HARRISBURG, N.C. — Two veteran drivers will be missing when the Brickyard 400 rolls off this weekend. Sterling Marlin, 50, and 43-year-old Joe Nemechek have both been released from their drives with Ginn Racing.
Marlin has been replaced by rookie Regan Smith, who had been sharing the No. 01 with Mark Martin and racing in the Busch Series.
But with a lack of sponsorship, Ginn shut down its Busch team and the No. 13 Cup operation for Nemechek. Smith was then transferred to the No. 14 to replace Marlin.
Finally, Aric Almirola, 23, has been released from his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing, and he will share the U.S. Army Chevrolet with Martin.
Almirola, however, will still honor his commitment to drive five more Busch races this season for JGR.
“We are starting our future now,” said Jay Frye, Ginn Racing’s CEO and general manager. “A lot has been said about our program recently, and this shows we’ve been working hard to solidify our future. We are very excited about Aric joining our U.S. Army team to co-drive with Mark. He is a talented young driver, as is Regan, who has proved this season that he is ready to take full control of a Nextel Cup ride. These two 23-year-old drivers are the groundwork for future success.”

• Having struggled most of the season, there will be some familiar faces around when BAM Racing’s No. 49 rolls off the truck at Indianapolis this weekend.
Dean Johnson and David Hyder have returned to the team. Johnson will serve as crew chief, with Hyder working as suspension specialist. Ken Schrader will return to the team to drive in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, with Mike Bliss returning to the team as its full-time driver beginning at Pocono Raceway the following weekend.
“We are so excited to have Dean, David and Mike back together again,” said team owner Beth Ann Morgenthau. “No one can deny that there is a unique chemistry between this combination that equates to consistently strong on-track results. Although we have faced difficulties this season, everyone involved is committed to turning our program around across the board.”
• Late Thursday afternoon Bristol Motor Speedway President Jeff Byrd received a surprise call from Rusty Wallace. The nine-time winner at the World’s Fastest Half-Mile was in the area and wanted to stop by and take a spin on the new concrete surface.
Wallace climbed into the BMS pace car and ripped off lap after lap at speeds around 95 miles per hour on the newly resurfaced .533-mile oval.
His verdict?
“On a scale of 1 to 10, what do I think?” It’s a 10,” Wallace said.
“It looks fantastic. I didn’t really know what to expect before I got here. I was a little worried about how this was going to turn out, but I tell you, these guys did an unbelievable job.”

• Terry Labonte has added a third race to his stint as a substitute driver for Michael Waltrip Racing’s No. 55 Toyota. Labonte will step into the Toyota this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, replacing team-owner Michael Waltrip.
The move was made mainly to take advantage of Labonte being a two-time series champion eligible to use a champion’s provisional to start the race. Labonte previously drove the car at Infineon Raceway in June and is scheduled to drive again at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) Int’l in August.