MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Penske Racing announced that Ryan Blaney has joined the organization and will compete in the No. 22 Dodge in selected Nationwide Series race during the rest of the season.
Blaney, the 18-year-old son of Sprint Cup driver Dave Blaney, will make his Penske Racing debut Aug. 4 at Iowa Speedway. Ryan Blaney also will drive in at least two other races in 2012, at Richmond and Kentucky.
"Ryan is a driver with a great racing pedigree, and we believe he has a very bright future in NASCAR," said Tim Cindric, president of Penske Racing. "We've been keeping an eye on Ryan's development, and we feel he'll be a great addition to the No. 22 Nationwide Series team."
With a winning junior developmental record established in Quarter Midgets, Bandolero and Legends cars, Blaney also has raced successfully in Super Late Models, the ARCA Series and the K&N Pro Series. He has three Nationwide starts this season for Tommy Baldwin Racing and finished seventh at Richmond.
"I'm very excited about the opportunity to drive for Penske Racing for the rest of this season," Blaney said. "With the team's strong tradition of success and the winning program they've established in the Nationwide Series, I believe I can learn a lot, and hopefully we can produce some strong finishes in the No. 22 car."
Penske Racing is one of the most successful teams in professional sports history. Competing in a variety of disciplines, cars owned and prepared by Penske Racing have produced 359 major race wins, 419 pole positions and 23 championships.
I thought the same thing about Edwards last year, though I wonder if he is struggling this much because of the lack of track time in the Nationwide series.
