Bobby Dale Earnhardt out of the No. 89 car for IRP

Bobby Dale Earnhardt, the driver of the No. 89 for Rise Racing full time in the ARCA Menards Series, will skip the next race on the schedule at Indy Raceway Park. Earnhardt will miss the race due to a lack of sponsorship.

“We weren’t able to finalize the funding needed in time for the event and that’s part of the reality of this sport sometimes” said Earnhardt in a statement. “Wishing Rise Racing the best of luck at IRP.”

He is seventh in points, with one top 10 finish at Daytona. The number of full time drivers in ARCA will drop to eight.

“We look forward to having Bobby back in the seat as quickly as possible pending funding and sponsorship,” said Tim Goulet, Rise Racing team owner to The Racing Experts.

The No. 89 team will remain full-time. A different driver will be in the car for IRP on Friday, July 24 per Goulet.

As of now, Earnhardt will only miss IRP despite an announcement that Chase Howard will drive the car at the two dirt races (Springfield and DuQuoin). Goulet said that Earnhardt will drive a different car number for those races, while Howard will run the No. 89 to get the car higher in owner points.

The No. 89 is 12th in the owners standings.