Eel River Racing
Encyclopedia
Eel River Racing was a NASCAR
Winston Cup team that operated from 1981 to 2001. The team's history of drivers include Geoff Bodine
, Michael Waltrip
, Johnny Benson
, Kenny Wallace
, Jeff Fuller, Rick Mast
, and Mike Bliss
, among others. The team mainly ran Pontiac Grand Prix
s, although they did run other manufacturers as well. The team was also known as Bahre Racing and Bahari Racing prior to its purchase by Jack Birmingham in 1999, where it acquired its final name.
.
1987 saw the team switch numbers from 23 to 30 and manufacturers from Pontiac
to Chevrolet
. Hawaiian Punch left the team, resulting in a revolving door of sponsors before All Pro Auto Parts came on for the rest of the season.
1988 saw the team switch back to Pontiac
and acquire sponsorship from Country Time Lemonade
. Waltrip then proceeded to miss the field for the 1988 Daytona 500
. The team bought the Mueller Brothers' #89 entry and ran that car in the race to a 22nd place finish. The June race at Pocono saw Waltrip bring the #30 home in 2nd place, in addition to two other top 10 finishes that season.Michael Waltrip 1988 Winston Cup Results 1989 saw an additional five top 10's for the team, while 1990 (which saw Maxwell House
join the team as a co-sponsor to Country Time) saw Waltrip pick up five top 5's and five more top 10's in addition.Michael Waltrip 1990 Winston Cup Results However, at the end of the season, both Country Time and Maxwell House left the #30 for full-time sponsorships on other cars (the #68 for Tri-Star Motorsports
and the new #22 for Junior Johnson Motorsports, respectively).
1991 saw Pennzoil
brought in as the new sponsor for the team, and Waltrip responded with his best season to that point. The #30 won poles at Dover and Michigan in June, the team's first two poles. Waltrip also earned 4 top 5's and 12 top 10's for the team on his way to a 15th place finish in points.Michael Waltrip 1991 Winston Cup Results
1992 began with Waltrip as one of three cars that had a chance to win the Daytona 500
, but a blown engine in the last 10 laps relegated him to a disappointing 18th. The rest of the year was disappointing as well, dropping to 23rd in points and recording a 4th at Rockingham as his best finish of the year.Michael Waltrip 1992 Winston Cup Results
1994 and 1995 were, based on the points standings, Michael Waltrip's two best seasons in the Cup series. Waltrip drove the #30 to 12th in points (best among the Pontiacs) both years with nearly identical results. However, after the season, Waltrip left the team to drive the #21 for the Wood Brothers
.
For 1996, the team hired Johnny Benson
, the 1995 Busch Series
Champion to take over the #30. Benson won the pole for the Purolator 500
at Atlanta in March, but struggled early on, even failing to qualify for the Food City 500
at Bristol. Later on in the season, Benson's performances improved. Benson had the lead late at Richmond in September before fading to 10th.1996 Miller 400 Benson ended the year 21st in points with a best finish of 5th at Pocono in July, in addition to winning the Rookie of the Year award.
1997 was the team's best season in the Winston Cup Series. Benson finished 11th in points, just 1 point behind 10th place Ken Schrader
. During the season, Benson won the pole at Michigan and had 8 top 10 finishes. However, Benson left the team to drive the new #26 for Roush Racing
at the end of the season and Pennzoil left to sponsor the new #1 for Dale Earnhardt Inc..
For 1998, Derrike Cope
was brought in to replace Benson behind the wheel. Gumout, a division of Pennzoil, provided the sponsorship for the team. However, the season was a big letdown. The team failed to score a top 10 finish for the first time since 1986 and failed to qualify for four races. Cope also missed Martinsville due to injury and was replaced briefly by Jeff Green
. The high point for the team was the pole Cope won at Charlotte in October. The best finish for the #30 was an 11th at Talladega.Derrike Cope 1998 Winston Cup Results In addition, the team fell all the way from 11th in 1997 to 40th in the owners' points standings.1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Owner's Standings Gumout left the team at the end of the season.
1999 saw the team acquire sponsorship from the Sara Lee Corporation. Primary sponsorship would be split between four divisions- Jimmy Dean Sausages, Bryan Meats, State Fair Corn Dogs, and Rudy's Farm. Each division had its own paint scheme.
The season was a complete disaster. Cope failed to qualify for half of the first 22 races before the team was sold to Jack Birmingham and renamed Eel River Racing. Birmingham fired Cope and replaced him with Todd Bodine
. Mike Bliss also ran two races in the #30 before the end of the season.
In 2000, the car number was changed from #30 to #27, and after Birmingham's purchase of the team, the team's best finish was a ninth place run at Talladega
on October 15, 2000 with Bliss. The team's only full season was in 2000, when Fuller and Bliss raced for the team. That year the team had 10 DNF's, and would struggle to reach the top-40 in points. After a long season, the team would end up 38th in driver's points.
After running the previous two seasons with sponsorship from Pfizer
and its Viagra brand, Eel River Racing began the 2001 season with Wallace driving a largely unsponsored car. After running with one-off sponsorships for most of the early season races, the team eventually was able to secure sponsorship from Duke's Mayonnaise and Sauer Pickles, who joined the team for the Coca-Cola 600
.
The team failed to qualify for a race again until the Pennsylvania 500
, at which point Wallace had departed and been replaced by Rick Mast
. After missing the Brickyard 400
, Mast qualified for the next five races after that, ending with the Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 in what would prove to be the last race for Eel River as they shut down shortly thereafter (Mast attempted to qualify for the next several races in the car but failed to do so).
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Winston Cup team that operated from 1981 to 2001. The team's history of drivers include Geoff Bodine
Geoff Bodine
Geoffrey Eli Bodine is an American motorsport driver and bobsled builder. He is the oldest of the three Bodine brothers . Bodine currently lives in Cornelius, North Carolina....
, Michael Waltrip
Michael Waltrip
Michael Curtis Waltrip is a semi-former professional race car driver, co-owner of Michael Waltrip Racing, and a published author. He is the younger brother of three-time NASCAR champion and racing commentator Darrell Waltrip. Waltrip is a two-time winner of the Daytona 500; having won the race in...
, Johnny Benson
Johnny Benson
Jonathan Benson, Jr. is an American NASCAR driver and the son of former Michigan modified driver John Benson, Sr...
, Kenny Wallace
Kenny Wallace
Kenneth Wallace is an American stock car driver who currently drives the #09 Family Farmers/University of Northwestern Ohio/Federated Auto Parts/American Ethanol/Iowa Corn/G-Oil/Marquis Energy Toyota Camry for RAB Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series...
, Jeff Fuller, Rick Mast
Rick Mast
Rick Mast is a former NASCAR driver. He competed in both the Winston Cup and Busch Series before retiring in 2002...
, and Mike Bliss
Mike Bliss
Michael Bliss is a NASCAR driver who has run in all three major series. He currently drives the #19 Chevrolet Impala for TriStar Motorsports in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He began racing at age 10...
, among others. The team mainly ran Pontiac Grand Prix
Pontiac Grand Prix
Picking up where the Pontiac Ventura model left off, the Grand Prix first appeared in the Pontiac line for 1962. It was essentially a standard Pontiac Catalina coupe with minimal outside chrome trim and a sportier interior...
s, although they did run other manufacturers as well. The team was also known as Bahre Racing and Bahari Racing prior to its purchase by Jack Birmingham in 1999, where it acquired its final name.
Team history
The team originally started as the Bahre Racing #23 Pontiac owned by Dick Bahre in 1981. The team ran part-time until Chuck Rider entered the fold in 1986. The team at that point was renamed Bahari Racing, after the three principal owners at the time. Waltrip, who ran a few races in late 1985 for the team, ran for Rookie of the Year in 1986 in a car sponsored by Hawaiian PunchHawaiian Punch
Hawaiian Punch is a brand of fruit punch drinks owned by Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. . It was created in 1934 by A.W. Leo, Tom Yates, Ralph Harrison as an ice cream topping in a converted garage in Fullerton, Calif.; customers later discovered that it made an appealing drink when mixed with water...
.
1987 saw the team switch numbers from 23 to 30 and manufacturers from Pontiac
Pontiac
Pontiac was an automobile brand that was established in 1926 as a companion make for General Motors' Oakland. Quickly overtaking its parent in popularity, it supplanted the Oakland brand entirely by 1933 and, for most of its life, became a companion make for Chevrolet. Pontiac was sold in the...
to Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
. Hawaiian Punch left the team, resulting in a revolving door of sponsors before All Pro Auto Parts came on for the rest of the season.
1988 saw the team switch back to Pontiac
Pontiac
Pontiac was an automobile brand that was established in 1926 as a companion make for General Motors' Oakland. Quickly overtaking its parent in popularity, it supplanted the Oakland brand entirely by 1933 and, for most of its life, became a companion make for Chevrolet. Pontiac was sold in the...
and acquire sponsorship from Country Time Lemonade
Country Time
Country Time is the name of a brand of lemonade drinks. It is a non-carbonated lemon-flavored drink mix and soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines. The powdered mix is produced by Kraft Foods...
. Waltrip then proceeded to miss the field for the 1988 Daytona 500
1988 Daytona 500
The 1988 Daytona 500 was held February 14 at Daytona International Speedway. Ken Schrader won the pole. The race is best remembered for Richard Petty's spectacular rollover crash in the tri-oval on lap 106, initiated when he was tagged from behind by Phil Barkdoll. Petty rolled over about eight...
. The team bought the Mueller Brothers' #89 entry and ran that car in the race to a 22nd place finish. The June race at Pocono saw Waltrip bring the #30 home in 2nd place, in addition to two other top 10 finishes that season.Michael Waltrip 1988 Winston Cup Results 1989 saw an additional five top 10's for the team, while 1990 (which saw Maxwell House
Maxwell House
Maxwell House is a brand of coffee manufactured by a like-named division of Kraft Foods. Introduced in 1892, it is named in honor of the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. For many years until the late 1980s it was the largest-selling coffee in the U.S. and is currently second behind...
join the team as a co-sponsor to Country Time) saw Waltrip pick up five top 5's and five more top 10's in addition.Michael Waltrip 1990 Winston Cup Results However, at the end of the season, both Country Time and Maxwell House left the #30 for full-time sponsorships on other cars (the #68 for Tri-Star Motorsports
Tri-Star Motorsports
TriStar Motorsports is a racing team that competes in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. They currently field the #14 Hefty Chevrolet for Eric McClure, the #19 Chevrolet for Mike Bliss, and the #44 Chevrolet for Jeff Green and Charles Lewandoski...
and the new #22 for Junior Johnson Motorsports, respectively).
1991 saw Pennzoil
Pennzoil
Pennzoil is an American oil company founded in Los Angeles, California in 1913. In 1955, it was acquired by Oil City, Pennsylvania company South Penn Oil, a former branch of Standard Oil. In 1963, South Penn Oil merged with Zapata Petroleum; the merged company took the Pennzoil name. During the...
brought in as the new sponsor for the team, and Waltrip responded with his best season to that point. The #30 won poles at Dover and Michigan in June, the team's first two poles. Waltrip also earned 4 top 5's and 12 top 10's for the team on his way to a 15th place finish in points.Michael Waltrip 1991 Winston Cup Results
1992 began with Waltrip as one of three cars that had a chance to win the Daytona 500
1992 Daytona 500
The 1992 Daytona 500 by STP was held February 16 at Daytona International Speedway. Sterling Marlin won the pole award for Junior Johnson in the #22 Maxwell House Ford. Richard Petty gave the command to start the engines from the cockpit of the famous #43 STP Pontiac in his final appearance in the...
, but a blown engine in the last 10 laps relegated him to a disappointing 18th. The rest of the year was disappointing as well, dropping to 23rd in points and recording a 4th at Rockingham as his best finish of the year.Michael Waltrip 1992 Winston Cup Results
1994 and 1995 were, based on the points standings, Michael Waltrip's two best seasons in the Cup series. Waltrip drove the #30 to 12th in points (best among the Pontiacs) both years with nearly identical results. However, after the season, Waltrip left the team to drive the #21 for the Wood Brothers
Wood Brothers Racing
Wood Brothers Racing is an American auto racing team that competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Camping World Truck Series. The team was formed in 1950 by the sons of Walter and Ada Wood, thus the Wood Brothers...
.
For 1996, the team hired Johnny Benson
Johnny Benson
Jonathan Benson, Jr. is an American NASCAR driver and the son of former Michigan modified driver John Benson, Sr...
, the 1995 Busch Series
Busch Series
The NASCAR Nationwide Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. It is promoted as NASCAR's "minor league" circuit, and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big leagues"; the Sprint Cup circuit...
Champion to take over the #30. Benson won the pole for the Purolator 500
Purolator 500
At one time, two different NASCAR races were known as the Purolator 500:* Pennsylvania 500, the race at Pocono Raceway from 1974 to 1976* Golden Corral 500, the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway from 1994 to 1996...
at Atlanta in March, but struggled early on, even failing to qualify for the Food City 500
Food City 500
The Food City 500 is a 500 lap race NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held on the track at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. This is one of two NASCAR races held at Bristol, the other being the Irwin Tools Night Race, and is considered one of NASCAR's best races...
at Bristol. Later on in the season, Benson's performances improved. Benson had the lead late at Richmond in September before fading to 10th.1996 Miller 400 Benson ended the year 21st in points with a best finish of 5th at Pocono in July, in addition to winning the Rookie of the Year award.
1997 was the team's best season in the Winston Cup Series. Benson finished 11th in points, just 1 point behind 10th place Ken Schrader
Ken Schrader
Kenneth Schrader is a second-generation race car driver. He currently races on local dirt and asphalt tracks around the country while driving part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the ARCA Racing Series for his own Ken Schrader Racing. He also runs part time in the NASCAR Camping...
. During the season, Benson won the pole at Michigan and had 8 top 10 finishes. However, Benson left the team to drive the new #26 for Roush Racing
Roush Racing
Roush Fenway Racing is a racing team competing in NASCAR racing. As one of NASCAR's largest premier racing teams, Roush runs teams in the Sprint and Nationwide Series, and formerly in the Camping World Truck Series and ARCA RE/MAX Series.Roush first entered NASCAR competition in 1988, but had...
at the end of the season and Pennzoil left to sponsor the new #1 for Dale Earnhardt Inc..
For 1998, Derrike Cope
Derrike Cope
Derrike Cope is a NASCAR driver. He is best known for his win in the 1990 Daytona 500. He currently drives the #28 Chevrolet for Jay Robinson Racing in the Nationwide Series and the #75 Chevrolet/Dodge for his own team in the Sprint Cup Series.-Early years:Cope was born in San Diego, California...
was brought in to replace Benson behind the wheel. Gumout, a division of Pennzoil, provided the sponsorship for the team. However, the season was a big letdown. The team failed to score a top 10 finish for the first time since 1986 and failed to qualify for four races. Cope also missed Martinsville due to injury and was replaced briefly by Jeff Green
Jeff Green (NASCAR)
Jeffery Green is an American stock car driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He currently drives part time in the Nationwide Series for Tri-Star Motorsports in their #44 entry and the Sprint Cup Series for Front Row Motorsports in their #55 entry.Green's 1990 Nashville Speedway USA championship...
. The high point for the team was the pole Cope won at Charlotte in October. The best finish for the #30 was an 11th at Talladega.Derrike Cope 1998 Winston Cup Results In addition, the team fell all the way from 11th in 1997 to 40th in the owners' points standings.1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Owner's Standings Gumout left the team at the end of the season.
1999 saw the team acquire sponsorship from the Sara Lee Corporation. Primary sponsorship would be split between four divisions- Jimmy Dean Sausages, Bryan Meats, State Fair Corn Dogs, and Rudy's Farm. Each division had its own paint scheme.
The season was a complete disaster. Cope failed to qualify for half of the first 22 races before the team was sold to Jack Birmingham and renamed Eel River Racing. Birmingham fired Cope and replaced him with Todd Bodine
Todd Bodine
Todd Bodine is a NASCAR driver. Todd is the younger brother of former racers Geoff Bodine and Brett Bodine. Bodine is known for his bald head, which has given him the nickname The Onion...
. Mike Bliss also ran two races in the #30 before the end of the season.
In 2000, the car number was changed from #30 to #27, and after Birmingham's purchase of the team, the team's best finish was a ninth place run at Talladega
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base just outside the small city of Lincoln. It was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in...
on October 15, 2000 with Bliss. The team's only full season was in 2000, when Fuller and Bliss raced for the team. That year the team had 10 DNF's, and would struggle to reach the top-40 in points. After a long season, the team would end up 38th in driver's points.
After running the previous two seasons with sponsorship from Pfizer
Pfizer
Pfizer, Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical corporation. The company is based in New York City, New York with its research headquarters in Groton, Connecticut, United States...
and its Viagra brand, Eel River Racing began the 2001 season with Wallace driving a largely unsponsored car. After running with one-off sponsorships for most of the early season races, the team eventually was able to secure sponsorship from Duke's Mayonnaise and Sauer Pickles, who joined the team for the Coca-Cola 600
Coca-Cola 600
The Coca-Cola 600, formerly known as the World 600, is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held each year at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina on Memorial Day weekend...
.
The team failed to qualify for a race again until the Pennsylvania 500
Pennsylvania 500
The Good Sam RV Insurance 500 is the second of two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car races held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, the other being the Pocono 500...
, at which point Wallace had departed and been replaced by Rick Mast
Rick Mast
Rick Mast is a former NASCAR driver. He competed in both the Winston Cup and Busch Series before retiring in 2002...
. After missing the Brickyard 400
Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
The Brickyard 400 is an annual 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup points race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. The event, when first held in 1994, marked the first race other than the Indianapolis 500 to be held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 1916...
, Mast qualified for the next five races after that, ending with the Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 in what would prove to be the last race for Eel River as they shut down shortly thereafter (Mast attempted to qualify for the next several races in the car but failed to do so).