Regan Smith to drive for Furniture Row in '09? UPDATE: Yes

[MattSRD28]

According to Lee Stevens at FOX Sports, yep... (bottom of the article)

And speaking of Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, FOXSports.com has learned that Raybestos Rookie of the Year recipient Regan Smith will drive for Furniture Row Racing in 2009.

See ya later Regan. Let me know how Steve Park's doing when you run into him eh?

 

[MattSRD28]

Regan Smith announced as driver for Furniture Row Racing in 2009

Furniture Row Racing announced Wednesday that Regan Smith, the 2008 Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year, will drive the team's No. 78 Chevrolet Impala SS in 2009.

The team is cutting back its schedule for 2009, but will still enter 12 Sprint Cup races, beginning with the Feb. 15 season opener: the Daytona 500.

"Furniture Row Racing is thrilled to obtain the driving services of Regan, who is one of the bright young talents in NASCAR," said team President and General Manager Joe Garone. "His competitiveness and enthusiasm on the track speak for itself. In addition, he is a good fit for not only our sponsor but any partners looking for strong corporate representation in the Sprint Cup Series."

"I look forward to continuing my career in the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevy," said Smith. "Though it's a single-car team that battles heavy odds against the mega multicar operations, the organization has always been highly respected in the garage for its use of some of the best equipment as well as an undying commitment to growing a winning team. That's all a driver can ask for and I can't wait to get to Daytona and compete in another superspeedway race."

"I look forward to continuing the growth of this Furniture Row team with Regan behind the wheel," said Guy. "After racing against him in the Nationwide Series and seeing how much raw talent he has, I find myself both excited and optimistic for the 2009 season."

I'm not sure how you can be excited/optomistic about a 12 race season. To invoke horrible fractions, entering 12 races means they're entering 1/3 of the season. Not good for the long-term health of a single-car team or the young driver behind its wheel.