Regan Smith will replace Sterling Marlin in the No. 14 car next week at Indianapolis, and Joe Nemechek has been released from his duties in the No. 13 car as Ginn Racing continues its ongoing restructuring.

In addition, Busch driver Aric Almirola will split time with Mark Martin in the No. 01 car.

"We are starting our future now," said Jay Frye, Ginn Racing's CEO and general manager. "A lot has been said about our program recently and this shows we've been working hard to solidify our future."

Marlin said he was shocked by the news.

"You know, it kind of caught me by surprise," the driver said Tuesday evening on Sirius Satellite Radio. "I guess they've got to do things to reorganize and do what they gotta do. And, you know, I do have a valid contract with them and they gotta do what they say they're gonna do and everything will be fine."

The teams of Nemechek and Marlin have been beset by sponsorship woes, a situation that has forced the Ginn team -- which came within a few inches of winning the Daytona 500 in February -- to step back and reorganize.

"We appreciate everything that Joe and Sterling have done for us," Frye said. "They have been a class act."

Marlin said he would have liked the situation to be a little more classier.

"Well, you know, the classiest thing to me would have been to finish the year out," Marlin said. "I didn't make it any secret that I was planning on cutting back next year, running 15-20 races. But to do something in mid-year, just totally unexpected -- you know, Joe [Nemechek] had the same thing happen to him -- and, you know, it's sponsor-driven.

"... I can get up and look in the mirror and know I've done everything right. I don't think that's the case on the other side so I'll just leave it at that."

On Wednesday morning Nemechek also spoke on Sirius: "It's very disappointing, but part of the business is it takes a lot of dollars to make these Cup teams go 'round and it seems like it never stops.

"And unfortunately for myself and the situation, hopping out of the No. 01 car and getting in and starting a new team for them, I never dreamed that this would be the case. So, kind of shot myself in the foot there but, man, it just takes dollars."

The U.S. Army, which backs Martin's No. 01 car, is the only full-time sponsor the team currently has in place for next season.

"I don't think that Bobby and Jay ever thought it was going to be that hard to find sponsors," Nemechek said. "The disappointing thing is here starting a new team and being the only new team that has been able to get in the top 35 [in owner points]. So that's a big accomplishment."

Ginn said that while sponsorship was a facor in the reorganization, the Car of Tomorrow also played a role in the decison.

"Our plan has been from the beginning that we were going to build our team slowly, over time, not make snap decisions and quick decisions that we would look back on and regret and so we were running the truck and the Busch car and Regan was doing great in the Busch car," Ginn said. "He had done pretty well in the Cup and so I talked with Mark and Jay [Frye] and Mark was convinced that he was ready to run a full-time schedule so if I've got to run a car with no sponsorship on it I may as well be trying to get my young driver seat time.

"In our particular situation, right now, I think the younger drivers is what most of the sponsors [want]," Ginn said. "They're either going after the big names or they're going after somebody that they think is going to be a big name."

Smith had been splitting time with Martin in the No. 01 and driving in the Busch Series, but Ginn recently shuttered its Busch operation as part of a rollback that also involved some layoffs. Looking to get the young driver more seat time, Ginn will move him into the car driven Marlin, who turned 50 earlier this month and was not likely to be back with the team next year.

Almirola was credited with a victory in a Busch race at Milwaukee earlier this season, but was stung when he was replaced during that event by Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin, who arrived late from the Nextel Cup event at Sonoma, Calif. Almirola came up through the developmental program at Gibbs, which viewed the 23-year-old as a prime candidate to pilot an eventual fourth Nextel Cup team.

Almirola's first race in the No. 01 will be Aug. 12 at Watkins Glen. He will fulfill his obligations with Joe Gibbs Racing and compete in five more Busch races for the team this season.