National Guard to sponsor JRM's No. 5 in Nationwide

MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- The Army National Guard will continue its involvement in the Nationwide Series in 2008 with a 21-race primary sponsorship of the No. 5 Chevrolet with drivers Landon Cassill and Dale Earnhardt Jr. The team will be fielded by JR Motorsports in partnership with Hendrick Motorsports.

Cassill, 18, will pilot 19 events in the No. 5, beginning Feb. 23 at California Speedway. The campaign will mark the most extensive racing action for the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native and 2008 Raybestos rookie of the year candidate since he signed with Hendrick Motorsports in December 2006.

Providing bookends to the 2008 schedule, Earnhardt will drive the "Guard Car" in the Feb. 16 season opener at Daytona International Speedway and the Nov. 15 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The two-time circuit champion has earned five Nationwide-level victories at Daytona.

"The National Guard is very pleased to be sponsoring the No. 5 Nationwide Series car in 2008," said Lt. Col. Diana Craun, deputy division chief, strength maintenance division, National Guard bureau. "The Guard's presence at Nationwide Series races will honor America's finest citizen-soldiers in an exciting way by featuring a unique unit patch on the hood, deck-lid and rear quarter-panels of the car. Additionally, army guard soldiers from these honored units will be invited to watch the No. 5 car as it reaches Victory Lane."

In 2007, the National Guard backed 25 Nationwide-level races, including each of Cassill's six starts in the series. The 2008 season will mark the kickoff of Earnhardt's relationship with the Guard, which will also be a co-primary sponsor of his Sprint Cup Series efforts.

JR Motorsports and Hendrick Motorsports officially combined Nationwide Series operations following the conclusion of the 2007 racing season. The No. 5 Chevrolet will be fielded full-time under the JR Motorsports banner in 2008.

"We are extremely proud to have the Army National Guard as such a prominent partner with us, not only in support of the No. 5 Nationwide car in 2008, but also as a co-primary for Dale in the Sprint Cup Series," said Kelley Elledge, vice president and general manager of JR Motorsports. "They have an unquestionable commitment to this program, and the enthusiasm they exude with both JR Motorsports and Hendrick Motorsports is extremely gratifying.

"I know Dale and Landon will represent the men and women of the National Guard well as drivers of the No. 5 Chevrolet, and we look forward to an exciting 2008 season for JR Motorsports."