After Ryan Newman announced his departure from Penske Racing to join Stewart-Haas Racing in the No. 39 next season, the search for a new driver has been ongoing, until now.

On Wednesday, David Stremme was told that he is no longer just the Cup test driver, but Penske Racing’s new Sprint Cup driver for 2009 in the No. 12 Dodge. Looking to the future, Stremme is confident he can win races with Penske and Alltel, his sponsor who has signed a multi-year agreement with the No. 12 car. The crew chief or personnel surrounding the team has yet to be named, but Stremme said it’s in the works.

He has most recently been driving for Rusty Wallace Racing at the Nationwide Series level, but will now be making his move back to the Sprint Cup Series with Penske Racing.