Furniture Row Racing
Encyclopedia
Furniture Row Racing is a NASCAR
team based in Colorado
and fields the #78 Chevrolet Impala
for Regan Smith
. The team is owned and sponsored by the U.S. furniture store chain Furniture Row
and is the only NASCAR team headquartered in Colorado.
It made its NASCAR debut in the Busch Series
at Nashville Superspeedway
in 2005 with Jerry Robertson driving, starting 24th and finishing 33rd. Robertson ran ten races with the team in 2005, his best finish being a 22nd at California Speedway
. The team made two NEXTEL Cup
appearances as well, with Kenny Wallace
debuting the team at Dover International Speedway
, and Robertson running at Phoenix International Raceway
.
Wallace was scheduled to drive the first five races in 2006 and Robertson filling out the rest of the schedule. At the 2006 Daytona 500
, Kenny Wallace failed to put the #78 Furniture Row car in the field. Wallace qualified for the next two races, at California Speedway
and Las Vegas Motor Speedway
, finishing 41st and 38th. However, the performance of the team was not good enough to make the top 35 in points, and the team ran with various drivers for the rest of the year, Jimmy Spencer
(both Pocono races) and Travis Kvapil
(at road courses) also drove the car. The team also teamed up with PPI Motorsports
to share equipment and resources throughout the season. Robertson also competed in select Busch Series events 2006, his best finish 29th.
Kenny Wallace was hired continue to be the full-time driver in 2007. Wallace had two sixth-place starts this season but was released in August 2007. After Scott Wimmer
and Sterling Marlin
failed to qualify in the car in the following weeks, Joe Nemechek
was named permanent driver. FRR completed a 3 year contract with Nemechek (2008–2010) towards the end of the season. In early 2008, Wallace returned to Furniture Row to drive in the Daytona 500
in a car that was supposed to serve as a safety net for Nemechek in case his team didn't make the field. Instead, Nemechek locked himself into the field with a third place qualifying run, and Wallace secured a spot in the race in the Gatorade Duels. At the ninth race of the 2008 season Joe Nemechek gave the team their first pole. In October 2008 at Talladega, Nemechek gave FRR its then-best finish ever of 11th. For 2009 the team announced it would cut back to a part-time schedule due to money constraints. Joe Nemechek was to remain as the driver but the team bought out the rest of his contract. Regan Smith
ran 18 races in the #78 car in 2009.
The team resumed full-time duties in 2010. The team aligned with Richard Childress Racing
and earned Top 35 status for the first five races of 2010 by purchasing the owner points from RCR's 07 car. Childress was listed as the official owner of the #78.
On November 15, 2010, the Furniture Row Racing transporter and motorcoach were destroyed in an accident on Interstate 25 about forty miles from the team's Denver headquarters. Richard Childress Racing provided the team a fully equipped transporter for Furniture Row's use at Homestead..
At the 2011 Daytona 500
, Smith gave Furniture Row its first Top Ten, with a seventh place finish. On May 7th, 2011, Smith gave Furniture Row its first top five finish, and first victory, at Darlington Raceway
in the Southern 500
.
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
team based in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
and fields the #78 Chevrolet Impala
Chevrolet Impala
The Chevrolet Impala is a full-size automobile built by the Chevrolet division of General Motors introduced for the 1958 model year. Deriving its name from the southern African antelope, Chevrolet's most expensive passenger model through 1965 had become the best-selling automobile in the United...
for Regan Smith
Regan Smith
Regan Smith is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #78 Furniture Row Chevrolet Impala for Furniture Row Racing.-Beginnings:...
. The team is owned and sponsored by the U.S. furniture store chain Furniture Row
Furniture Row
Furniture Row Companies is a group of specialty home furnishings, mattress and linens stores with headquarters in Denver, Colorado, USA, and stores in 31 states. It operates at least four franchises: Sofa Mart, Oak Express, Denver Mattress, and Bedroom Expressions, the last of which still sells...
and is the only NASCAR team headquartered in Colorado.
It made its NASCAR debut in the Busch Series
Busch Series
The NASCAR Nationwide Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. It is promoted as NASCAR's "minor league" circuit, and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big leagues"; the Sprint Cup circuit...
at Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway is a motor racing complex located in Gladeville, Tennessee , United States, about 30 miles southeast of Nashville. On August 2, 2011, it was announced that Nashville Superspeedway will not host any NASCAR events in 2012. It is a concrete oval track 1 1/3 miles in...
in 2005 with Jerry Robertson driving, starting 24th and finishing 33rd. Robertson ran ten races with the team in 2005, his best finish being a 22nd at California Speedway
California Speedway
Auto Club Speedway is a two-mile , low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1997. The track was also used for open wheel racing events until 2005. The racetrack is located near the former locations of Ontario Motor Speedway and...
. The team made two NEXTEL Cup
NEXTEL Cup
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing . The series was originally known as the Strictly Stock Series and Grand National Series . While leasing its naming rights to R. J...
appearances as well, with Kenny Wallace
Kenny Wallace
Kenneth Wallace is an American stock car driver who currently drives the #09 Family Farmers/University of Northwestern Ohio/Federated Auto Parts/American Ethanol/Iowa Corn/G-Oil/Marquis Energy Toyota Camry for RAB Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series...
debuting the team at Dover International Speedway
Dover International Speedway
Dover International Speedway is a NASCAR-sanctioned race track located in Dover, Delaware, owned by, and serving as the corporate headquarters of, Dover Motorsports, Inc. It is co-located with a harness racing track, Dover Downs, and shares the complex with Dover Downs Hotel & Casino...
, and Robertson running at Phoenix International Raceway
Phoenix International Raceway
Phoenix International Raceway, also known as PIR, is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. The track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the Indycar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series...
.
Wallace was scheduled to drive the first five races in 2006 and Robertson filling out the rest of the schedule. At the 2006 Daytona 500
2006 Daytona 500
The 2006 Daytona 500 was the first race in the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup season. It took place on February 19, 2006 at Daytona International Speedway.-Qualifying and Gatorade Duels:...
, Kenny Wallace failed to put the #78 Furniture Row car in the field. Wallace qualified for the next two races, at California Speedway
California Speedway
Auto Club Speedway is a two-mile , low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1997. The track was also used for open wheel racing events until 2005. The racetrack is located near the former locations of Ontario Motor Speedway and...
and Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada near Las Vegas, is a complex of multiple tracks for automobile racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.-History:...
, finishing 41st and 38th. However, the performance of the team was not good enough to make the top 35 in points, and the team ran with various drivers for the rest of the year, Jimmy Spencer
Jimmy Spencer
Jimmy Spencer is a current television commentator, and a former NASCAR driver. He formerly hosted the NASCAR inspired talk show, “What’s the Deal?”, on SPEED. He is the former co-host, with John Roberts and Kenny Wallace, of the SPEED's pre-race and post-race NASCAR shows NASCAR RaceDay and...
(both Pocono races) and Travis Kvapil
Travis Kvapil
Travis Kvapil is an American race car driver. He currently drives for Front Row Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.-Early career:...
(at road courses) also drove the car. The team also teamed up with PPI Motorsports
PPI Motorsports
PPI Motorsports was a race team which competed in CART, NASCAR, and various off-road racing circuits. The team had one of the few remaining single car operations in NASCAR.-Early years:...
to share equipment and resources throughout the season. Robertson also competed in select Busch Series events 2006, his best finish 29th.
Kenny Wallace was hired continue to be the full-time driver in 2007. Wallace had two sixth-place starts this season but was released in August 2007. After Scott Wimmer
Scott Wimmer
Scott Wimmer is a NASCAR Nationwide Series driver. He has a total of 6 wins in the Nationwide Series. His brother Chris Wimmer competed in the Busch Series. Wimmer co-owns State Park Speedway in a Wausau suburb...
and Sterling Marlin
Sterling Marlin
Sterling Marlin is a retired NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver. He is the son of late NASCAR driver Coo Coo Marlin. He is married to Paula and has a daughter, Sutherlin, and a son, Steadman, who sometimes races in the Nationwide Series....
failed to qualify in the car in the following weeks, Joe Nemechek
Joe Nemechek
Joseph Frank Nemechek III is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver and owner of NEMCO Motorsports. He won the 1992 Busch Series championship...
was named permanent driver. FRR completed a 3 year contract with Nemechek (2008–2010) towards the end of the season. In early 2008, Wallace returned to Furniture Row to drive in the Daytona 500
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....
in a car that was supposed to serve as a safety net for Nemechek in case his team didn't make the field. Instead, Nemechek locked himself into the field with a third place qualifying run, and Wallace secured a spot in the race in the Gatorade Duels. At the ninth race of the 2008 season Joe Nemechek gave the team their first pole. In October 2008 at Talladega, Nemechek gave FRR its then-best finish ever of 11th. For 2009 the team announced it would cut back to a part-time schedule due to money constraints. Joe Nemechek was to remain as the driver but the team bought out the rest of his contract. Regan Smith
Regan Smith
Regan Smith is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #78 Furniture Row Chevrolet Impala for Furniture Row Racing.-Beginnings:...
ran 18 races in the #78 car in 2009.
The team resumed full-time duties in 2010. The team aligned with Richard Childress Racing
Richard Childress Racing
RCR Enterprises, LLC, doing business as Richard Childress Racing, is a NASCAR team based in Welcome, North Carolina, and is owned and operated by former driver Richard Childress...
and earned Top 35 status for the first five races of 2010 by purchasing the owner points from RCR's 07 car. Childress was listed as the official owner of the #78.
On November 15, 2010, the Furniture Row Racing transporter and motorcoach were destroyed in an accident on Interstate 25 about forty miles from the team's Denver headquarters. Richard Childress Racing provided the team a fully equipped transporter for Furniture Row's use at Homestead..
At the 2011 Daytona 500
2011 Daytona 500
The 2011 Daytona 500, the 53rd running of the event, was held on February 20, 2011 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida over 200 laps on the 2.5 mile asphalt tri-oval. First race of the 2011 Sprint Cup Series season, it was won by the Wood Brothers...
, Smith gave Furniture Row its first Top Ten, with a seventh place finish. On May 7th, 2011, Smith gave Furniture Row its first top five finish, and first victory, at Darlington Raceway
Darlington Raceway
Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed the "Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition"...
in the Southern 500
Southern 500
The Showtime Southern 500 is the annual spring NASCAR Sprint Cup race held at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, USA, and is the second such event at Darlington to bear the name. It began in 1957 as a race in the Convertible Division, known as the Rebel 300. In 1966, the race was...
.
Sprint Cup statistics
| Year | Starts | Wins | Top Fives | Top Tens | Poles | Avg. Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34.0 |
| 2006 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34.2 |
| 2007 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29.0 |
| 2008 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 33.7 |
| 2009 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27.7 |
| 2010 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24.5 |
| 2011 | 36 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 25.5 |
| Totals | 143 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 28.2 |