After weeks of speculation, Regan Smith was formally introduced as the driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet. Running only a limited twelve-race schedule, last year's Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year looks to help make this team a competitive force on the track.

"Furniture Row Racing is thrilled to obtain the driving services of Regan, who is one of the bright young talents in NASCAR," team president and general manager Joe Garone explained. "His competitiveness and enthusiasm on the track speak for itself. In addition, he is a good fit for not only our sponsor but any partners looking for strong corporate representation in the Sprint Cup Series."

"I look forward to continuing my career in the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevy," Smith said Wednesday. "Though it's a single-car team that battles heavy odds against the mega multicar operations, the organization has always been highly respected in the garage for its use of some of the best equipment as well as an undying commitment to growing a winning team. That's all a driver can ask for and I can't wait to get to Daytona and compete in another superspeedway race."

The 25-year-old Smith has one full season under his belt in the Cup Series and has proven to get the job done on the track. While he has yet to score an official top-10 in the Cup Series, Smith showed last October in Talladega that he can slice and dice with the best of them.

Making a last-lap pass on Tony Stewart going through the tri-oval, Smith drove below the yellow line and took the checkers. The joy of his first career win was quickly diminished as NASCAR penalized the former Dale Earnhardt Inc. driver for going below the out of bounds line to make the pass. Subsequently, Smith was forced to swallow a more than disappointing 18th-place finish.

Crew chief Jay Guy knows firsthand Smith's talents behind the wheel and is excited about beginning their new relationship.

"I look forward to continuing the growth of this Furniture Row team with Regan behind the wheel," Guy added. "After racing against him in the Nationwide Series and seeing how much raw talent he has, I find myself both excited and optimistic for the 2009 season."

While he only has 41 Sprint Cup Series starts to his name, as Guy pointed out, Smith has over 100 Nationwide Series starts under his belt. The Cato, New York-native has also competed in 23 Camping World Truck Series events since 2002.

A born racer, Smith began his career racing quarter-midgets in upstate New York. By the age of 12, Smith had joined the World Karting Association (WKA) and became the WKA Grand National Champion in 1996 and took the WKA manufacturer's Cup the following year. Taking his talents north of the border, Smith went on to take the Canadian Grand National (KART) title in 1998.

Smith's winning continued when his joined the Allison Legacy Series, becoming the 1999 Rookie of the Year and series champion. Prior to NASCAR debut in 2002, Smith spent two years honing his stock car skills in the highly competitive USAR Hooters ProCup Series.

Now taking the next step in his career, Smith looks to bring that winning tradition with him to Furniture Row Racing. By choosing to run only twelve races (see below for the team's planned events), Smith, Guy and the entire No. 78 team are committing themselves to showing up a contender each time they hit the track.


2009 Furniture Row Racing Sprint Cup Schedule

Feb. 15     Daytona, Fla.
March 1     Las Vegas, Nev.
April 18     Phoenix, Ariz.
April 26     Talladega, Ala.
May 31      Dover, Del.
June 21    Sonoma, Calif.
July 4        Daytona, Fla.
Aug. 9      Watkins Glen, N.Y.
Sept. 12    Richmond, Va.
Sept. 27    Dover, Del.
Nov. 1      Talladega, Ala.
Nov. 15     Phoenix, Ariz.