California native Cole Whitt has been selected to drive the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series. Whitt replaces Aric Almirola, who was announced Wednesday as the new driver of the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 car.

JRM co-owner Dale Earnhardt, Jr. knows talent and has the best development program in the series. Martin Truex, Jr. and Brad Keselowski went on to become Sprint Cup winners after successful stints with the team owned by Earnhardt, Jr. and his sister Kelley.

"Cole is the guy we wanted, and we're lucky to get him," said Dale, Jr. "He's got raw, untapped talent, but we are most impressed with his ambition. I sought advice and input from people I respect in the industry, and the overwhelming consensus was that Cole has the potential to do great things in this sport."

Whitt finished ninth in last year's Truck Series championship standings with one pole, two top-five's and 11 top-10's.

"This is a big opportunity for me, and I'm happy to be a part of the JR Motorsports team," said Whitt. "I'm grateful to Dale, Kelley and everyone at JR Motorsports for giving me this chance. It's an honor to work with the Eurys, and I will do everything in my power to put this No. 88 team where it belongs in Victory Lane."

With sponsorship from Unilever and TaxSlayer, the team will compete for the championship while Whitt battles Austin Dillon and Brad Sweet for 2012 Nationwide rookie honors.

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