NASCAR Cup Series

It’s not difficult to get Clint Bowyer excited. But if you want to see the NASCAR Sprint Cup driver get really excited, mention Martinsville Speedway.

Richard Petty Motorsports announced today that Sam Hornish Jr. will be the new driver for the No. 9 Ford Fusion in 2015, replacing Marcos Ambrose who announced last month that he was returning to his native Australia. Representatives from the team, along with Hornish, held a teleconference this morning.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie Michael Annett will pilot the No. 7 CypressHQ Chevrolet SS this Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He is looking for his 11th top-25 finish of the 2014 season.

CAMRY CHASERS CONTEND: All three Toyota Camry drivers are in the top-10 in points and within 20 points of the leader as race two of the 'Contender' round of this year's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) championship playoff rolls into Charlotte -- Kyle Busch (second-place, -6 points), Denny Hamlin (fifth, -11) and Matt Kenseth (seventh, -17). After Charlotte, the series will head to the high banks of Alabama's Talladega Superspeedway before another four drivers will be eliminated from moving on to the third round of the championship playoffs.

Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) announced today that three-time IndyCar Series Champion turned NASCAR winner, Sam Hornish, Jr. will join the storied organization to drive the No. 9 Ford in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series full-time in 2015.

In the last three races at 1.5-mile race tracks, the No. 43 team has raced in the Top-Five and Top-10 but engine issues marred two of the starts resulting in just one Top-10 finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Earlier this season, Aric Almirola scored his best Sprint Cup Series finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway when he brought the No. 43 home in the 11th spot.

Marcos Ambrose will race the No.9 STANLEY Ford this weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, marking the final time that he'll race at the track that most NASCAR drivers call 'home'. Ambrose has made 11 previous starts at the track and has three Top-10 finishes and one Top-Five result.

A NEW SHADE OF BLUE DUECE: This weekend the No. 2 Team Penske Ford Fusion will feature blue Detroit Genuine Parts colors. This marks the second race that the No. 2 Ford Fusion is appearing in the livery this season (Richmond). A key Alliance Truck Parts partner, Detroit Genuine Parts is a premiere brand in the transportation aftermarket that supplies remanufactured parts to commercial on- and off-highway customers around the world.

Despite a 25th-place finish at Kansas Speedway last weekend, the No. 43 WinField team showed speed throughout the weekend but bad luck during the race put Armstrong several laps down.

The job demands for the driver of the Aaron’s Dream Machine are more than just climbing behind the wheel of the No. 55 for 38 races each year. Like most NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers Brian Vickers also makes time for media and sponsor work along with a heavy dose of testing to make his Toyota faster. As the Sprint Cup Series prepares for Saturday night’s Charlotte race, the Michael Waltrip Racing driver’s time is in high demand.