Tommy Baldwin Racing parts with Alex Bowman, hires Regan Smith
Regan Smith went from not having a ride for 2016 to having a Cup Series gig over the course of this week while Alex Bowman went from having a job at NASCAR’s top level to being without one.
Tommy Baldwin Racing announced Thursday that it had parted ways with Bowman. The team had picked up the option on his contract for 2016 last season and even had a sponsor unveiling with the driver earlier in the offseason at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
The move to separate from Bowman made room for Regan Smith. The team said later in the day that the former JR Motorsports and Sprint Cup super-sub will drive for the team in 2016.
“This has been a crazy few days, but I’m really excited that we were able to put this together,” Smith said in a team statement. “I have a ton of respect for Tommy and what he’s built there. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
It’s Smith’s first full-time ride in the Cup Series since 2012, when he started the season for Furniture Row Racing. The team parted ways with Smith near the end of the season to make room for Kurt Busch and he finished the season (missing two races) with Phoenix Racing.
He spent the last three seasons driving for JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series. He also made starts for Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Busch and Kyle Larson in the Cup Series as those drivers were sidelined.
Smith’s lone career Sprint Cup win came in the 2011 Southern 500.
Bowman finished 33rd in the 2015 Cup standings and made all but one race. He still has a commitment to drive in nine Xfinity races for JR Motorsports in 2016.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
