Yates says No. 88 needs sponsor before driver

Saturday, September 09, 2006

RICHMOND, Va. - Robert Yates Racing co-owner Doug Yates says he hasn't even talked with Mark Martin, but that he certainly would like to have him in the team's No. 88 Ford next season. But first he needs to land sponsorship for the team - and, of course, talk to Martin.

Yates admitted that courting a driver at this point would be "putting the cart before the horse." He expects to finalize sponsorship plans for the team, which is losing UPS in 2007, in the next three to four weeks.

"We need the sponsorship in place to be able to go after these guys," Yates said. "Guys like Mark and these guys are going to want to make some good money in their last year, which they deserve, and we need some good people on the car to be able to do that."

Yates was then asked if the No. 88 would definitely be back next season.

"Well, I hope so," he said after a pause. "That's our plan."

Earlier in the day Martin said he has no plans to buy the RYR team next season and that he has not given serious consideration to driving for the organization and Doug Yates did not contradict those statements Friday afternoon at Richmond International Raceway.

"We haven't really talked to him about it yet," Yates said. "I don't know what his plans are."

He did say, though, that with sponsorship approval he'd be very interested in the driver. He also said the team would be interested in Ricky Rudd.

Martin says he'd like to compete with a 12-race limited schedule in 2007. Yates said any partial or full-time driver decisions would be made by the future sponsor.

"At the end of the day it's the sponsor's decision," Yates said. "They have to be willing to like that situation. But that would be something I'd be interested in."

Yates added that it makes sense to have a rookie driver with one team and a veteran in the other car. David Gilliland has already signed to compete in the No. 38 next year.

"Of course Mark Martin is in that mix," he said. "Who wouldn't want Mark Martin driving their car? But it's got to be right for Mark and of course be right for us."

Mentioned Drivers: David Gilliland

Post a Comment

Disclaimer: All comments are subject to filtering for language, and libelous content. Comments are intended to encourage spirited debate and discussion about the subject matter contained within the articles and ARE NOT intended for personal or demeaning attacks directed at other users. We reserve the right to remove any comments deemed inappropriate. Users who violate this policy may be banned from posting comments on the site.

Comment Preview

Nov 8, 2009 at 4:44 PM
You said:

You must login before you can post comments or rate content.

If you don't have an account you can create a free one here.

2009 Sprint Cup Race for the Chase Standings

Driver Standings after the AMP Energy 500

1 Jimmie Johnson 6248
2 Mark Martin -184
3 Jeff Gordon -192
4 Juan Pablo Montoya -239
5 Tony Stewart -279
6 Kurt Busch -312
7 Greg Biffle -340
8 Ryan Newman -402
9 Kasey Kahne -414
10 Carl Edwards -437
11 Denny Hamlin -448
12 Brian Vickers -556

More by this Author

NASCAR Schedules

abc

Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500

Phoenix International Raceway
03:30 PM, 11/15/2009

Poll PositionView All

Which NASCAR Sprint Cup race winner from the past two seasons is most likely to earn his first victory of 2009 in the next three races?

Promotions

  • Play "WIX Filters' Pick 3" stock car fantasy and win prizes. Season 2 is now in session!

  • Tweet your thoughts about each race and join the conversation with other fans.

  • Drive an authentic NASCAR Sprint Cup car at the NASCAR Racing Experience.

  • Cast your vote for the NASCAR Illustrated 2009 Person of the Year, presented by Old Spice.

  • Make weekly pics for the Chase and be entered to win weekly SPEED Merchandise.

NASCAR Community Join the Community

In the Forums View All

Presented by

Don't have an account yet?

Insiders Guide to NASCAR

Register with SceneDaily.com and get access to the following features:

  • FREE Insider’s Guide to NASCAR (available as a PDF download)
  • Daily NASCAR news updates delivered directly to your e-mail
  • Pre-race and Post-race emails delivered each race week
  • Ability to comment on blog and news articles
  • Information on new website features and upcoming contests
Create my Account

Login

Forgot Password?
Login or Create an Account