» V8s: A new home for David Reynolds

There is now just one vacancy left on the 2012 V8 Supercars grid, with Rod Nash Racing today announcing that David Reynolds will pilot its #55 The Bottle-O Racing Team’s Ford Falcon for the upcoming championship season.

Twenty-six-year-old Reynolds has been something of a rising star in motorsport, winning the Australian Formula Ford and Porsche Carrera Cup titles en route to making it into the V8 Supercars championship.

Last year, he competed in a STRATCO-backed Holden run by Kelly Racing, earning much acclaim for his regularly impressive qualifying pace.

But he also spent much of the second half of the year caught in a contractual tussle between his employers and Rod Nash Racing – a team run under the Ford Performance Racing stable – over his services for the 2012 season.

Kelly Racing has since confirmed that it had released Reynolds from his contract with the team as part of a confidential settlement. His former employers have since signed Karl Reindler to drive in Reynolds’ place, leaving Reynolds to sign with Nash’s factory-backed outfit.

“David is undoubtedly one of the stars of the future and we aim to work closely together to ensure our car joins the other two factory Fords at the head of the field,” said team boss Rod Nash.

“This should be made easier by the high level of development FPR has brought onto its cars in recent months so I am confident we are giving David a race-winning car.”

The team also confirmed that former V8 Supercars regular Dean Canto will be Reynolds’ co-driver at the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000 endurance events.