Gerhart, diagnosed with a left brachial plexus injury and a T6 compression fracture, has been fitted in a neck brace for comfort. The veteran driver has also been fitted with a back brace to be worn at all times in the upright position, and will undergo physical therapy under a physician's care in his hometown of Lebanon, Pennsylvania.

"Overall, I'm just so disappointed," said Gerhart on Wednesday. "As a team, we think it's plain to see that we've got this program completely turned around. We've been competitive everywhere. But our championship hopes are gone for 2007, and that's just disappointing; I don't know how else to say it.

"I just want to thank Lucas Oil, Eagle Warranty and all our sponsors for being so supportive through all of this."

Unable to drive the No. 5 Lucas Oil Chevrolet in this Saturday's Toyota 150 ARCA RE/MAX Series race at Nashville Superspeedway, Bobby Gerhart Racing has announced that veteran driver Brian Keselowski will sub for Gerhart at Nashville.

"It was a unanimous choice at BGR. I'm sure he'll (Keselowski) do a great job. The car he'll be in will be high quality in all regards, so he'll have the opportunity to win the race."

In six ARCA RE/MAX Series starts this year, Keselowski, driving the family-owned No. 29, has been extremely impressive with two victories already at Salem Speedway and Berlin Raceway. In fact, the Rochester Hills, Michigan third-generation driver hasn't finished out of the top-10 yet this year. Keselowski's first series victory came at Berlin in 2006, giving him three victories in 28 career ARCA RE/MAX Series starts.

Brother, car owner and crew chief Bill Gerhart certainly shares in his brother Bobby's enthusiasm regarding the decision to put Keselowski in the seat.

"We feel we've made a great choice in selecting Brian Keselowski for Nashville," said Bill Gerhart. "Honestly, our phone's been ringing off the hook, but Brian's going to be our driver. We feel like by choosing Brian we also keep things within the ARCA family. When we first broke into this series in the 80s, Brian's father Bob Keselowski was the man here. I mean, we really looked up to him, and we certainly still do. We have an enormous amount of respect for the entire Keselowski family. The Keselowski's have also been very supportive of our team over the years and have been instrumental in helping us with some of our short-track set-ups."

Bill Gerhart also shares in his brother's disappointment.

"To say that we are disappointed is an understatement," added Bill Gerhart. "We started with a two-year plan in 2005 to run for the championship in 2007. We've had, and continue to have, great support from our marketing partners and we've worked so hard to make this championship run a reality. We just want to thank our sponsors who have been very supportive of our entire situation."

Gerhart, a five-time Daytona ARCA 200 winner, has been flooded with phone calls and well wishes since the accident.

"I just want to personally thank everyone who's tried to call or reach out to me; it really does mean a lot. I also want everyone to know that I'll be back (in the driver's seat); I don't know when, but I'll be back."