Turner Motorsports announced today that Reed Sorenson, who is currently third in the Nationwide Series standings, is out as driver of the No. 32 Dollar General Chevrolet.
Brian Vickers will assume driving duties from Sorenson beginning this weekend at Kansas Speedway.
Turner offered no reason why Sorenson has been sidelined despite the driver currently sitting third in the Nationwide Series points standings. Sorenson won at Elkhart Lake this season and has seven top-fives and 18 top 10 finishes.
"I'm pretty confused right now," Sorenson said. "I really don't know what's going on right now. I'm trying to figure some stuff out and get through this weekend.
"It's hard on me, it's hard on the guys that work on this car and where we finish in points. So it's a bad deal."
The announcement comes on the same day that Turner Motorsports acknowledged that Dollar General was leaving at the end of the year. Dollar General is expected to be a limited sponsor on one of Joe Gibbs Racing's Cup cars and as a primary sponsor in the Nationwide Series. Calls to J.D. Gibbs were not returned.
Vickers, the 2003 NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion, who has a long-standing relationship with the team, will also get behind the wheel at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The driver for the remaining 2011 races will be announced at a later date.
"We are continuing to evaluate our racing program as we look to the 2012 season," team owner Steve Turner said in a statement. "... We are confident Brian can help assess where we are, as a company currently, and the direction we are going as we build our programs for 2012 and beyond."
Vickers received permission from Red Bull to race for Turner. This will be his first NNS race of the year. With limited prospects for next season, Vickers must compete in the Nationwide Series this season to activate his champion's provsitional on the tour for 2012.
