch a break at Bristol,” “Kelly, it is okay. I know you are going to be a winner. It is a shame that the racing tires do not have more puncture resistance,” and “Man that sucked, it is what it is, just gotta regroup and get ready for bristol. Tough break for jrm all together today.” The break has done Bires some good, allowing him to get in some rounds of golf, as well as goose hunting trip in Buffalo, NY. Would you call that a “wild goose chase?”

With two starts under his belt (Dale Jr. raced the #88 at Daytona, and came in second), Bires is in 33rd place with 183 points, and has brought home $54,861 for the season.

Danica Patrick Update:

According to Bob Pockrass at SceneDaily, Rick Hendrick likes how Danica Patrick has approached her first NASCAR NNS season. “She's a pro at handling herself," Hendrick said Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. "And she's learning. She doesn't try to profess to be any further along than she is. ... It's so refreshing. "When you get someone who has done real good in one division and won big races in open-wheel, they come in and they [often] don't want to act like that they don't know everything and they feel like they've got to be [running] up front."

Kevin Harvick is also more than willing to help the NNS rookie, actually pointing her to the more efficient high line at Las Vegas Motor Speedway – urging her to follow him, even though she was towards the end of the pack and he was leading the race at the time. On January 19, Harvick also called Patrick the first true female “competitor” in NASCAR. "We've never had a female -- in my era -- that's been competitive," Harvick said, according to Tania Ganguli and the Orlando Sentinel. "I think most of them have just been here because they're female. I think Danica's the first real female racecar driver that's coming in here. I'm not saying she's going to be competitive overnight but she's the first one who's got any sort of credentials that should be racing cars."

After three races, Patrick is in 34th place with 183 points (tied with her teammate Bires), and has earned $102,679. Remember, Patrick will not get into an NNS car again until the New England 300 at Loudon on June 26.

Next NNS Race for JRM:
Race: Scotts Turf Builder 300
Location: Bristol Motor Speedway, TN
Date: March 20, 2010
Time: 2:00pm EST

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See you on the track!

Here's a flashback of Bires early Vegas experience...
((HT: NASCAR/ESPN2))


UPDATE: Scott Wimmer will be behind the wheel of the #7 car when Danica is not driving. Team co-owner Tony Eury, Jr. says the car is "too good" to be parked. JR Motorsports is trying to find sponsorship for the races where they have an interest in running, but no sponsor dollars as of yet...