Regan Smith lands with Earnhardt's Nationwide team for 2013

• Smith will drive JR Motorsports' No. 5 car; Cole Whitt will replace Danica Patrick in the No. 7
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. will now use the No. 88 for his select Nationwide appearances in 2013
• Smith had driven the No. 88 Cup car while Earnhardt missed two races with a concussion

Regan Smith's streak of 105 consecutive Sprint Cup starts will end at Martinsville Speedway this weekend, but he did get some good news Wednesday.

Smith will contend for the 2013 Nationwide Series championship of the No. 5 Chevrolet fielded by Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports. He will make his JRM debut in the Nov. 17 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway as a teammate to Cole Whitt and Danica Patrick.

"This is an extremely good opportunity for me," Smith said. "Dale Jr. and I first started talking about this several years ago, but the timing never matched up to where we could make it happen. Now it's time. I'm happy to be a part of this organization. I don't want to just win races. I want to be the team that dominates races and contends for the championship."

Smith, 29, had substituted the past two races in Hendrick Motorsports' No. 88 Chevrolet for Earnhardt, who was cleared Tuesday to return from a concussion at Martinsville. Smith finished seventh Sunday at Kansas Speedway.

After losing his Furniture Row Racing ride two weeks ago, Smith had been slated to drive the No. 51 Chevrolet for Phoenix Racing before shifting over to Earnhardt's car at Charlotte Motor Speedway. A.J. Allmendinger has driven the No. 51 since then, but Fox Sports reported Smith will drive the car in the season's final two races.

Smith has been competing in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck series since 2002 and was the Sprint Cup rookie of the year in 2008. He hasn't driven in Nationwide since 2007 when he had five top-10 finishes and a pole at Kentucky Speedway.

"Regan has always impressed me," Earnhardt said. "He gets the most of his car, no matter what he's driving or who he's driving for. He takes care of his cars and gets good finishes. With his experience and ability, we feel he can excel in our equipment. He has a super personality, and his ability to work with everyone here at JR Motorsports and Hendrick Motorsports will be important in getting us back to the winner's circle."

Said Smith: "It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks for me, but it's been great. Filling in for Dale Jr. was an honor, and it got me acclimated to the Hendrick Motorsports group, which obviously JR Motorsports works with hand in hand. I was glad to fill in for Dale Jr., and I'm happy that he's back in his race car this week at Martinsville."

JRM wants to field two full-time teams in 2013 but only has enough sponsorship to ensure Smith's No. 5 as a full-time entry. General manager Kelley Earnhardt Miller said the team wants Cole Whitt, who has driven JRM's No. 88 this season, to drive its No. 7.

Earnhardt Jr. will drive the No. 88 in a handful of Nationwide races next season.

"We feel it is important for our sponsors, our fans, and even Dale to keep his Nationwide Series number consistent with his Cup number," Earnhardt Miller said. "His brand is associated with the No. 88. That's what makes him distinguishable on the racetrack, so it's only natural that he drives the No. 88 all the time.

"To do that, we are making our No. 5 Chevrolet our full-time entry. We hope to have Cole in the No. 7 full time in 2013, and we are working hard on securing sponsorship for that."