Friday
Steve Arpin’s time in Nationwide Series done for now
Caught in the Catchfence™
Arpin, a former area dirt-track standout, drove in seven Nationwide Series races for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports team this season, recording a season-best 10th place finish at Daytona International Speedway on July 2 in JRM’s No. 88 car, its top Nationwide Series car.
But JRM, which has used multiple drivers in the No. 88 this season, would like a steady presence in the seat of its top car.
That presence appears to be Aric Almirola, who signed a multi-year contract with JRM on Tuesday to take over as the full-time driver in the No. 88 car beginning next season. Almirola, a veteran of 30 Sprint Cup Series races, is currently second in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings, which is where Arpin could eventually land.
Earnhardt will drive the No. 88 this weekend and Almirola could get some seat time in the car before this season wraps up. JRM’s second Nationwide car, the No. 7, will be driven by a combination of Earnhardt, Danica Patrick and Josh Wise for the rest of this year.
Tony Eury Sr., the crew chief of the No. 88 car, said Arpin has talent and is a smart driver, but he is not at the level required to drive the team’s top car.
Article Tags: Dale Earnhardt Jr, Danica Patrick, Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Josh Wise, JR Motorsports, JRM, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NCWTS, Steve Arpin, Tony Eury Sr., Venturini Motorsports
