Yates Racing
Encyclopedia
Yates Racing was an American
stock car racing
racing team that competed in NASCAR
until the 2009 season when it merged with Richard Petty Motorsports. Previously known as Robert Yates Racing, the team was owned by Doug Yates
, who has officially owned the team since his father Robert's retirement on December 1st, 2007. The Yates family owned the team since purchasing it from Harry Ranier and J. T. Lundy in October 1988. They last fielded the #98 Menards
Ford for Paul Menard
in the Sprint Cup Series and the #98 Menards
Ford for Menard part time in the Nationwide Series. Yates also fielded the #96 Ask.com
/Academy Sports + Outdoors
Ford for Bobby Labonte
in association with Hall of Fame Racing
.
, who had driven for the Rainer-Lundy banner since 1987 (his rookie season), and drove the #28 Havoline
Ford
from Yates' takeover of the team until mid-1993, racking up 15 wins and twice finishing 3rd in points. He was killed in a helicopter crash in 1993; Robby Gordon
, Lake Speed
, and Ernie Irvan
split the rest of the driving duties in 1993, with Irvan finding Victory Lane twice. In 1994, Ernie Irvan
drove the #28, winning 3 times before being injured in a crash at Michigan in August. Kenny Wallace
took over the driving duties for the remainder of the season.
While Irvan was still recovering from his injuries, Dale Jarrett
replaced him in 1995, starting at Robert Yates Racing after being with Joe Gibbs Racing
since 1992. Jarrett won one race at Pocono Raceway
and eventually finished the season 16th in the points standings. Ernie Irvan
, who had returned for 3 races in 1995 in the #88, switched places with Jarrett in 1996. Irvan won at New Hampshire in July, his first win since returning from his injuries, and at Richmond in September. Irvan won at Michigan in June 1997, the same track he almost died on three years earlier. Irvan left at the end of the 1997 season to drive for MB2 Motorsports.
Kenny Irwin, Jr.
drove the #28 car for Robert Yates in 1998 and 1999. Despite winning Rookie of the Year honors in 1998, Irwin failed to find victory lane in his two seasons. The next season, Ricky Rudd
joined the team after his own Rudd Performance Motorsports team was sold. He would go on to drive 3 seasons in the Havoline Ford, from 2000-2002, and won his first race for the team in 2001 at Pocono after going winless since 1998. Rudd drove the #28 to Victory Lane two additional times (at Richmond later in 2001 and at Infineon in 2002, his last win to date) and finished in the top ten in the standings all 3 seasons, including 4th in 2001, his 2nd highest career points finish. In 2003, Elliott Sadler
was signed, and Robert Yates switched from #28 to #38.
Robert Yates would resurrect the 28 for the 2008 season, however. Yates made the switch after giving the right to the #88 to Hendrick Motorsports
for Dale Earnhardt Jr.. Travis Kvapil
would take over driving duties after Sadler's departure at the end of 2007. Before the season started, he, along with his teammate, David Gilliland
, did not have full-time sponsorship on either of their Yates Racing Fords.However, for the Daytona 500, K&N Filters sponsored his team. Two weeks later, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
, during the UAW-Dodge 400, Kvapil scored an eighth place finish, giving him his third top-10 of his career, in an unsponsored ride. Later that week, Zaxby's
decided to sponsor the #28 team for the next race, which was the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. A couple of races later, in the Aaron's 499
, he finished in the sixth position with a one race sponsorship deal from Northern Tool and Equipment, which gave him his career best finish in the Cup Series. Just a few weeks after his career best run, Kvapil picked-up another top-10 finish, this time at Darlington Raceway
, during the Dodge Challenger 500. Despite the lack of a full-time sponsorship, Travis Kvapil and the #28 had a very respectable season, finishing 23rd in the points standings.
For 2009, Kvapil's owner points from 2008 were transferred to the #98, given that Paul Menard
had signed the team, therefore bringing with him full time Menard's sponsorship. The future of the #28 team was uncertain without a sponsor, and Yates would only field the car for five races unless sponsorship had been found. Despite failing to qualify for the Shelby 427, Kvapil had two 18th place finishes in five races, with race by race sponsorship from Golden Corral
and Farmers Insurance. Unfortunately, the team still lacked a committed full time sponsor, and Yates shut down the #28 following the Food City 500
.
was hired in 2003, and Yates brought M&M's
in as the sponsor, replacing longtime sponsor Havoline. Yates also changed the car's number from 28 to 38. Sadler collected two victories for the team, and finished a career-best 9th in points in 2004. On August 14, 2006 Sadler left for Evernham Motorsports
to drive the #19. David Gilliland
replaced Sadler in the #38, beginning with the GFS Marketplace 400
at Michigan. He finished out the 2006 season, and continued to drive the #38 in 2007
, after which M&M's left the team for Joe Gibbs Racing
's #18. David Gilliland drove for Yates again in 2008, and on May 9th, it was announced that FreeCreditReport.com
would sponsor the car for the remainder of the 2008 season. Later in the year Gilliland would record his best career finish of second at Infineon Raceway, and finished 27th in the points standings..
The #38's owner points were sold to Hall of Fame Racing
to field the #96, but Yates switched the #28's owners points to the 98. After the team was unable to find sponsorship, Gilliland was released from his contract.
#88 for RYR in 1995, as Ernie Irvan drove the car in 3 races following his comeback from injuries. Irvan returned to the #28 (now #38) the following year, and Dale Jarrett
began driving the #88 in 1996 with sponsorship from Ford Quality Care
and Ford Credit. Jarrett won the 1996 Daytona 500 in his first race in the #88, defeating Dale Earnhardt for the second time in four years. Jarrett went on to win the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte in May, the Brickyard 400 (now the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard) and Michigan in August. Jarrett finished third in the Winston Cup point standings behind Hendrick Motorsports teammates Terry Labonte(the Champion) and Jeff Gordon. In 1997 Jarrett won at Atlanta and Darlington in March, Pocono in July, Bristol in August, Charlotte in October, and Phoenix in July.
Over the years, Jarrett collected 29 victories (the most wins for any driver for RYR) and he won the Winston Cup championship in 1999. He also finished in the top 10 in points 7 consecutive seasons from 1996 through 2002. The sponsorship on the #88 car changed from Ford Quality Care to UPS
in 2001. Jarrett and sponsor UPS left RYR at the end of the 2006 season for Michael Waltrip Racing. Despite off-season rumors of the #88 being shut down and becoming a one-car team, RYR secured Ricky Rudd
to drive for the team in 2007, with sponsorship from Snickers
. Rudd officially announced his retirement from racing on August 20. On September 14, 2007, it was revealed that Yates transferred the #88 to Hendrick Motorsports
for Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
's new car. Travis Kvapil
would be in the car fulltime, with the car switching to #28 in the 2008 season, 20 years since the Yates family took over Ranier-Lundy Racing.
. Stephen Leicht
would make the team's first race at Pocono Raceway
, starting 36rd and finishing 33rd. In 2009, Paul Menard
would drive with sponsorship from his father's company Menards
. Menard did not finish higher than 13th and finished 31st in points. For 2010 this team will become part of Richard Petty Motorsports as the team transitions to running with Ford.
The # 90 car would debut in the 2005 season
sponsored by Citifinancial
being split by Yates' former NEXTEL Cup drivers Elliott Sadler
and Dale Jarrett
. The team ran a part-time schedule that season, finishing thirtieth in points, with Jarrett and Sadler posting a combined total of six top-fives. In 2006
, Sadler shared the ride with development drivers Stephen Leicht
, Matt McCall
, and Justin Diercks
, with Marc Goossens
driving on road courses. The team remained in 30th in the standings, and McCall and Diercks were let go from the team. Leicht was named full-time driver of the 90 in 2007, and picked up his first win at Kentucky Speedway
. This team did not run in 2008 due to sponsorship issues and was sold to Germain Racing
, where Mike Wallace drove in 2008 as the #7 Toyota. In 2009, the team returned as the #98 Menards Ford driven by Menard and had four top-ten finishes..
, Robert Yates announced a technological partnership with the Champ Car World Series team Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
. Yates formed this partnership primarily for technology purposes and with the team's assosciation with the Ford Motor Company
, former engine supplier for the CCWS. However, with the retirement of Robert Yates at the end of the 2007 season, this partnership was canceled.
satellite team Hall of Fame Racing
would enter a technical alliance with Yates Racing. This partnership involves the switch of the #96 from Toyota to Ford, as well as the #96 being run out of Yates Racing's shop. It was also announced that Bobby Labonte
would drive the car with sponsorship from search engine
Ask.com
, inheriting the owners points of Yates Racing's defunct #38 car. The partnership dissolved after the season due to Yates' restructuring, by which point Labonte had been replaced with Roush Fenway Racing developmental driver Erik Darnell
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
stock car racing
Stock car racing
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing found mainly in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain, Brazil and Argentina. Traditionally, races are run on oval tracks measuring approximately in length...
racing team that competed in NASCAR
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...
until the 2009 season when it merged with Richard Petty Motorsports. Previously known as Robert Yates Racing, the team was owned by Doug Yates
Doug Yates
Doug Yates has been around the sound of revving engines for as long as he can remember. As the son of engine builder and team owner Robert Yates, Doug possesses a passion for stock car racing that is unmatched by others...
, who has officially owned the team since his father Robert's retirement on December 1st, 2007. The Yates family owned the team since purchasing it from Harry Ranier and J. T. Lundy in October 1988. They last fielded the #98 Menards
Menards
Menards is a chain of home improvement stores in the Midwestern United States.The privately held company headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin has 262 stores in 13 states: Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, North Dakota, and...
Ford for Paul Menard
Paul Menard
Paul Menard is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #27 Menards Chevrolet in the Sprint Cup Series for Richard Childress Racing and runs part-time for Kevin Harvick Inc. in the Nationwide Series. He is the son of Menards founder John Menard, Jr., whose company is his sponsor...
in the Sprint Cup Series and the #98 Menards
Menards
Menards is a chain of home improvement stores in the Midwestern United States.The privately held company headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin has 262 stores in 13 states: Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, North Dakota, and...
Ford for Menard part time in the Nationwide Series. Yates also fielded the #96 Ask.com
Ask.com
Ask is a Q&A focused search engine founded in 1996 by Garrett Gruener and David Warthen in Berkeley, California. The original software was implemented by Gary Chevsky from his own design. Warthen, Chevsky, Justin Grant, and others built the early AskJeeves.com website around that core engine...
/Academy Sports + Outdoors
Academy Sports and Outdoors
Academy Sports + Outdoors is a sports goods discount store chain. For 74 years it was a privately held company owned by the Gochman family, until its May 2011 sale of majority ownership to the investment firm Kohlberg Kravis and Roberts LP. Academy is one of the largest sporting goods stores in the...
Ford for 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...
in association with Hall of Fame Racing
Hall of Fame Racing
Hall of Fame Racing was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing team principally owned by Jeff Moorad, Tom Garfinkel, and Tom Davin. The team was created as a joint venture between former Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman...
.
Car #28 History
After purchasing the assets of Ranier-Lundy Racing in October 1988, Robert Yates' first driver was Davey AllisonDavey Allison
David Carl "Davey" Allison was a NASCAR driver. He was best known for driving the #28 Texaco-Havoline Ford for Robert Yates Racing in the Winston Cup Series. Born in Hollywood, Florida, he was the eldest of four children born to Bobby Allison and wife Judy...
, who had driven for the Rainer-Lundy banner since 1987 (his rookie season), and drove the #28 Havoline
Havoline
Havoline is a motor oil brand of Texaco, a former major oil company based in the United States that is now merged with the Chevron Corporation.-History:First introduced 1904, the Havoline brand was named by Havemeyer Oil Company of New York....
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...
from Yates' takeover of the team until mid-1993, racking up 15 wins and twice finishing 3rd in points. He was killed in a helicopter crash in 1993; Robby Gordon
Robby Gordon
Robert W. "Robby" Gordon is an American racecar driver who currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as an owner-driver, driving the No. 7 Speed Energy Dodge Charger for Robby Gordon Motorsports, and also competes part-time in the Nationwide Series...
, Lake Speed
Lake Speed
-Background:Lake was named after the best friend of his father, Bob Lake. Lake's father Leland L. Speed took office as the Mayor of Jackson, Mississippi in 1948, the same year that he was born. He started his racing career at the age of thirteen racing karts, much to the displeasure of his family...
, and Ernie Irvan
Ernie Irvan
Virgil Earnest Irvan, more commonly known as Ernie Irvan is a former race driver in NASCAR. He is best remembered for his comeback after a serious head injury at Michigan International Speedway which earned him numerous awards and respect from his fellow drivers...
split the rest of the driving duties in 1993, with Irvan finding Victory Lane twice. In 1994, Ernie Irvan
Ernie Irvan
Virgil Earnest Irvan, more commonly known as Ernie Irvan is a former race driver in NASCAR. He is best remembered for his comeback after a serious head injury at Michigan International Speedway which earned him numerous awards and respect from his fellow drivers...
drove the #28, winning 3 times before being injured in a crash at Michigan in August. 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...
took over the driving duties for the remainder of the season.
While Irvan was still recovering from his injuries, Dale Jarrett
Dale Jarrett
Dale Arnold Jarrett is a former American race car driver and current sports commentator known for winning the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship...
replaced him in 1995, starting at Robert Yates Racing after being with Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing is a group of NASCAR racing teams owned and operated by former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, who first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991, and J. D. Gibbs, his son...
since 1992. Jarrett won one race at Pocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway also known as the Tricky Triangle, is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond...
and eventually finished the season 16th in the points standings. Ernie Irvan
Ernie Irvan
Virgil Earnest Irvan, more commonly known as Ernie Irvan is a former race driver in NASCAR. He is best remembered for his comeback after a serious head injury at Michigan International Speedway which earned him numerous awards and respect from his fellow drivers...
, who had returned for 3 races in 1995 in the #88, switched places with Jarrett in 1996. Irvan won at New Hampshire in July, his first win since returning from his injuries, and at Richmond in September. Irvan won at Michigan in June 1997, the same track he almost died on three years earlier. Irvan left at the end of the 1997 season to drive for MB2 Motorsports.
Kenny Irwin, Jr.
Kenny Irwin, Jr.
Kenneth Dale Irwin, Jr. was a NASCAR stock car driver. He had driven in all three major of forms of NASCAR and had two total victories. Before that, he raced in the United States Auto Club against Tony Stewart, who was one of his fiercest rivals...
drove the #28 car for Robert Yates in 1998 and 1999. Despite winning Rookie of the Year honors in 1998, Irwin failed to find victory lane in his two seasons. The next season, Ricky Rudd
Ricky Rudd
Ricky Rudd is a former American NASCAR driver. He is the uncle of actor Skeet Ulrich and Nationwide Series driver Jason Rudd. Rudd is known as the "Iron Man" of NASCAR; holding the record for most consecutive starts in NASCAR racing. At the conclusion of the 2005 season, Rudd had made 788...
joined the team after his own Rudd Performance Motorsports team was sold. He would go on to drive 3 seasons in the Havoline Ford, from 2000-2002, and won his first race for the team in 2001 at Pocono after going winless since 1998. Rudd drove the #28 to Victory Lane two additional times (at Richmond later in 2001 and at Infineon in 2002, his last win to date) and finished in the top ten in the standings all 3 seasons, including 4th in 2001, his 2nd highest career points finish. In 2003, Elliott Sadler
Elliott Sadler
Elliott William Barnes Sadler is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet Impala for Kevin Harvick Inc. in the Nationwide Series. He is one of only 23 drivers to have won in each of NASCAR's top three series...
was signed, and Robert Yates switched from #28 to #38.
Robert Yates would resurrect the 28 for the 2008 season, however. Yates made the switch after giving the right to the #88 to Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports , originally named All Star Racing, is a current American auto racing team created in 1984 by Rick Hendrick. The team currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Chevrolet Impalas...
for Dale Earnhardt Jr.. Travis Kvapil
Travis Kvapil
Travis Kvapil is an American race car driver. He currently drives for Front Row Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.-Early career:...
would take over driving duties after Sadler's departure at the end of 2007. Before the season started, he, along with his teammate, 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....
, did not have full-time sponsorship on either of their Yates Racing Fords.However, for the Daytona 500, K&N Filters sponsored his team. Two weeks later, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada near Las Vegas, is a complex of multiple tracks for automobile racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.-History:...
, during the UAW-Dodge 400, Kvapil scored an eighth place finish, giving him his third top-10 of his career, in an unsponsored ride. Later that week, Zaxby's
Zaxby's
Zaxby's is a franchised chain of fast casual restaurants that operates primarily in the Southeastern United States with 500 locations. Zaxby's 500th location opened in Tifton, Georgia the summer of 2010. The first Zaxby's was opened in Statesboro, Georgia, near the Georgia Southern University...
decided to sponsor the #28 team for the next race, which was the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. A couple of races later, in the Aaron's 499
Aaron's 499
The Aaron's 499 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car auto race held at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. The race has always been held in late April or early May. The Aaron's 499 is also one of four races currently run with restrictor plates, the others being the AMP Energy 500,...
, he finished in the sixth position with a one race sponsorship deal from Northern Tool and Equipment, which gave him his career best finish in the Cup Series. Just a few weeks after his career best run, Kvapil picked-up another top-10 finish, this time at Darlington Raceway
Darlington Raceway
Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed the "Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition"...
, during the Dodge Challenger 500. Despite the lack of a full-time sponsorship, Travis Kvapil and the #28 had a very respectable season, finishing 23rd in the points standings.
For 2009, Kvapil's owner points from 2008 were transferred to the #98, given that Paul Menard
Paul Menard
Paul Menard is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #27 Menards Chevrolet in the Sprint Cup Series for Richard Childress Racing and runs part-time for Kevin Harvick Inc. in the Nationwide Series. He is the son of Menards founder John Menard, Jr., whose company is his sponsor...
had signed the team, therefore bringing with him full time Menard's sponsorship. The future of the #28 team was uncertain without a sponsor, and Yates would only field the car for five races unless sponsorship had been found. Despite failing to qualify for the Shelby 427, Kvapil had two 18th place finishes in five races, with race by race sponsorship from Golden Corral
Golden Corral
Golden Corral is an American family-style restaurant chain that features a large buffet and grill offering numerous hot and cold items, a carving station and their Brass Bell Bakery...
and Farmers Insurance. Unfortunately, the team still lacked a committed full time sponsor, and Yates shut down the #28 following 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...
.
Car #38 History
Elliott SadlerElliott Sadler
Elliott William Barnes Sadler is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet Impala for Kevin Harvick Inc. in the Nationwide Series. He is one of only 23 drivers to have won in each of NASCAR's top three series...
was hired in 2003, and Yates brought M&M's
M&M's
M&M's are dragée-like "colorful button-shaped candies" produced by Mars, Incorporated...
in as the sponsor, replacing longtime sponsor Havoline. Yates also changed the car's number from 28 to 38. Sadler collected two victories for the team, and finished a career-best 9th in points in 2004. On August 14, 2006 Sadler left for Evernham Motorsports
Evernham Motorsports
Richard Petty Motorsports is a two-car NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race team owned by seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty, Douglas G. Bergeron and financial company Medallion Financial. The team was founded as Evernham Motorsports in 2000, was renamed Gillett Evernham Motorsports in 2007 after...
to drive the #19. 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....
replaced Sadler in the #38, beginning with the GFS Marketplace 400
GFS Marketplace 400
The Pure Michigan 400 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race being held annually at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan since 1969. However, during the 1973 season it was not held after Roger Penske replaced the race with a Champ car event. The inaugural event was scheduled to be 600...
at Michigan. He finished out the 2006 season, and continued to drive the #38 in 2007
2007 in NASCAR
The 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season began on February 10, 2007 at Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout and ended on November 18 of that same year at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford 400. The Chase for the NEXTEL Cup began with the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire...
, after which M&M's left the team for Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing is a group of NASCAR racing teams owned and operated by former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, who first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991, and J. D. Gibbs, his son...
's #18. David Gilliland drove for Yates again in 2008, and on May 9th, it was announced that FreeCreditReport.com
FreeCreditReport.com
FreeCreditScore.com and FreeCreditReport.com are websites owned by Experian Consumer Direct, a subsidiary of the credit bureau Experian. The sites offer users their personal credit reports from Experian on the condition that they sign up for Experian's Triple Advantage credit monitoring program for...
would sponsor the car for the remainder of the 2008 season. Later in the year Gilliland would record his best career finish of second at Infineon Raceway, and finished 27th in the points standings..
The #38's owner points were sold to Hall of Fame Racing
Hall of Fame Racing
Hall of Fame Racing was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing team principally owned by Jeff Moorad, Tom Garfinkel, and Tom Davin. The team was created as a joint venture between former Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman...
to field the #96, but Yates switched the #28's owners points to the 98. After the team was unable to find sponsorship, Gilliland was released from his contract.
Car #88 History
What is now the #28 began as the HavolineHavoline
Havoline is a motor oil brand of Texaco, a former major oil company based in the United States that is now merged with the Chevron Corporation.-History:First introduced 1904, the Havoline brand was named by Havemeyer Oil Company of New York....
#88 for RYR in 1995, as Ernie Irvan drove the car in 3 races following his comeback from injuries. Irvan returned to the #28 (now #38) the following year, and Dale Jarrett
Dale Jarrett
Dale Arnold Jarrett is a former American race car driver and current sports commentator known for winning the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship...
began driving the #88 in 1996 with sponsorship from Ford Quality Care
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...
and Ford Credit. Jarrett won the 1996 Daytona 500 in his first race in the #88, defeating Dale Earnhardt for the second time in four years. Jarrett went on to win the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte in May, the Brickyard 400 (now the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard) and Michigan in August. Jarrett finished third in the Winston Cup point standings behind Hendrick Motorsports teammates Terry Labonte(the Champion) and Jeff Gordon. In 1997 Jarrett won at Atlanta and Darlington in March, Pocono in July, Bristol in August, Charlotte in October, and Phoenix in July.
Over the years, Jarrett collected 29 victories (the most wins for any driver for RYR) and he won the Winston Cup championship in 1999. He also finished in the top 10 in points 7 consecutive seasons from 1996 through 2002. The sponsorship on the #88 car changed from Ford Quality Care to UPS
United Parcel Service
United Parcel Service, Inc. , typically referred to by the acronym UPS, is a package delivery company. Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States, UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 220 countries and territories around the...
in 2001. Jarrett and sponsor UPS left RYR at the end of the 2006 season for Michael Waltrip Racing. Despite off-season rumors of the #88 being shut down and becoming a one-car team, RYR secured Ricky Rudd
Ricky Rudd
Ricky Rudd is a former American NASCAR driver. He is the uncle of actor Skeet Ulrich and Nationwide Series driver Jason Rudd. Rudd is known as the "Iron Man" of NASCAR; holding the record for most consecutive starts in NASCAR racing. At the conclusion of the 2005 season, Rudd had made 788...
to drive for the team in 2007, with sponsorship from Snickers
Snickers
Snickers is a brand name chocolate bar made by Mars, Incorporated. It consists of peanut nougat topped with roasted peanuts and caramel, enrobed in milk chocolate. Snickers has annual global sales of $2 billion....
. Rudd officially announced his retirement from racing on August 20. On September 14, 2007, it was revealed that Yates transferred the #88 to Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports , originally named All Star Racing, is a current American auto racing team created in 1984 by Rick Hendrick. The team currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Chevrolet Impalas...
for Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
* NOTE: References to "Earnhardt", "he", and "him" refer to the subject of this article, unless otherwise specified. References to his father will include "Sr."...
's new car. Travis Kvapil
Travis Kvapil
Travis Kvapil is an American race car driver. He currently drives for Front Row Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.-Early career:...
would be in the car fulltime, with the car switching to #28 in the 2008 season, 20 years since the Yates family took over Ranier-Lundy Racing.
Car #98 history
The #98 car debuted in 2006 as the #90 Ford sponsored by CitigroupCitigroup
Citigroup Inc. or Citi is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Citigroup was formed from one of the world's largest mergers in history by combining the banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomerate...
. Stephen Leicht
Stephen Leicht
Stephen Leicht is an American stock car driver. He is currently a free agent. He has over 150 feature event wins in quarter midgets and go-karts.-Early racing career:...
would make the team's first race at Pocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway also known as the Tricky Triangle, is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond...
, starting 36rd and finishing 33rd. In 2009, Paul Menard
Paul Menard
Paul Menard is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #27 Menards Chevrolet in the Sprint Cup Series for Richard Childress Racing and runs part-time for Kevin Harvick Inc. in the Nationwide Series. He is the son of Menards founder John Menard, Jr., whose company is his sponsor...
would drive with sponsorship from his father's company Menards
Menards
Menards is a chain of home improvement stores in the Midwestern United States.The privately held company headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin has 262 stores in 13 states: Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, North Dakota, and...
. Menard did not finish higher than 13th and finished 31st in points. For 2010 this team will become part of Richard Petty Motorsports as the team transitions to running with Ford.
Nationwide Series
2005 in NASCAR Busch Series
The 2005 season of the NASCAR Busch Series began with the Hershey's Take 5 300 at Daytona International Speedway and concluded with the Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Martin Truex Jr...
sponsored by Citifinancial
Citigroup
Citigroup Inc. or Citi is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Citigroup was formed from one of the world's largest mergers in history by combining the banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomerate...
being split by Yates' former NEXTEL Cup drivers Elliott Sadler
Elliott Sadler
Elliott William Barnes Sadler is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet Impala for Kevin Harvick Inc. in the Nationwide Series. He is one of only 23 drivers to have won in each of NASCAR's top three series...
and Dale Jarrett
Dale Jarrett
Dale Arnold Jarrett is a former American race car driver and current sports commentator known for winning the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship...
. The team ran a part-time schedule that season, finishing thirtieth in points, with Jarrett and Sadler posting a combined total of six top-fives. In 2006
2006 in NASCAR Busch Series
The 25th season of the NASCAR Busch Series opened February 18, 2006, at Daytona International Speedway and concluded November 18, 2006, at Homestead-Miami Speedway...
, Sadler shared the ride with development drivers Stephen Leicht
Stephen Leicht
Stephen Leicht is an American stock car driver. He is currently a free agent. He has over 150 feature event wins in quarter midgets and go-karts.-Early racing career:...
, Matt McCall
Matt McCall
Matt McCall is a professional race car driver.-Early racing:Matt ran karts from 1990 until 1999, racing first in the Rookie division at age nine, then at the age of thirteen moving to the Adult division earning more than 150 wins...
, and Justin Diercks
Justin Diercks
Justin Diercks is an American racecar driver from Davenport, Iowa. He previously drove the #70 car for ML Motorsports. He made his Busch Series debut in 2006 in the Circuit City 250 at Richmond International Raceway. He made a total of seven Busch Series starts in 2006 with a best finish of 28th....
, with Marc Goossens
Marc Goossens
Marc Goossens nicknamed The Goose is a Belgian racecar driver who drove in Formula 3000 from 1994 to 1996 and part-time from 1999 to 2001. In between he drove in endurance races and is a veteran of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. From 2002 to 2005 he then raced in FIA GT...
driving on road courses. The team remained in 30th in the standings, and McCall and Diercks were let go from the team. Leicht was named full-time driver of the 90 in 2007, and picked up his first win at Kentucky Speedway
Kentucky Speedway
Kentucky Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Sparta, Kentucky, which has hosted ARCA, NASCAR and Indy Racing League racing annually since it opened in 2000. The track is currently owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. and Jerry Carroll, who, along with four other investors, owned...
. This team did not run in 2008 due to sponsorship issues and was sold to Germain Racing
Germain Racing
Germain Racing is an American NASCAR team. It is owned by the Germain brothers, Bob, Stephen, and Richard. The Germain family owns many car dealerships across the United States...
, where Mike Wallace drove in 2008 as the #7 Toyota. In 2009, the team returned as the #98 Menards Ford driven by Menard and had four top-ten finishes..
Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
During the race weekend of the Allstate 400 at the BrickyardAllstate 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...
, Robert Yates announced a technological partnership with the Champ Car World Series team Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
Newman/Haas Racing was a motor racing team competing in the IndyCar Series. The team operations were based in Lincolnshire, Illinois. Newman/Haas Racing was formed when actor Paul Newman and long-time racer Carl Haas, competitors in the Can-Am championship, each began looking to Champ Car racing...
. Yates formed this partnership primarily for technology purposes and with the team's assosciation with the Ford Motor Company
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...
, former engine supplier for the CCWS. However, with the retirement of Robert Yates at the end of the 2007 season, this partnership was canceled.
Hall of Fame Racing
On January 13, 2009 it was announced that former Joe Gibbs RacingJoe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing is a group of NASCAR racing teams owned and operated by former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, who first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991, and J. D. Gibbs, his son...
satellite team Hall of Fame Racing
Hall of Fame Racing
Hall of Fame Racing was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing team principally owned by Jeff Moorad, Tom Garfinkel, and Tom Davin. The team was created as a joint venture between former Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman...
would enter a technical alliance with Yates Racing. This partnership involves the switch of the #96 from Toyota to Ford, as well as the #96 being run out of Yates Racing's shop. It was also announced that 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...
would drive the car with sponsorship from search engine
Search engine
A search engine is an information retrieval system designed to help find information stored on a computer system. The search results are usually presented in a list and are commonly called hits. Search engines help to minimize the time required to find information and the amount of information...
Ask.com
Ask.com
Ask is a Q&A focused search engine founded in 1996 by Garrett Gruener and David Warthen in Berkeley, California. The original software was implemented by Gary Chevsky from his own design. Warthen, Chevsky, Justin Grant, and others built the early AskJeeves.com website around that core engine...
, inheriting the owners points of Yates Racing's defunct #38 car. The partnership dissolved after the season due to Yates' restructuring, by which point Labonte had been replaced with Roush Fenway Racing developmental driver Erik Darnell
Erik Darnell
Erik Darnell is an American stock car racing driver, c He is the grandson of former USAC and NASCAR driver Bay Darnell, who also started three NASCAR races for Holman Moody...
.