Sprint Cup - Former Bojangles Southern 500 Winner To Sub For Junior

DARLINGTON, Oct. 11, 2012: It was announced today that Regan Smith will replace Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 Chevrolet for the next two races at Charlotte and Kansas.

Smith, a regular on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for the past six years, is most known for his first and only career Cup victory, which came at Darlington Raceway in the 2011 Bojangles’ Southern 500.

It was a historic win for his former team, Furniture Row Racing, and one of the most surprise victories of the 2011 Sprint Cup Series season.

“This is the Southern 500, we’re not supposed to win this thing! This is awesome,” an excited Smith said when he crossed the start/finish line at the Lady in Black.

“Winning at Darlington means a lot to me and is definitely one of my greatest racing achievements in my career,” he would later say.

Now, Smith will have two opportunities to pilot one of the most famous cars in the sport with, support from one of the top teams in the business – Hendrick Motorsports.

It’s an opportunity he’s never had since entering the Sprint Cup Series in 2007. Now is his chance to put the No. 88 in Gatorade Victory Lane over the next two weeks like he did at the track Too Tough to Tame last season.