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JR Motorsports officials announced Thursday that road-racing veteran Andy Pilgrim will drive the team's No. 88 Chevrolet in the upcoming NASCAR Busch Series races at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and Watkins Glen International.
In putting Pilgrim in his team's car, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is following through on a promise his dad, Dale Earnhardt, made to the road-course ace some years ago.
According to a team release, Earnhardt Jr. and his dad teamed up with Kelly Collins and Pilgrim to race a Chevrolet Corvette in the 2001 Rolex 24 at Daytona. Pilgrim tutored both Earnhardts on how to maneuver the lighter car, and the team finished fourth. At that time, Earnhardt promised to one day give Pilgrim a chance to drive one of his cars in NASCAR Competition, but he died in a crash in the Daytona 500 later that year.
"My dad told Andy that he'd give him a shot at driving one of his cars after racing in the Corvette at Daytona," Earnhardt Jr. said. "He wasn't able to make good on that promise, so I'm doing it for him."
Pilgrim was approved for NASCAR competition after completing a successful test session with JR Motorsports at Virginia International Raceway on Wednesday.
"We talked about doing it with Dale years ago," Pilgrim said. "I remember Dale told me he wanted to put me in a car for a road-course race, and he seemed serious, but I'm one of those people who is a bit of a pragmatist.
"You don't say anything to anyone in case it never happens, but you're thinking, 'Man, that would be so cool.' Unfortunately that chapter closed, and it was like 'That's OK. It was real nice to think about it."


JR Motorsports names driver for road races