NASCAR 'Double Dipper' Brad Keselowski via nascar-assets.americaneagle.com Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images for NASCAR
Double-duty driver hopefuls list growing
Kyle Busch’s name may not be on the list, at least not yet, but the list of drivers hoping to race full-time in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series just keeps growing. It’s pretty much expected that Carl Edwards would do the double, after all it seems like he has been pulling full-time double-duty for years. Then, Brad Keselowski added his name to the list when he announced his move to Penske Racing, announcing that he would pilot cars for Penske full-time in both series.
Last month, Paul Menard signed up for full double-duty when Roush Fenway Racing announced that the driver would be behind the wheel full-time in a Roush Fenway Nationwide entry. Meanwhile, Menard will compete on the Sprint Cup side for Richard Petty Motorsports.
Plans for Edwards, Keselowski, and Menard to compete at both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup levels full-time in 2010 look to be a done deal. Meanwhile, a couple of other drivers are hoping for the same schedule.
During the offseason, Mike Bliss secured a Sprint Cup seat with Tommy Baldwin Racing in its No. 36 car. In the time since, he has announced that he’ll run at least the first three Nationwide Series races on the 2010 schedule for Key Motorsports – a deal that he hopes turns into a full-season gig.
"I will be in the No. 40 for the first three Nationwide Series races, Daytona, California and Las Vegas," Bliss said. "Depending on sponsorship, I could be in the car all year and we are working for that to happen."
If enough sponsorship is found for Key’s No. 40 team, enter full-time double-dipper number four.
Michael McDowell is in the opposite situation of Bliss, but has the same two-series full-time hopes.
McDowell has a ride that is seemingly secured for a full Nationwide season in MacDonald Motorsports, but he’s hoping that enough sponsor dollars can be secured by new Sprint Cup team Prism Motorsports to fund a full-season of competition.
Prism Motorsports, which is aligned with Michael Waltrip Racing, is still looking for a sponsor, so McDowell’s deal with the team is a race-by-race one for now, but McDowell has said that if he has is way, it’ll develop into a full-time ride to compliment his Nationwide gig with Key Motorsports.
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