Yates working on 2007 ride for Stephen Leicht
By Bob Pockrass
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
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Robert Yates Racing is trying to put 19-year-old Stephen Leicht in a Nextel Cup car in 2007, team co-owner Doug Yates confirmed Monday.
Yates said that if CitiFinancial agrees to sponsor the team's No. 88 Nextel Cup car next season, Leicht will be the driver. If the company decides to remain in the Busch Series, Leicht would drive that car and he also would be a candidate to drive the Cup car, depending on the sponsor. Yates also said if Leicht doesn't run Cup in 2007, then he would in 2008.
"Today, we like what we see," Doug Yates said Monday afternoon. "When you race, you've got to really feel good with what you line up with and make sure that you bet on it succeeding. Today, I think Steve has a good chance of doing that."
Robert Yates Racing is losing Dale Jarrett and Elliott Sadler at the end of the season. It also is losing UPS as a sponsor as UPS is leaving the No. 88 with Jarrett and moving to Michael Waltrip Racing.
M&M's will remain as a sponsor with Yates for the No. 38 car while its driver, Sadler, heads for a still-to-be-finalized team although Evernham Motorsports is most likely his home.
Leicht has driven in 10 Busch Series events for Yates (eight this year) and made his Nextel Cup debut Sunday with a 33rd-place finish in the Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway.
"I would grade yesterday probably a B, and I would say that there's more work to be done on the equipment than there is on the driver at Pocono," Doug Yates said. "We were really pleased with Stephen's efforts."
While that was Leicht's debut in a Cup car for a race, Leicht also has tested a Cup car at Kentucky and Indianapolis, where he will attempt to qualify for the Aug. 6 Allstate 400. Leicht said he would like to run both series next year, if possible. He will run in every Busch Series race for the remainder of the year after Indianapolis.
"You have to wonder with two Cup rides opening up and pushing me so fast trying to get me in a couple of Cup races this year and the rest of the Busch races," Leicht said. "I would really love to run the full Busch Series this year, and if I get to run any Cup, that would be a plus."
The 2005 ASA Late Model Series champion, Leicht's best finish in the Busch Series this year has been 10th at Kentucky. But he has been running at the finish in every race he has competed in. He also won an ARCA race at Nashville.
- Mentioned Drivers:
- Dale Jarrett
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