Darrell Waltrip team sold to The Racer's Group
Darrell Waltrip Motorsports officials announced Wednesday the team has been sold to the Racer's Group, with TRG road-racing driver Andy Lally taking the wheel of the team's No. 00 Toyota in this weekend's Craftsman Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.
Waltrip has operated the truck series team from 1996-97 and then from 2004 until now. The team is 22nd in the owners standings, with one top-five and four top-10 finishes in 22 races.
"We will be running the last three races in our new Tundra and are looking forward to getting our feet wet and really learning the ropes in this type of racing," TRG owner Kevin Buckler said. "In our 13-year sports-car history, we have had the benefit of working with some top level people and brands. Many of the conversations regarding motorsports, marketing, sponsorships and long term business goals, always seem to lead to NASCAR. We decided that it was time to take our racing partnerships to the next level."
Sports-car driver Lally has driven in two NASCAR races, the Busch Series road-course races at Montreal and Watkins Glen as part of TRG's alliance with Wood Brothers/JTG Racing. Lally will compete for the truck series championship next season, the team said.
Buckler said TRG has been planning to take the step to NASCAR for the last two years.
"After meeting with numerous teams and discussing many possible scenarios, I was most impressed with this opportunity to begin a long term relationship with one of the world's most respected companies, Toyota," Buckler said.
"Assembling a top team in anything we do has always been one of our secrets, and we are bringing along a group of partners and friends from the racing and business world to be a part of our journey into NASCAR.
"These guys are at the top or their game in everything they do and will be valuable resources and partners in the long term building of our NASCAR program. These are hallowed grounds we are about to enter, and we are heading into NASCAR with our heads down with the utmost respect for the series and everyone involved.
"We are going at it with our usual work ethic and professional approach. It will be a big learning process. We will be on an aggressive testing schedule and will be looking to compete in the entire 2008 season."
Sponsorship for the team for 2008 was not announced.
