DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Regan Smith has been named to replace suspended Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kurt Busch for the Daytona 500, with no decisions finalized on whether its No. 41 car will be on the track next week at Atlanta.
Busch had the first appeal of his indefinite suspension denied by NASCAR Saturday afternoon and lost his final appeal Saturday night in a ruling by NASCAR Final Appeals Officer Bryan Moss. A former president of Gulfstream who was named as NASCAR's top appeals boss in 2014, Moss had not ruled on any final appeal until Saturday night. Busch remains suspended indefinitely.
Smith, a former Cup driver who competes full time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports, was fitted in the car and practiced in it Saturday morning.
SHR announced that it had "accepted" NASCAR's decision and had used black tape Saturday morning to cover the decal of Busch's nickname "Outlaw" over the driver's side door of the car.
SHR Executive Vice President Brett Frood said the team would weigh the opinion of sponsors when deciding who will race the 500.
"Right now we're preparing for Regan being in the 500," Frood said Saturday. "We're focused on being in the car, getting through this practice, and that's what we're preparing for."
SHR has not announced who will drive the car beyond Daytona. The Sprint Cup Series heads to Atlanta next week, and the No. 41 car is primarily funded by team co-owner Gene Haas, who hand-picked Busch to start driving the car in 2014 and has supported Busch throughout the allegations.
"We haven't spoken about anything beyond [Daytona]," Frood said when asked if the car would be on the track next week.
Smith, who has one Cup win in 172 career starts, is familiar with the role as an emergency substitute driver. He competed in two races for Dale Earnhardt Jr. (the co-owner of JRM) after Earnhardt was diagnosed with a concussion in 2012, and one race for Tony Stewart in 2014 the day after the sprint car Stewart was driving struck and killed Kevin Ward Jr. at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Motorsports Park.
"They've got a car capable of winning the race. ... I've got nothing to lose in this race other than go out and drive as hard as I can and as fast I can," said Smith, who will have to give up Busch's starting spot of 24th and take the green at the rear of the field Sunday because of a driver change. "If it ruffles a few feathers, oh well. That's how it is."
Smith's wife, Megan, is expecting the couple's first child in two weeks. Smith said he will race even if his wife goes into labor.
"It's a big opportunity for me to be able to race that car," Smith said. "I've asked her to keep her legs crossed as long as she can if she does go into labor."
Smith flipped in Satuday's Xfinity Series race at Daytona and his car landed on its wheels and continued to skid. He eventually walked to the ambulance and was OK.