Dennis Setzer (VPS Motorimages Photo)

UPDATE: Dennis Setzer will drive the No. 08 Greenlight Racing Chevrolet at New Hampshire Int'l Speedway.

Dennis Setzer will not drive the No. 75 Spears Manufacturing Chevrolet in the New Hampshire 200 at New Hampshire International Speedway, team officials and the driver confirmed today. Setzer won the Ohio 250 earlier this year at Mansfield Motorsports Park driving for the Spears team, but has found frustration throughout the majority of the 2007 season.

"I spoke to Mr. Spears earlier in the week and was informed they were going to try someone else for the New Hampshire race," Setzer said. "It seems like every week we have been racing for 18th or 19th and the only way to make up any ground is if people ahead of us fall out. It's not from any lack of effort on the team's part. Everyone at the shop is working their tails off, and I am giving it all I can. For some reason, we just haven't had the results. Maybe this gives us all a chance to take a look at what else is out there and we get back together and use that momentum to go forward and get some solid runs before the end of the season."

Al Hoffman, team manager for Spears Motorsports, stressed that Setzer has not been released from the team.

"Dennis Setzer has not been released or fired as our driver," Hoffman said. "I can confirm that we will have another driver racing the No. 75 at New Hampshire, but as of right now it is just for that one race. Wayne (Spears, team owner) has already approved Dennis' request to find another ride for that race. We cannot confirm who our driver will be at this time, but that announcement will come in the next few days."

Setzer confirmed that he will attend the New Hampshire event with the Green Light Racing team.

Setzer joined the Spears team in 2007 after a successful tenure at Morgan-Dollar Motorsports. In six seasons with Morgan-Dollar, Setzer racked up 11 wins and finished second in the series championship standings in three consecutive years from 2003 through 2005.

Other than the victory at Mansfield in May Setzer only has one other top-ten finish this season, a seventh-place finish at Atlanta in March. Since the Mansfield win, Setzer's best finish was 13th in the Power Stroke Diesel 200 at O'Reilly Raceway Park in late July. All told, Setzer has 17 NCTS wins in a career that dates back to the series first season in 1995. He has started 218 consecutive series races dating back to the Gateway race in 1998.