CUP: Furniture Row Will Go Full Time

Sprint Cup

CUP: Furniture Row Will Go Full Time

Regan Smith will run the full 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule for Furniture Row Racing next season...

Tom Jensen | Posted August 19, 2009 Bristol, TN

Regan Smith will drive the team’s No. 78 Impala SS in 2010. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

After a year of painful contraction among NASCAR Sprint Cup teams, Furniture Row Racing announced Wednesday that will buck the trend and go back to full-time racing next season.

The 2008 Raybestos Rookie of the Year Regan Smith, who has qualified for all 11 Cup races he’s entered this season, has signed a contract extension and will drive the team’s No. 78 Impala SS in 2010.

“The decision to return to a full-time schedule was based on the positive effect the race team along with NASCAR's popularity have had on the Furniture Row Cos.’ marketing and advertising programs,” the team said in a statement issued late Wednesday.

Denver-based Furniture Row Cos. is one of the largest family-owned specialty home furnishings and bedding retailers with more than 330 stores in 31 states. The company is comprised of four specialty store brands including: Sofa Mart, Oak Express, Bedroom Expressions and Denver Mattress, all of which reside primarily in their Furniture Row Shopping Center complexes.

“Ever since Furniture Row Racing started its NASCAR venture four years ago, the race team has played a significant role in our national marketing, advertising and brand awareness programs,” said Tom Faulkner, president of Furniture Row Cos. “Due to the sudden economic downturn last fall it was decided to run a partial schedule in 2009. Even with the part-time schedule, the race team has continued to provide positive results for the company and we feel that it is important to our company’s momentum to have a presence at all of the NASCAR Sprint Cup events in 2010.”

The race team, which ran a full schedule from 2006-08, will continue to search for additional sponsorship partners, in the form of primary or associate to help with costs and possibly grow the race team.

"We are obviously excited about the future of Furniture Row Racing,” said General Manager Joe Garone. “We feel we have taken a major step this season from a competitive standpoint and look forward to acquiring additional sponsorship funds so we can become one of NASCAR’s elite and contending teams.”

Garone added, “Being the only team located west of the Mississippi provides some key advantages. Colorado brings a different landscape into play for workers who find themselves ready for change, and having a top equipped Sprint Cup team in Denver allows people to perform their specialized work in the outstanding Colorado environment.”

“I am thrilled to continue my association with Furniture Row Racing,” said the 25-year-old Smith. “We’ve made great headway as a part-time team this season and we all look forward to reaching a new level in 2010. Furniture Row Racing is committed to providing the necessary resources to be competitive on a weekly basis.”

The No. 78 Furniture Row team was originally scheduled to compete in 12 races in 2009. Four additional races have been added to the schedule, including Saturday night’s race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. According to Garone, more races may be added this season.

Smith has posted six top-22 finishes with his best results of 12th at the July Daytona race and 15th at Talladega in April.

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of ?Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,? and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to

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