The Racer's Group
Encyclopedia
The Racer's Group, or TRG, is a NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series, Camping World Truck Series and Rolex Sports Car Series
racing team located in Petaluma, California
owned by Kevin Buckler
and his wife Debra. In addition to stock car racing, TRG has competed professionally in road racing
since 1995. The team currently fields the #71 Ford Fusion
in the Sprint Cup Series and the #66 for Andy Lally
and Marc Bunting in the Rolex Sports Car Series
-GT Class.
For its 2011 Sprint Cup Series program TRG has entered into an alliances with Richard Childress Racing
(RCR) and Stewart-Haas Racing. RCR will provide cars, chassis repairs and testing resources while Stewart-Haas will help coordinate pit-crew support.
Club races, working his way through the ranks before entering his first professional race at the 1995 IMSA
Grand Prix of California, which he ended up winning. From then until 2001, The Racer's Group ran part-time schedules with various drivers. Just before the 2002 season started, the Porsche
factory offered to support the team at the Rolex 24 at Daytona
by lending the services of factory drivers Timo Bernhard
and Jörg Bergmeister
.
, won the GT class at the 2002 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. With the success of the team at Daytona, the Porsche
factory again provided TRG with factory support and drivers for the 2002 24 Hours of Le Mans
. In one of the closest GT races in history, Buckler, Bernhard, and Lucas Luhr
edged the Freisinger Motorsport
team by little more than one minute to capture a win at the team’s maiden run at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
. As the American Le Mans Series
and Grand Am
erican seasons continued, The Racer’s Group strung together a long series of high finishes, including wins at the Grand Prix of Mosport
, Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio, and the Grand-Am 400 at California Speedway
. TRG finished on the podium 14 times in 2002, including 8 in a row in the ALMS.
After the season, Buckler and co-driver Schrom had a 1-2 finish in the Porsche World Cup. The award, given annually to the top independent Porsche
drivers in the world, was given to Buckler at the Porsche factory in Weissach, Germany in December 2002. Buckler and Schrom were the first and only teammates to finish 1-2 in the Porsche Cup. They followed the award up with a win at the 24 Hours of Daytona
since 1977, becoming the first GT-class team to win overall.
and Grand Am
erican. In 2005, TRG was selected by GM as a factory team. Pontiac Motorsports and TRG teamed up to race the new generation of Pontiac GTO
vehicles, specifically twin GTO.R's. GM brought in Paul Edwards
and Jan Magnussen
to drive the #64, while TRG hired Marc Bunting and Andy Lally
to drive of the #65. In 2006, Kelly Collins replaced Magnussen, the same year Pontiac won the manufacturer's championship, TRG took 1st and 3rd in the team championship, and drivers Bunting and Lally took won the driver's championship.
In 2006, Marc Bunting and Andy Lally won the GT drivers championship, and Bunting won the Bob Akin Sportsman Award. TRG won the GT team championship, second straight year. Lally and Bunting broke the record for most podium finishes with 14 of a possible 16 this year. The old record was their own, set in 2004 of 11 podium finishes.
The TRG GTO.R Daytona 24 Hour effort was the subject of a six part documentary by noted film maker Sean Heckman and is currently playing on INHD.
GT Race at Iowa Speedway
on July 14, 2007. Lally raced the #47 Clorox
Ford Fusion in the NASCAR Busch Series road races at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
on August 4 and Watkins Glen
on August 11 as part of a partnership between TRG and Wood Brothers/JTG Racing. He finished 29th and 10th respectively. In October 2007, TRG purchased the assets of Darrell Waltrip Motorsports
' Craftsman Truck Series
team, with Lally serving as the team's driver and United States Army Reserve
sponsoring the #00 Toyota Tundra
.
In 2008
, TRG switched to Chevrolet Silverado
s and formed a second team. They began the 2008 season fielding entries in the #7 for Lally and the #71 for fellow rookie Donny Lia
. Lia won in his 8th career start in Mansfield driving the #71 TRG truck. Midway through the season, sponsorship issues forced Lally to cut a part-time schedule. He was replaced by Nevada driver T.J. Bell for the rest of the season. Lally would return to the #71 late in the year when the team released Lia, followed by Ben Stancill and J. R. Fitzpatrick
. Bell had a streak of five consecutive top-tens and had a total of seven on the year
In 2009, TRG Motorsports announced they would field a full time team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup with the number 71. The team also ran a few races using the number 70. After failing to make the Daytona 500 with Mike Wallace
, the team signed David Gilliland
and was 35th in points after Bristol, guaranteeing the team a start in Martinsville, only to fall out of the top-35 after the event. They were sponsored by Capital Windows and had announced an agreement to be sponsored by American Monster that fell through. The team shut down its Truck team very early into the season. In the summer, TaxSlayer.com became the team's new sponsor. Starting with the September race in Atlanta, Bobby Labonte
began to share the ride with Gilliland. Mike Bliss
also filled in for the team on occasion.
Labonte competed the first half of the season for the team in 2010. Taxslayer.com sponsored the team for twelve races. Since the team was not sponsored for the full season, a number of resulted in a start-and-park situation http://www.scenedaily.com/news/articles/sprintcupseries/TRG_Motorsports_needs_sponsorship_no_guarantee_Bobby_Labonte_will_run_full_race_at_Dover.html. At Dover, the team quit after 65 laps. On June 23rd, Labonte parted ways with TRG Motorsports. Bliss finished ninth at Daytona. Andy Lally
, Landon Cassill
, Chad McCumbee
, and Tony Raines
also drove the #71. Hermie Sadler
made his first start since 2006 at the October Martinsville race. Brendan Gaughan
raced at Phoenix, his first Cup race since 2004. Despite the team's sponsorship troubles and driver changes, TRG Motorsports finished 35th in the owner's points, guaranteeing the team a start for the first five races of 2011.
Owner Kevin Buckler said on NASCAR Race Hub before the Watkins Glen race that the #71 team would continue to race full-time in 2011. Lally announced he would run for Rookie of the Year honors.
On March 23rd, 2011, Buckler announced that the team is switching manufacturers to Ford
, beginning at Texas. They will also go into a support program with Roush Fenway Racing.
Late in 2011, TRG ran a second car, a #77. Lally drove the car at Charlotte (with Hermie Sadler in the 71) to a 42nd place finish. T.J. Bell attempted Talladega in the car, with the late Dan Wheldon
's name adorning the namerail, but did not qualify. The #71 entry struggled at the end of the season and finished 36th in owner's points, not guaranteeing the team a start for the first five races of 2012.
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...
Sprint Cup Series, Camping World Truck Series and Rolex Sports Car Series
Rolex Sports Car Series
The Rolex Sports Car Series is the premier series run by the Grand American Road Racing Association. It is a North American-based sports car series that was founded in 2000 under the name Grand American Road Racing Championship to replace the failed United States Road Racing Championship...
racing team located in Petaluma, California
Petaluma, California
Petaluma is a city in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. In the 2010 Census the population was 57,941.Located in Petaluma is the Rancho Petaluma Adobe, a National Historic Landmark. It was built beginning in 1836 by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, then Commandant of the San...
owned by Kevin Buckler
Kevin Buckler
Kevin Buckler is an American racecar driver and entrepreuener. He founded Adobe Road Winery and currently owns The Racer's Group, a professional sports car racing team, and a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team,...
and his wife Debra. In addition to stock car racing, TRG has competed professionally in road racing
Road racing
Road racing is a general term for most forms of motor racing held on paved, purpose-built race tracks , as opposed to oval tracks and off-road racing...
since 1995. The team currently fields the #71 Ford Fusion
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
in the Sprint Cup Series and the #66 for Andy Lally
Andy Lally
Andrew Lally is an American race car driver and Street Luge racer. Although Lally has driven partial schedules in all three of NASCAR's premier series he is best known for his road racing expertise in the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series as well as the American Le Mans Series...
and Marc Bunting in the Rolex Sports Car Series
Rolex Sports Car Series
The Rolex Sports Car Series is the premier series run by the Grand American Road Racing Association. It is a North American-based sports car series that was founded in 2000 under the name Grand American Road Racing Championship to replace the failed United States Road Racing Championship...
-GT Class.
For its 2011 Sprint Cup Series program TRG has entered into an alliances with Richard Childress Racing
Richard Childress Racing
RCR Enterprises, LLC, doing business as Richard Childress Racing, is a NASCAR team based in Welcome, North Carolina, and is owned and operated by former driver Richard Childress...
(RCR) and Stewart-Haas Racing. RCR will provide cars, chassis repairs and testing resources while Stewart-Haas will help coordinate pit-crew support.
Early history
In 1992, Buckler started racing in regional PorschePorsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
Club races, working his way through the ranks before entering his first professional race at the 1995 IMSA
International Motor Sports Association
The International Motor Sports Association is an American sports car auto racing sanctioning body based in Braselton, Georgia. It was started by John Bishop, a former employee of SCCA , and his wife Peggy in 1969 with help from Bill France, Sr...
Grand Prix of California, which he ended up winning. From then until 2001, The Racer's Group ran part-time schedules with various drivers. Just before the 2002 season started, the Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
factory offered to support the team at the Rolex 24 at Daytona
24 Hours of Daytona
The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield...
by lending the services of factory drivers Timo Bernhard
Timo Bernhard
Timo Bernhard is a sports car racer. He is currently a Porsche factory driver, but has been seconded to Audi for selected events in 2009 and 2010...
and Jörg Bergmeister
Jörg Bergmeister
Jörg Bergmeister is a race car driver from Germany.His father, Willi Bergmeister, owns a workshop and dealership where Michael Schumacher learned his trade as a car mechanic in the 1980s....
.
Major Victories
After seven previous attempts at Daytona, The Racer’s Group, with drivers Buckler, Bernhard, Bergmeister, and Michael SchromMichael Schrom
Michael Schrom is an American racing driver from Ghent, New York.Schrom was a full-time competitor in Porsche Cup series who also drove a Porsche 911 in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003. In 2003, the The Racer's Group Porsche driven by Schrom, team owner Kevin Buckler, Timo...
, won the GT class at the 2002 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. With the success of the team at Daytona, the Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
factory again provided TRG with factory support and drivers for the 2002 24 Hours of Le Mans
2002 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 2002 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 70th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 15 and 16 2002.-Pre-race:Following a reconstruction of the Bugatti Circuit, the Le Mans circuit was changed between the Dunlop Bridge and Esses, with the straight now becoming a set of fast sweeping turns...
. In one of the closest GT races in history, Buckler, Bernhard, and Lucas Luhr
Lucas Luhr
Lucas Luhr is a German race car driver, currently contracted by Audi.-Early career:Luhr began his career in karts in 1989. Throughout the early 1990s, he won several local and national karting trophies...
edged the Freisinger Motorsport
Freisinger Motorsport
Freisinger Motorsport is a German company which has tuned, restored, and raced Porsches since 1967. Founded by Manfred Freisinger in Karlsruhe, the company now is run by his son Manfred Freisinger Jr....
team by little more than one minute to capture a win at the team’s maiden run at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
. As the American Le Mans Series
American Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consists of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Teams compete in one of five classes: LMP1, LMP2 and LMPC...
and Grand Am
Grand American Road Racing Association
GRAND-AM Road Racing or GRAND-AM is an auto racing sanctioning body that was established in 1999 to organize road racing competitions in North America...
erican seasons continued, The Racer’s Group strung together a long series of high finishes, including wins at the Grand Prix of Mosport
Grand Prix of Mosport
The Grand Prix of Mosport, also known as the Mosport Festival, is an annual race held every August or September at Mosport International Raceway in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada. It has been part of the American Le Mans Series in every season since 1999, with a 2 hour 45 minute race format...
, Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio, and the Grand-Am 400 at California Speedway
California Speedway
Auto Club Speedway is a two-mile , low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1997. The track was also used for open wheel racing events until 2005. The racetrack is located near the former locations of Ontario Motor Speedway and...
. TRG finished on the podium 14 times in 2002, including 8 in a row in the ALMS.
After the season, Buckler and co-driver Schrom had a 1-2 finish in the Porsche World Cup. The award, given annually to the top independent Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
drivers in the world, was given to Buckler at the Porsche factory in Weissach, Germany in December 2002. Buckler and Schrom were the first and only teammates to finish 1-2 in the Porsche Cup. They followed the award up with a win at the 24 Hours of Daytona
24 Hours of Daytona
The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield...
since 1977, becoming the first GT-class team to win overall.
Pontiac GTO.R GM Factory Team
2003 and the few years beyond saw TRG continue to compete in ALMSAlms
Alms or almsgiving is a religious rite which, in general, involves giving materially to another as an act of religious virtue.It exists in a number of religions. In Philippine Regions, alms are given as charity to benefit the poor. In Buddhism, alms are given by lay people to monks and nuns to...
and Grand Am
Grand American Road Racing Association
GRAND-AM Road Racing or GRAND-AM is an auto racing sanctioning body that was established in 1999 to organize road racing competitions in North America...
erican. In 2005, TRG was selected by GM as a factory team. Pontiac Motorsports and TRG teamed up to race the new generation of Pontiac GTO
Pontiac GTO
The Pontiac GTO is an automobile built by Pontiac Division of General Motors in the United States from 1964 to 1974, and by GM subsidiary Holden in Australia from 2004 to 2006. It is considered an innovative, and now classic muscle car of the 1960s and 1970s...
vehicles, specifically twin GTO.R's. GM brought in Paul Edwards
Paul Edwards
Paul Edwards may refer to:*Paul Edwards , Welsh shot putter*Paul A. Edwards, American cinematographer, camera operator and television director*Paul Edwards , English flyweight boxer...
and Jan Magnussen
Jan Magnussen
Jan Magnussen is a racing driver from Denmark and a GM factory driver. He has competed in several of the most prestigious events in motor sport including CART, NASCAR, the FIA Formula One World Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.- Lower series racing :Magnussen dominated the 1994 British...
to drive the #64, while TRG hired Marc Bunting and Andy Lally
Andy Lally
Andrew Lally is an American race car driver and Street Luge racer. Although Lally has driven partial schedules in all three of NASCAR's premier series he is best known for his road racing expertise in the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series as well as the American Le Mans Series...
to drive of the #65. In 2006, Kelly Collins replaced Magnussen, the same year Pontiac won the manufacturer's championship, TRG took 1st and 3rd in the team championship, and drivers Bunting and Lally took won the driver's championship.
In 2006, Marc Bunting and Andy Lally won the GT drivers championship, and Bunting won the Bob Akin Sportsman Award. TRG won the GT team championship, second straight year. Lally and Bunting broke the record for most podium finishes with 14 of a possible 16 this year. The old record was their own, set in 2004 of 11 podium finishes.
The TRG GTO.R Daytona 24 Hour effort was the subject of a six part documentary by noted film maker Sean Heckman and is currently playing on INHD.
2007-present
The GTO program has been discontinued by GM as of the 2006 season end, and TRG returned Porsche vehicles in 2007, as well as running in the DP class. They began 2008 with second, third, and fourth place finishes at the 24 Hours of Daytona.Entry into NASCAR
Co-driver R.J. Valentine announced Andy Lally's plans to race in the NASCAR Busch Series, possibly with support from TRG during the broadcast of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car SeriesRolex Sports Car Series
The Rolex Sports Car Series is the premier series run by the Grand American Road Racing Association. It is a North American-based sports car series that was founded in 2000 under the name Grand American Road Racing Championship to replace the failed United States Road Racing Championship...
GT Race at Iowa Speedway
Iowa Speedway
Iowa Speedway is a 7/8-mile paved oval motor racing track in Newton, Iowa, United States, approximately east of Des Moines. The track was designed with influence from Rusty Wallace and patterned after Richmond International Raceway, a short track where Wallace was very successful...
on July 14, 2007. Lally raced the #47 Clorox
Clorox
The Clorox Company is a US-based manufacturer of various food and chemical products based in Oakland, California, which is best known for its bleach product, Clorox.- History :...
Ford Fusion in the NASCAR Busch Series road races at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a motor racing circuit, venue for the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series....
on August 4 and Watkins Glen
Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen International is an auto race track located near Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. The facility is owned by International Speedway Corporation...
on August 11 as part of a partnership between TRG and Wood Brothers/JTG Racing. He finished 29th and 10th respectively. In October 2007, TRG purchased the assets of Darrell Waltrip Motorsports
Darrell Waltrip Motorsports
Darrell Waltrip Motorsports was a NASCAR team owned by three-time Winston Cup champion Darrell Waltrip. It was formed in 1991 when Waltrip resigned from Hendrick Motorsports to start his own team, and was originally named DarWal, Inc....
' Craftsman Truck Series
Craftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing...
team, with Lally serving as the team's driver and United States Army Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
sponsoring the #00 Toyota Tundra
Toyota Tundra
The Toyota Tundra is a full-size pickup truck introduced by Toyota in the year 2000. It was widely considered to be the first full-size import-brand truck built with an American look and feel and a refined V8 engine. The Tundra was eventually nominated for the North American Truck of the Year...
.
In 2008
2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
The 2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series began on February 15, 2008 at Daytona International Speedway with the Chevy Silverado HD 250. The season concluded on November 14 of that year at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford 200. Johnny Benson of Bill Davis Racing was crowned champion. The season...
, TRG switched to Chevrolet Silverado
Chevrolet Silverado
The Chevrolet Silverado , is the latest line of full-size pickup trucks from General Motors.-History:...
s and formed a second team. They began the 2008 season fielding entries in the #7 for Lally and the #71 for fellow rookie Donny Lia
Donny Lia
Donny Lia is an American race car driver. He won the 2007 & 2009 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship. He also won the Race of Champions Modified Tour races in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007...
. Lia won in his 8th career start in Mansfield driving the #71 TRG truck. Midway through the season, sponsorship issues forced Lally to cut a part-time schedule. He was replaced by Nevada driver T.J. Bell for the rest of the season. Lally would return to the #71 late in the year when the team released Lia, followed by Ben Stancill and J. R. Fitzpatrick
J. R. Fitzpatrick
John Ryan Fitzpatrick is a Canadian stock car driver. He is currently the youngest driver to win the CASCAR Super Series championship...
. Bell had a streak of five consecutive top-tens and had a total of seven on the year
In 2009, TRG Motorsports announced they would field a full time team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup with the number 71. The team also ran a few races using the number 70. After failing to make the Daytona 500 with Mike Wallace
Mike Wallace (NASCAR)
Mike Wallace is a NASCAR race car driver born in Fenton, Missouri. He currently drives the #01 Chevrolet for JD Motorsports in the Nationwide Series. He is a younger brother to Rusty Wallace, older brother to Kenny Wallace, and uncle to Steve Wallace...
, the team signed David Gilliland
David Gilliland
David Gilliland is a NASCAR driver and he currently drives the #34 Taco Bell Ford Fusion for Front Row Motorsports. He is the son of former Cup and West Coast driver Butch Gilliland. He was born in Riverside, California....
and was 35th in points after Bristol, guaranteeing the team a start in Martinsville, only to fall out of the top-35 after the event. They were sponsored by Capital Windows and had announced an agreement to be sponsored by American Monster that fell through. The team shut down its Truck team very early into the season. In the summer, TaxSlayer.com became the team's new sponsor. Starting with the September race in Atlanta, Bobby Labonte
Bobby Labonte
Robert Alan "Bobby" Labonte is an American race car driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He currently drives the #47 Kroger/Clorox/Kimberly-Clark/Kingsford/Reese Towpower Hitches Toyota Camry for JTG Daugherty Racing. He currently resides in Trinity, North Carolina. He is married to his wife...
began to share the ride with Gilliland. 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...
also filled in for the team on occasion.
Labonte competed the first half of the season for the team in 2010. Taxslayer.com sponsored the team for twelve races. Since the team was not sponsored for the full season, a number of resulted in a start-and-park situation http://www.scenedaily.com/news/articles/sprintcupseries/TRG_Motorsports_needs_sponsorship_no_guarantee_Bobby_Labonte_will_run_full_race_at_Dover.html. At Dover, the team quit after 65 laps. On June 23rd, Labonte parted ways with TRG Motorsports. Bliss finished ninth at Daytona. Andy Lally
Andy Lally
Andrew Lally is an American race car driver and Street Luge racer. Although Lally has driven partial schedules in all three of NASCAR's premier series he is best known for his road racing expertise in the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series as well as the American Le Mans Series...
, Landon Cassill
Landon Cassill
Landon Douglas Cassill is a driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series. He is a test driver for Hendrick Motorsports. He currently drives the #51 Chevrolet Impala for Phoenix Racing in the Sprint Cup Series....
, Chad McCumbee
Chad McCumbee
Chad McCumbee is an American stock car driver. He currently drives the #1 ModSpace Ford Fusion for Andy Belmont Racing in the ARCA Racing Series and has run four full seasons in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He is also known for his portrayal of Dale Earnhardt, Jr...
, and Tony Raines
Tony Raines
Floyd Anthony Raines is an American race car driver. He is a former National Touring Series champion in the now defunct American Speed Association and 1999 Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Nationwide Series...
also drove the #71. Hermie Sadler
Hermie Sadler
Herman Marion Sadler III is an American race car driver/announcer and professional wrestling promoter from Emporia, Virginia. He is also an advocate for autism research, as his daughter Hailie Dru, was diagnosed with the disorder in 2001...
made his first start since 2006 at the October Martinsville race. Brendan Gaughan
Brendan Gaughan
Brendan Gaughan is an American stock car driver. Gaughan is the grandson of Vegas gaming pioneer Jackie Gaughan and son of Michael Gaughan, a hotel and casino magnate. Gaughan currently drives the #62 South Point Hotel & Casino Toyota Tundra for Germain Racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck...
raced at Phoenix, his first Cup race since 2004. Despite the team's sponsorship troubles and driver changes, TRG Motorsports finished 35th in the owner's points, guaranteeing the team a start for the first five races of 2011.
Owner Kevin Buckler said on NASCAR Race Hub before the Watkins Glen race that the #71 team would continue to race full-time in 2011. Lally announced he would run for Rookie of the Year honors.
On March 23rd, 2011, Buckler announced that the team is switching manufacturers to Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
, beginning at Texas. They will also go into a support program with Roush Fenway Racing.
Late in 2011, TRG ran a second car, a #77. Lally drove the car at Charlotte (with Hermie Sadler in the 71) to a 42nd place finish. T.J. Bell attempted Talladega in the car, with the late Dan Wheldon
Dan Wheldon
Daniel Clive "Dan" Wheldon was a British racing driver from England. He was the 2005 Indy Racing League IndyCar Series champion, and winner of the Indianapolis 500 in both 2005 and 2011...
's name adorning the namerail, but did not qualify. The #71 entry struggled at the end of the season and finished 36th in owner's points, not guaranteeing the team a start for the first five races of 2012.