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| Photo Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR |
More than a month before Speedweeks open the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway, deals are coming together assuring to normally competitive field of cars for the crown jewel Daytona 500 race on February 26th. For others within stock car racing, the off-season consists also of a time where drivers and teams plan for a season of 36 races.
In a bizarre off-season move that erupted after from the actions of a disgruntled Kurt Busch, the 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion was removed from his #22 Penske Racing Dodge moving to the #51 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet team. A domino effect saw AJ Allmendinger joining the Penske Racing stock car team while 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series runner Aric Almirola takes over the vacated #43 Ford Fusion at Richard Petty Motorsports.
As of mid-January, 39 driver and team combinations are expected to run the 2012 Daytona 500. Listed below a list of confirmed entrants includes a select number of expected part-time runners including the #6 Roush Fenway Ford being driven by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Among the confirmed list is 30 NASCAR Sprint Cup teams that are guaranteed to run the first 5 races of the 2012 season on virtue of placing in the top-35 in car owner points.
Still unable to find a new owner or investor, two of the vacancies in the top-35 cars in the Team Red Bull racing team. Approaching the Daytona 500, the team campaigning two Toyota Camrys last season is completely silent. While the arrangement for the #4 car driver Kasey Kahne to move to Hendrick Motorsports was orchestrated in 2010, Brian Vickers (Team Red Bull pilot since the organization's inception in 2007) is still without a seat for the Daytona 500. Kahne and #4 Team Red Bull car's victory at Phoenix International Raceway late in 2011 appears to be a last effort for the group. Heading into February, it remains a possibility that some or all of the 5 cars remaining as part of the top-35 will be romanced by new teams to relinquish their guaranteed starting spot. If the car owner spots in the top-35 remain unused, the active teams down the list of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup car owner points will inherit the sought-after honours.
Confirmed 2012 Entrants
Car Number /Driver /Race Team /Car Make
00 Mark Martin/Michael Waltrip/TBA Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
1 Jamie McMurray Earnhardt/Ganaasi Racing Chevrolet
2 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge
5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr Roush Fenway Racing Ford
9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford
10 Danica Patrick Stewart/Haas Racing Chevrolet
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
13 Casey Mears GEICO Toyota Ford
14 Tony Stewart Stewart/Haas Racing Chevrolet
15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford
17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
21 Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Ford
22 A J Allmendinger Penske Racing Dodge
23 Robert Richardson R3 Motorsports Chevrolet
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
30 David Stremme Inception Motorsports Chevrolet
31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
35 David Reutimann Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
36 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
38 Travis Kvapil Front Row Motorsports Ford
39 Ryan Newman Stewart/Haas Racing Chevrolet
42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt/Ganaasi Racing Chevrolet
43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford
47 Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota
48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
51 Kurt Busch Phoenix Racing Chevrolet
56 Martin Truex Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
66 Michael McDowell HP Racing LLC Toyota
78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota
88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
95 Scott Speed Leavine Family Racing Ford
99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford
Possible (Unconfirmed) 2012 Team Combinations
Car Number /Driver /Race Team /Car Make
7 Robby Gordon Robby Gordon Motorsports Dodge
37 Josh Wise Gunselman Motorsports Ford
46 ? Whitney Motorsports Ford
75 Derrike Cope Creation-Cope Racing Dodge
92 Brian Keselowski K Automotive Chevrolet
93 ? Sinica Motorsports Chevrolet
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