Yates Racing forging ahead without full sponsorship
By SceneDaily Staff Report
Thursday, January 10, 2008
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The co-owners of Yates Racing say they are committed to running in the Sprint Cup Series despite not having full sponsorship for either of their cars.
The No. 28 for Travis Kvapil and the No. 38 for David Gilliland are both without full-season primary sponsors, and the team has started a Web site to try to help fund the two-car effort. But co-owners Doug Yates and Max Jones remain optimistic about the future of the team formerly known as Robert Yates Racing.
"We're committed to doing this," said Jones, who moved from Roush Fenway Racing to become Yates' partner. "We realized when we decided to go do this that we were going to need two sponsors, and I think if you come down here and perform well, there are going be a lot of opportunities. We've talked to a lot of people, but I think you want to make sure you're putting the right package together.
"We're in this thing for the long term and we're in it to build relationships and build partnerships, so we just don't want to take somebody and hang them on the car for the Daytona race. That might end up having to happen if we can't put the right package together with somebody, but whenever you're talking to sponsors and you're putting a team together, you've got to look at all your options and look at what you think best suits what your objectives are and what you're planning on doing. Our plan is to do this for a long time and build relationships, so we're really talking to as many people as we can."
Jones ran Roush Fenway's Cup teams as general manager before joining Yates. Doug Yates took the team over from his father, moving it to a shop near Roush Fenway's headquarters in Concord, N.C.
"The great part about it is we're bringing a lot of good things that Robert Yates Racing has had in the past and combining them with our strategic alliance with Roush Fenway - it really makes for exciting potential for this year," Yates said. "Really, at the end of the day, we need to go out and perform well, and that's what people are looking for, they're looking to be part of something they can be proud of and get their employees energized about. I think this is a great platform for doing that."
Jones said despite Robert Yates Racing's heritage, the current team is "only six weeks old."
"With the organization that Doug and I have put together, and the drivers that we have, I believe that we're really a strong candidate [for sponsors]," Jones said. "It's not like we've got a rag-tag group of guys that we drug down here to Daytona. This is a solid organization with great cars. You can look at the speeds. We're not embarrassing ourselves, so I think it's a great opportunity for somebody."
Kvapil tested the No. 28 Ford at Daytona International Speedway this week, posting the 17th-fastest time of the 26 drivers making laps. But Kvapil's best lap was also less than a tenth of a second from being in the top 10 for the week.
The team swapped crew chiefs, with Cully Barraclough moving to Gilliland's team, and Todd Parrott taking over as Kvapil's crew chief. Both cars are locked in the first five races of 2008 because they finished in the top 35 in the 2007 owners standings.
The team returned to the No. 28 for the first time since 2002. Dale Earnhardt Jr. wanted Yates' No. 88, and Yates Racing went back to the number in which it started in the sport. "Just about every time I would go on a call-in show the first question they ask is, 'When are you bringing the 28 back?'" Yates said. "That's gone on for four or five years now, and to be able to bring it back brings back a lot of memories and brings back a lot of pride. I have some real fond memories.
"As a matter of fact, winning the Daytona 500 in 1992 with Davey Allison was probably one of the brightest memories in my past, and hopefully we can bring it back and do some good things in the future with it. It would be a real shame if we brought it back and didn't make a real strong statement with it."
- Mentioned Drivers:
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
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