Richard Childress Racing expressed an interest in running Patrick in some N’Wide races, but Patrick’s management team preferred to run with Turner because Turner uses Hendrick-prepared Chevys, which are similar to what she will drive in the Sprint Cup Series at Stewart Haas Racing.

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Turner could move Buescher from the Truck series to the Nationwide Series in 2013.

Buescher said:

I know I’ll be in a series full time and be in competitive equipment and in position to win races so I’m not too concerned to know what I’m doing next year. I’m good with either one. It would be cool to try to go for back-to-back championships but if I get the opportunity to go Nationwide racing, it would be cool to compete for more Nationwide wins and see if we can get a Nationwide championship.

Update: Buescher has decided to return to the Camping World Truck Series to defend his title.

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Burton has five starts in the CWTS with one top 10 finish.

Team owner Steve Turner said:

I’m really excited that we will have Jeb under the Turner Motorsports umbrella. Everyone at Turner Motorsports feels he has the skills to be successful in NASCAR and we are eager to welcome him to our team.

All three Richard Childress Racing teams and all three Turner Motorsports teams had their bumper covers confiscated due to illegal modifications. According to NASCAR, the teams were found to be in violation of  Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4J (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules detailed in Section 20-A of the rule book).

They were also found to be in violation of Sections 20A-2.1E (streamlining of the contours of the car, beyond what is approved by the series director will not be permitted. Installation of air directional devices, underpans, baffles, shields or the like beneath the car or the car’s hood and fender area, front firewall, floor, rear firewall area, rear deck and quarter panel will not be permitted. If, in the judgment of NASCAR officials, any part or component of the car not previously approved by NASCAR has been installed or modified to enhance aerodynamic performance, will not be permitted. All cars must remain standard in appearance); and 20A-3.10A (front upper bumper cover must be from the respective OEM manufacturer and must be approved by NASCAR. The front lower bumper cover and rear bumper cover must be from an approved manufacturer and must be approved by NASCAR. Once approved, the front lower bumper covers may be used on all approved models. NASCAR officials may use bumper covers provided by the respective manufacturer as a guide in determining whether a competitor’s bumper cover conforms to the specifications of the NASCAR rule book. Unless otherwise authorized by the series director, cutting and reshaping of bumper covers will not be permitted.)

RCR crew chiefs Luke Lambert (No. 2 team and driver Elliott Sadler), Danny Stockman (No. 3 team and driver Austin Dillon), and Ernie Cope (No. 33 team and driver Kevin Harvick) have each been fined $10,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until the end of the calendar year.

Turner crew chiefs Trent Owens (No. 30 team and driver James Buescher), Jimmy Elledge (No. 31 team and driver Justin Allgaier), and Mike Shiplett (No. 38 team and driver Kasey Kahne) have also each been fined $10,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.

Additionally, the teams’ respective car chiefs – Phil Gould (No. 2), Robert Strmiska (No. 3), and Paul Balmer (No. 33) for RCR; Shannon Rursch (No. 30), Ronald Hornaday III (No. 31), and Christopher Meyers (No. 38) for Turner – have likewise been placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.

The violations were found on opening day.

None of the teams received points penalties.

Owens said:

It’s exciting to be part of Turner Motorsports’ first Cup race with Bill Elliott and support from Walmart. We’ve come a long way in just the last two years, so to take this step is really going to be a milestone for everyone who works so hard for this team every day.

The current plan is for this to be a one-off deal.

No rookie has been as impressive as Nelson Piquet Jr. During the 2011 season, Piquet has earned four Top 5 finishes (all at 1.5-mile racetracks) and eight Top 10′s. He currently sits in 11th position in points, 18 points out of the Top 10.

Piquet has struggled to find consistency this season, having five DNF’s during his rookie campaign.

With the 2011 season winding down, Piquet is facing uncertainty as we approach 2012. Piquet’s owner, Kevin Harvick, made an announcement in early September that Kevin Harvick Incorporated would shut down at the end of the season. KHI sold a majority of it’s truck team to owner Eddie Sharp. There is a small chance he could end up at ESR in 2012.

Piquet has said his future is open to the highest bidder. “It’s down to Turner,  Penske, and Kyle Busch Motorsports,” he said. KBM is expanding their operation into the Nationwide Series in 2012, but they will keep their truck team intact in 2012.

Penske Racing has announced they will more than likely field a full-time effort in the Nationwide Series for Sam Hornish Jr. They will also continue to run the No. 22 with Brad Keselowski in a majority of the races.

Turner Motorsports has announced they will run three full-time NNS programs in 2012, with two of the teams having a different rotation of drivers. TMS also plans to run at least two full-time trucks in the CWTS in 2012. They may field a third truck is if Ricky Carmichael stays in the series.

Unlike most drivers shopping around for a ride during the silly season, Piquet seems to hold his destiny in his hands. Piquet brought sponsorship from Qualcomm, Bozzano, Jontex, Autotrac, and Tagg to almost every race this year on his No. 8 KHI owned truck and has funding in place for a ride next season.

Piquet is most notably known for deliberately crashing at the Singapore Grand Prix in 2008 to help his teammate, Fernando Alonso win the race. The scandal has become one of the most important in F1 history. In December 2010, Piquet won a libel case in the higher court against the Renault.

With six races left in the season, Sorenson sits third in the standings, 49 points behind leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr. He should be gearing up to make a run at the championship with Turner Motorsports. Instead, Sorenson finds himself without a ride.

Sorenson was released from the No. 32 team effective immediately. Sorenson said, “”I’m not sure what happened. I got a phone call this morning, but they didn’t really say much. All they would say is that I’m out of the car. I haven’t gotten a reason; I’m just as confused as you are.” Sorenson has been working feverishly to find a Nationwide team that will allow him to complete the season.

Rumors started circulating late last week that sponsor Dollar General was leaving the No. 32 team and Sorenson at the end of the 2011 season to pursue other options. It didn’t take long for those rumors to become reality, as team owner Steve Turner had meetings with the majority of employees and handed out letters in accordance with North Carolina WARN Act regarding layoffs.

Turner announced that Brian Vickers, a former Nationwide Series champion, will assume driving duties of the No. 32 Chevy beginning this weekend at Kansas Speedway. Vickers drove the No. 32 car before, when it was owned by Braun Racing.

Turner said, “We are confident [Vickers] can help assess where we are, as a company currently, and the direction we are going as we build our programs for 2012 and beyond.”

A little over a month ago Sorenson had an on track incident at the Atlanta Motor Speedway with teammate Justin Allgaier which cost him more than 20 points. Sorenson was very outspoken about the incident with reporters and reportedly he had an intense meeting with Turner Motorsports after the incident.

It is not know whether this has anything to do with his release.

My plan for 2012 is to go full-time Nationwide racing, that is my plan and goal.

He says his goal is to move to the series full time with Turner Motorsports.

Carmichael has spent the last three seasons in the CWTS, and the last two years running for Turner. His transition to stock-car racing has been tough at times, but in 53 starts he has 14 top 10s and three top 5s to go along with that. His best career finish came in 2010 at Dover, where he finished a respectable fourth.

Consistency has been Carmichael’s biggest problem in 2010. He had seven finishes of 20th or worse in 25 races. In 10 races in the 2011 Truck series season, Carmichael has four finishes of 20th or worse.

Still, Carmichael has made a huge impact in the CWTS, bringing a strong fan base with him and winning the most popular driver award in the series in 2009.

He has made six Nationwide Series starts in his young career with one top 10 at Road America in June. With help from successful teammates Justin Allgaier, Reed Sorenson, and Jason Leffler there’s no reason why Carmichael can’t be successful.

Carmichael is making his second start this weekend at the Iowa Speedway in his No. 4 Monster Energy Drink Chevy. Last year, he finished a solid ninth.

Danica Wows at Daytona

Danica Patrick raced her tail off and tried her best to get the win Friday night in the Subway Jalapeño 250.  Though she didn’t win the race, she proved that she belongs in the Nationwide series.

She started her GoDaddy.com Chevy in seventh place and finished in 10th place.  Patrick led many laps and worked well drafting with Tony Stewart and Aric Almirola.  However, on the last lap Mike Wallace attempted to block her and caused a multi-car pile up that resulted her 10th place finish.  Leave it to a veteran to cause “the big one” at Daytona.

Patrick handled the incident well and kept her cool.  “It looked like Mike Wallace was like a fish out of water at the end,” Patrick said. “He was high, he was low and then he was high into me. It was just a cluster.”

Although the No. 7 JR Motorsports team did not get the finish they hoped for, the team was very excited about how well they ran and the progress they achieved.  “Hopefully I earned people’s respect out there some more,” said Patrick. “That’s what it’s going to take – whether you’re a girl or a boy, or young or new, you’ve got to earn the respect of your peers. That’s what I try to do every weekend.”

She seems to have the drafting aspect of it down.  Now she has to work on her intermediate and short-track skills.  When she came into the sport she had no idea how to communicate with crew chief Tony Eury Jr in NASCAR lingo.  She is quickly picking that up, helping Eury Jr get the car to her liking.  The cars are getting faster and the results are getting better for this JRM team.  She still has a lot of learning to do, but I am very excited to see how she does in the future.  I hope she will soon make the switch full-time to NASCAR so we can have a competitive female racer in our sport.

Turner Motorsports Success

Turner Motorsports is taking the Nationwide Series by storm.  Following the Subway Jalapeño 250, they now have all three drivers in the top 5 in points.  Reed Sorenson is the series point leader with one win under his belt.  Justin Allgaier and Mark Martin have also each gotten a win for the team this year.  Turner Motorsports is now the team to beat.  Reed Sorenson, Justin Allgaier, and Jason Leffler all have a legitament chance to win the Nationwide title.  Not to mention, all three drivers finished in the top 5 at Daytona this weekend and ranked fastest on the restarts.

Sorenson also won the Nationwide $100,000 ”Dash for cash” reward, given to the highest finishing young gun in the race.  Don’t underestimate this team; they only get better every week!

Joey Logano Finally the Bride

Joey Logano finally became the bride at Daytona. Logano held off hard-charging Jason Leffler to get his first win of the season for Joe Gibbs Racing.  He only led the last half mile of the last lap, but thankfully for him that’s all that counts.

Logano had help from his JGR teammate Kyle Busch to push him to the lead.  “Usually, I’m the guy that’s finished second – unfortunately — but this time I am the winner, so I’m pretty pumped up about that. This is a huge win for me for a lot of reasons,” Logano said.  I’m still not sure where Joey came from on that last restart, but congratulations to him on his long awaited win.