Terry Labonte Back At Indy
Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) announced today that two-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Champion, Terry Labonte will once again, step into the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“While we’ve planned to bring Terry back for the Watkins Glen road course event, I felt having him in the car next weekend at Indianapolis would be a great opportunity for me to continue to evaluate my entire organization from an owner’s perspective,” said Waltrip. “The feedback related to road course racing that Terry was able to provide my team after Infineon Raceway was very valuable. We look forward to more of the same input after Indy.”

Labonte piloted the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Camry last month at Infineon Raceway, where he started 25th and finished 35th.

“It felt good to get back in the car in Sonoma and while it wasn’t the finish I had hoped to deliver to the guys at MWR and NAPA, I believe we learned quite a few things in which we can build on,” said Labonte.

Labonte has eleven starts at the hallowed grounds of the Brickyard. His best finish came in 1996 when he drove the No. 5 Kellogg’s car to a third-place finish. The Allstate 400 will be Terry Labonte’s second NASCAR start of 2007. Live coverage of the 160-lap event begins at 1pm EDT on ESPN on Sunday, July 29th.

Waltrip returns to his NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota for the Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway on August 5th.

Joe Gibbs Racing Releases Amirola
Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has granted Aric Almirola his release, allowing the 23-year-old development driver to compete for Ginn Racing in select NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series races this year. Almirola will still compete for JGR in the five remaining Busch Series races that were a part of his original 2007 racing schedule. In 2008, Almirola’s entire racing slate will come via Ginn Racing.

“This is a bittersweet moment for us,” said J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing. “Aric is a tremendous talent, and he had the opportunity to do more races in a shorter period of time than we could provide to him. Jay Frye (Ginn Racing CEO and general manager) and everyone at Ginn Racing were extremely professional in the way they expressed their desire to put Aric in their race cars. The fact that Aric will be mentored by Mark Martin made our decision much easier.”

Almirola, a Tampa, Fla.-native of Cuban descent, came to JGR via the diversity program founded by JGR owner Joe Gibbs and the late Reggie White. It’s an initiative that traces its roots back to May 2003. In partnership with White, a Hall of Fame defensive end who played in the National Football League, JGR formed the diversity program to create a grassroots stock car team that would identify and assist minorities with the desire and talent to make a career in motorsports. And in January 2004, the diversity program became reality, thanks in large part to the support of JGR’s sponsors. Almirola was one of JGR’s first prospects.

“What Aric’s been able to do is a testament to all the work Reggie and everyone at JGR did to build our diversity program,” J.D. said. “He’s come up through late models, moved to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the Busch Series and Nextel Cup. Now he has the opportunity to race every weekend, with the majority of those races being in Nextel Cup. That makes everyone at JGR extremely proud. We will always consider Aric to be a part of the JGR family, and we wish him the best in his new opportunity with Ginn Racing.”

Almirola began his JGR career driving a late model in the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series at the .4-mile Ace Speedway in Altamahaw, N.C., in 2004. After scoring two wins, six top-fives and 15 top-10s, Almirola traversed the Southeast competing in regional late model races. By the end of 2005, Almirola was running a limited schedule in the Craftsman Truck Series, which led to a full-time Truck Series ride and a nine-race Busch Series schedule in 2006. Three years after racing late model stock cars, Almirola had a slate of 18 Busch Series races and a handful of Nextel Cup races on tap for 2007.

“I can’t thank Joe Gibbs Racing enough for what they’ve done for me,” said Almirola, who has three Busch Series poles and a win with JGR, as he co-drove with Denny Hamlin to win the June 23 race at The Milwaukee Mile. “They allowed me to get to this position by giving me a chance at a time when I had a lot of desire but little money. The equipment they gave me and the people they surrounded me with made me a better race car driver and a better person. Their support continues to this day. They saw what this opportunity with Ginn Racing meant to me, and they didn’t stand in the way. It’s a great organization filled with great people, and it’s why they’ve been so successful. Joe Gibbs Racing will always have a special place in my heart.”

Almirola began racing go-karts when he was eight. After winning many races and local titles in and around his home state of Florida, he took his talent to the national karting scene in 1998. He quickly made his presence known, qualifying on the pole for the World Karting Association Grand Nationals at Daytona Beach (Fla.) Municipal Stadium before finishing fourth in the season-ending point standings.

At 16, Almirola graduated to open-wheel modifieds – 2,750-pound race cars that put out over 700 horsepower. In 2000 he won the rookie of the year title in two separate modified divisions – Florida Modified and SARA (Southern Automobile Racing Association) Modified, while garnering his first career win in the Joslin Memorial 100 at Orlando (Fla.) Speedworld, beating the top drivers in Florida.

In March 2002, Almirola advanced from open-wheel modifieds to the Sunbelt Super Late Model Division, where he finished runner-up in the rookie of year standings. Almirola continued in that division in 2003, winning three poles at USA Speedway in Lakeland, Fla., two poles at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway and one pole at Bronson (Fla.) Speedway.

Nemechek-Marlin Out, Almirola In
Emphasizing an eye on the future along with solidifying the foundation of its NASCAR Nextel Cup program, Ginn Racing announced the following transactions.

• Aric Almirola, the 23-year-old Busch stalwart and a member of the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) program the past four years, has signed with Ginn Racing. He will become Mark Martin’s co-driver in the 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet for the remainder of the 2007 season and will also share the ride with Martin in 2008. His first race in the 01 will be Aug. 12 at the road course in Watkins Glen, N.Y. As part of his contractual obligations, Almirola will compete in five remaining Busch races for JGR this season.

• Regan Smith, 23, who was Martin’s co-driver in the 01, will assume full-time driving duties in the team’s No. 14 Chevrolet, beginning with the Nextel Cup race July 29 in Indianapolis. Smith replaces Sterling Marlin.

• Due to a lack of sponsorship, the No. 13 Ginn Racing team is currently being evaluated. Joe Nemechek, who drove the No. 13, has been released and is free to explore other opportunities.

“We appreciate everything that Joe and Sterling have done for us,” added Frye. “They have been a class act.”

Nemechek joined the team with four races remaining in the 2003 season. He drove the 01 car before taking over the No. 13 ride at the beginning of the 2007 season. While in the 01 car he had one win and three poles.

Marlin, a 30-year veteran in NASCAR, joined Ginn Racing following the 2005 season.

Smith, who has competed in five Cup races this season and was ranked fifth in Busch points before his No. 4 team scaled back after the 16th race, is looking forward to the new challenge.

“I am ready to go and take advantage of another Ginn Racing opportunity,” said Smith. “This is a quality organization with great equipment. I have learned so much this year driving with Mark and you can bet that I will continue to seek his advice. I am also excited about having Aric as a new teammate.”

Almirola, a Tampa, Fla. native of Cuban descent, was one of Joe Gibbs Racing’s first prospects in the company’s diversity program founded by Gibbs and the late Reggie White, an initiative that traces its roots back to 2003.

“I am so excited about this opportunity,” said Almirola, who has three Busch Series poles and a victory, as he co-drove with Denny Hamlin to win the June 23rd race at The Milwaukee Mile. “To share a ride with Mark Martin and have him as a driving coach is awesome. I want to thank everyone at Ginn Racing for believing in me and also to all of the people who have supported me along the way. I just can’t wait to get on with this ride. It’s going to be such an honor to represent the U.S. Army and all of our soldiers. Wearing the Army uniform will mean so much to me.”

“I can’t thank Joe Gibbs Racing enough for what they’ve done for me,” added Almirola. “They allowed me to get to this position by giving me a chance at a time when I had a lot of desire but little money. The equipment they gave me and the people they surrounded me with made me a better race car driver and a better person. They saw what this opportunity with Ginn Racing meant to me, and they didn’t stand in the way. Joe Gibbs Racing will always have a special place in my heart.”

Almirola, who has competed in 13 Busch races and one Cup event this season, was introduced to racing by his mother’s father – Sam Rodriguez, a Florida native. Almirola’s father, Ralph, came to the United States from Cuba at age four during the Freedom Flights of the mid-1960s.

Almirola began his JGR career driving a late model in the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series at the .4-mile Ace Speedway in Altamahaw, N.C., in 2004. After scoring two wins, six top-fives and 15 top-10s, Almirola traversed the Southeast competing in regional late model races. By the end of 2005, Almirola was running a limited schedule in the Craftsman Truck Series, which led to a full-time Truck Series ride and a nine-race Busch Series schedule in 2006.