Josh Wise gets a Nationwide ride

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Cool, now I have another open wheel ace to root for...

Wise joins Specialty Racing for '10 Nationwide season

MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Josh Wise, a former champion in the USAC National Sprint Car Series and the USAC National Midget Series, has signed with Nationwide Series team Specialty Racing. He will compete in all 35 races in the No. 61 Ford.

Wise, who scored a top-five finish in the Nationwide Series in 2008 at O'Reilly Raceway Park, will attempt his first full season in a NASCAR touring series.

"I'm excited to be with this team and to have a chance to run a full slate of Nationwide Series races," Wise said. "This is the first time that I have started a new stock-car season with a set ride. This is definitely a great opportunity to build on our progress week after week and improve as a team this year.

"We're locked into the Daytona race and the next four races after that, so we can certainly get a great jump on the 2010 season."

The Riverside, Calif., native has made 21 career starts in the Nationwide Series, including three in 2009. He also competed in the USAC Silver Crown Series last year for the Carl Edwards/Mike Curb-owned RE Racing team.

Specialty Racing -- owned by Doug Taylor and Charles Shoffner -- utilized five different drivers to finish 29th in the 2009 Nationwide owners' standings. That won't be the case this year.

"We're thrilled to be able to work with Josh this year and hopefully in years to come," Taylor said. "We want to build this into a championship-caliber team and we think that foundation begins with the driver. Josh is very talented and an up-and-coming star in this sport."

Specialty Racing is based in Statesville, N.C., and has competed at the Nationwide Series level since 1994.