FastCar Newsdesk for week of 1/9/09
Many familiar stock drivers will turn their attention to sports car racing in the Rolex 24 as the NASCAR season looms. Casey Mears, who won the event back in 2006, will race for his Sprint Cup owner Richard Childress’ sports car team. Childress-Howard Racing will also have IRL driver Danica Patrick behind the wheel.
Other NASCAR drivers looking to impress in the Rolex 24 include defending Rolex 24 winner Juan Pablo Montoya, three-time reigning Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, A.J. Allmendinger, Max Papis, and Roush Fenway youngster and former road racer Colin Braun.
GEM and Petty officially announce merge; Sadler back to the No. 19
The moment that many have been expecting has finally arrived. Thursday evening, after over a month of negotiations and swirling rumors, officials from both Gillett Evernham Motorsports and Petty Enterprises announced that the two teams were merging. The deal should be completely finalized by the end of the month.
Though some details of the merger remain yet to be finalized, here is what has been announced. The team will run three teams full-time in 2009: the Nos. 9, 19, and 43, all of which are in the Top 35 in owner’s points. The owners points of those teams will be used, but the press release did not officially state if the No. 43 team would retain that number.
Petty Holdings and Richard Petty will operate the Richard Petty Driving Experience separately from the team, but Petty will have a stake in the new organization. Boston Ventures, who appeared to have been out of the racing picture, will be the majority shareholder. The team will operate out of the GEM shop, meaning the old Robert Yates Racing shop that Petty Enterprises moved into last season, after leaving its storied home in Level Cross, will not be used for the Sprint Cup Series. Petty Employees Robbie Loomis, Dale Inman, and Brian Moffitt will all have roles with the new team.
The fourth team of the operation, which is not in the Top 35, will run only eight Sprint Cup races, plus the Budweiser Shootout, since it is qualified to. This team was the No. 10 last year, but the team’s press release did not specify a number for it.
Surprisingly, Ray Evernham will continue to maintain his minority ownership in the team, though his role has not been specified. Evernham was rumored to have completely left the team in the last couple of months.
All sponsors that had been with the organization, including the hodgepodge of sponsors signed up to fund the No. 43 for some of 2009, will continue with their respective teams in this new partnership.
In an extremely strange turn of events, officials at Gillett Evernham Motorsports say that Elliott Sadler will remain as driver of the No. 19 Dodge. Sadler filed an injunction to remain as driver of the team, after hearing two weeks ago that GEM intended to place free agent driver A.J. Allmendinger in the No. 19 and release him of his remaining two years on his contract. Says GEM CEO Tom Reddin, “We are a family. Sometimes in a family you have differences. We have resolved all differences. We are moving on and excited about heading to Daytona.”
A.J. Allmendinger’s agent tells Sports Illustrated’s Tom Bowles that Allmendinger has been in negotiations with several teams and is still a free agent. She also says that the third year driver never intended to supplant Sadler from his ride, despite being in negotiations with GEM to drive. Allmendinger was released by Team Red Bull late last season in favor of rookie Scott Speed and ran five races for GEM in late 2008. If Allmendinger does sign GEM, he likely would drive the part-time schedule for the fourth team.
So, as of now, the projected driver/team lineup for the new GEM-Petty team (a name was not put in the press release) is as follows: Kasey Kahne in the No. 9, Elliott Sadler in the No. 19, Reed Sorenson in what was and may continue to be the No. 43, and no announced driver for what was and may be the No. 10 team, which will run part-time.
Tune here for news of further details.
Futures for HOF, EGR, Triad Racing, and others still in doubt.
How many teams will run the Sprint Cup schedule full-time next season? By this time of the off season most years a solid number is in place, because months of planning are needed for teams to build racecars, sign drivers, sign sponsors, and test for the coming season. Economic instability, unfortunately, has put a wrench in this plan, leaving some who turn wrenches still wondering if they have a job next season.
Currently, the fates of several teams 2009 plans are fluid at best. Hall of Fame Racing made news this week by not being in the news the past few. After the season ended, an unspecified number of people were laid off and some said that team was looking to sell of some of its equipment, possibly in preparation for shutting down. Tom Garfinkel, a co-owner of the team, refuted reports of the team’s closure this week, saying the No. 96 will race “at Daytona and in 2009”.
Texas Instruments/DLP was the full-time sponsor of the car for the past three seasons, but has only committed to a few 2009 races. Ken Schrader ran the car for a good portion of the races after J.J. Yeley was released from the team, but no driver or other sponsors have been named for 2009. The team has ended its affiliation with Joe Gibbs Racing and has not even aligned with a particular manufacturer for the ’09 season. Drivers that could end up with the team include Schrader or Elliott Sadler.
Earnhardt Ganassi Racing still has some questions to answer as well. Aric Almirola is supposed to begin his rookie season in the famed No. 8 Chevy, but no sponsor has been named for the team. Though the team is seemingly committed to running the full 2009 season, it likely would not be able to without any sponsorship.
The U.S. Army left the team in favor of Ryan Newman’s No. 39 Stewart Hass Racing Chevy.
The EGR No. 41 Chevy is still looking for a driver. Bobby Labonte has been the top candidate to drive for the team that Reed Sorenson vacated, but he still has not signed. Elliott Sadler’s name has also been mentioned as a candidate since his release from GEM, but nothing has been announced.
Triad Racing Technologies, which recently bought Bill Davis Racing, says it still plans to field the No. 22 Toyota for the Daytona 500., but no driver or sponsor are signed up for the team. Many employees were laid off after the season ended, but approximately 80 have been hired back, meaning TRT will keep the racing operation in business.
TRT has said that it will not field what had been BDR’s Camping World Truck Series teams, including the 2008 championship-winning No. 23. team. Left in the wake of the BDR Truck Series mess is former Truck Series champ Mike Skinner, who has been told that he will not drive for the team. Driver Brian Scott, who was supposed to race BDR trucks for 2009, will return to his 2008 ride at Xpress Motorsports with former BDR crew chief Jeff Hensley. Taylor Malsam was also supposed to run for the team, but has no ride. Some BDR crew members went with Scott back to Xpress Motorsports, creating a similar situation to Johnny Benson’s, when he left BDR after winning the championship in 2008, to join Red Horse Racing.
Speaking of Red Horse Racing, a published report indicates that driver David Starr and Zachry Construction have left the No. 11 team, meaning that team’s future could be in doubt.
Tommy Baldwin was the competition director and crew chief for BDR’s No. 22 in 2008, but he has announced that he is fielding his own Sprint Cup team for 2009, under the Tommy Baldwin Racing banner. Many questions for he operation remain, including who may drive or sponsor the team. His driver from last season, Dave Blaney has been mentioned. If this team were able to compete at this short of notice that would be nothing short of incredible.
Keselowski to run seven Cup races in ’09; GoDaddy.com to sponsor No. 88 JR team
Brad Keselowski, who had a breakout year in 2008, finally can rest easier as the 2009 season looms. GoDaddy.com will sponsor the young driver in seven Sprint Cup races for Hendrick Motorsports and the No. 25 team, as well as 18 races for the No. 88 U.S. Navy Nationwide Series team. The addition of sponsorship for those 18 races means that team has full sponsorship for 2009. Unilever and Delpi sponsor the rest of the team’s races.
The No. 88 has been searching for a sponsor, since the Navy announced it was leaving in the middle of last season. This led to Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his JR Motorsports operation having to scale its No. 5 team back to a part-time schedule. GoDaddy.com will sponsor that team for two races.
Gaughan officially in RWR NNS team
Brendan Gaughan is teaming up again with Rusty Wallace, except this time Rusty is his boss. Gaughan and his family’s business, South Point Hotel and Spa, will drive and sponsor the Rusty Wallace Racing No. 64 team, which will switch numbers from 64 to 62. Gaughan and Wallace were teammates during Gaughan’s only Cup season in 2004, when he drove the Penske Racing No. 77 Dodge.
Gaughan’s longtime Truck Series crew chief Bryan Berry will accompany him to the No. 62 Chevy. No. 64 crew Dale Ferguson will move to the No. 66 RWR team and driver Stephen Wallace.
No. 29 RCR NNS team now has Bowyer in fold; Fastenal not joining No. 2
RCR is adding Clint Bowyer to the driver’s seat of the No. 29 Chevy. Bowyer, the 2008 Nationwide Series champion, joins Jeff Burton and Stephen Leicht for the 2009 season. Bowyer had already been planning to run a part-time schedule in the No. 2 Chevy.
He likely switched teams, because sponsorship for the No. 2 cannot be found. Fastenal, which left Ganassi’s NNS No. 40 team, had been rumored to going to RCR, but Fastenal officials say they are not sponsoring RCR entries next season.
Georgia’s Butler III and Aarons to No. 23 NNS team in ’09
Snellville’s Ken Butler III is taking his family business to a small Nationwide Series team. Butler will drive the No. 23 R3 Chevy in 18 races next season. Aaron’s also is sponsoring the No. 00 MWR Cup Series Toyota and No. 99 MWR Nationwide Series teams for most of next season.
Georgia’s Ragan and Tonwley at Lanier this weekend.
Unadilla’s David Ragan and Watkinsville’s John Wes Townley are heading to the short track this weekend. Ragan and Townley both will run in the Shriner’s Ice Bowl Saturday and Sunday at Lanier Speedway in Brasselton, Georgia. Qualifying and practice laps will be run Saturday and the races on Sunday. Look for the results here next week.
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