Motorsports FanHouse

Crash Video of the Week: Pre-Martinsville

Geoffrey Miller — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 22:20:00 EST

Filed under: Tony Stewart, Joe Gibbs Racing, NASCAR Crashes, NASCAR Fights, NASCAR Videos, Yates Racing, Sprint Cup

Due to the fact that Sprint Cup Series was off last weekend for Easter, the Fanhouse is digging deep for some past highlights from Martinsville Speedway, site of this Sunday's Goody's Cool Orange 500.

In this one from 1999, Tony Stewart and the late Kenny Irwin have their share of run-ins on the half-mile paper clip. Apologies in advance for the European broadcast commentary, I couldn't find the ESPN version.

The conflict got started early in the day when Stewart spun out Irwin in turn 4.

Tony would later call that a mistake, and with good reason.

Stewart then more deliberately took out Irwin after the black No. 28 scooted up in front of his No. 20, and that really got things going bad between the two former open-wheel rivals. Irwin, fed up with being wrecked twice, soon caught up to Stewart again and flat out dumped the No. 20 into the turn 1 wall.

Irwin's reward? Stewart got out of his wrecked Pontiac, gestured at Irwin, and then threw his two heat shields at the No. 28.

The No. 20, though, was done for the day after starting a fight he couldn't quite finish.

The entire incident was a continuation of the feuds that the two had racing in open-wheel cars throughout the Midwest, and showed just how well that relationship had improved.

Ahh... the yesteryears of NASCAR.

Crash Video of the Week: Pre-Martinsville originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 26 Mar 2008 22:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rudd Still Hurt, Wallace Still In at RYR

Geoffrey Miller — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 10:49:00 EST

Filed under: David Gilliland, Ricky Rudd, Yates Racing

Ricky Rudd will miss his third consecutive race this weekend at Dover International Speedway. Rudd suffered a serious shoulder separation during a crash at California Speedway.

Kenny Wallace has filled in Rudd's No. 88 since that time and will continue this weekend with Dover's Dodge Dealers 400.

Wallace says that he is looking forward to running in the Dodge Dealers 400.

"I really have a love/hate relationship with Dover," he said. "I've had some good runs there, and those are the runs I always try to remember when we head there for a race. I really enjoy the track a lot, and I'm just waiting to love the track, but I really feel that I can do well up there in the car of tomorrow this weekend. For as much as I enjoy Dover, I haven't had the finishes that I should have so far, but I'm just going to keep on trying."

During his time in the RYR Ford, Wallace has posted unremarkable finishes of 28th and 34th respectively at Richmond and Loudon.

David Gililland, the other Yates driver, has only posted finishes of 22nd and 39th at the same events -- showing that the Yates machines aren't exactly up-to-par at the moment, however.

For Wallace's future, you've got to hope that Yates brings a better package to the Monster Mile this weekend.

It's not known when Ricky Rudd, who is retiring at the end of this season, will come back -- if at all -- from his injury.

Rudd Still Hurt, Wallace Still In at RYR originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 21 Sep 2007 10:49:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Roush/Yates 8-Car Team is Coming

Geoffrey Miller — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 08:44:00 EST

Filed under: Roush Fenway Racing, Nextel Cup, Yates Racing

Owner Jack Roush has apparently solved the riddle of getting back on top of NASCAR Nextel Cup racing.

It's all in the numbers. More of them, actually.

Roush Fenway Racing, which already shared an engine program with [Robert Yates Racing], will expand its relationship in 2008 to include building and selling cars and parts to its fellow Ford partner as well as licensing and marketing.

That ultimately will allow Roush after the 2009 season -- the deadline NASCAR has set for it to get to four teams -- to send its fifth car and whatever employees that might go with it to RYR.

"That's not part of the deal, but it certainly won't shock anybody here if in two years that's where it goes," Roush Fenway president Geoff Smith said before Saturday night's Nextel Cup race at Richmond International Raceway.

Yates announced the move to join forces with Roush on Friday.

Roush's Smith apparently thinks he's been absolutely cunning with the manuever of not saying that specifically Roush's "extra" assets will find a way over to Yates. Come on, dude, how stupid do you think we are?

This is all comes when Roush's resources seem already pressed much too thin within the organization -- as they have seemed to been since having the hoopla of five cars in the 2005 Chase.

The funny thing about the potential Roush/Yates eight-car conglomerate is that NASCAR -- more specifically NASCAR's VP of Competition Robin Pemberton -- is apparently already on board with it.

Asked again if this was Roush's way of circumventing the rules, Pemberton said, "There would be concern if you had everything in one facility. That's why we've gone to the four-car limit.

"There's business sense in buying cars and going and employing an engineering staff that has the resources that make your teams run better."

Kind of interesting, if you ask me.

NASCAR is trying to cut down on large car-count race teams by limiting each team's entry to four at the max. By doing so, the sanctioning body hopes to avoid one or two teams constantly dominating the sport because of their massive coffers of wealth and technology.

But yet, in the case of Roush and Yates, NASCAR considers cars being physically built just miles apart to not be in violation of that rule? Do they really thing technology and information doesn't travel outside of the Roush-Fenway Racing front door?

Consider the multi-car team can of worms opened.

The Roush/Yates 8-Car Team is Coming originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 10 Sep 2007 08:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Changing of the Guard at Yates in 2008 and Other Friday Leftovers

tallglassofmilk — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 07:24:00 EST

Filed under: Yates Racing, NASCAR Silly Season, Jeremy Mayfield

Travis Kvapil will return to the Cup series (yea!) replacing the retiring Ricky Rudd in the #88 Chevy in 2008--or sooner. Owner Robert Yates, 64, is also retiring and will turn the reigns of the renamed Yates Racing over to son Doug at the end of this season. The Roush Yates engine partnership will continue and Doug shall strive to grow Yates into a pre-eminent team like Roush Fenway.

Stremme Latest Free Agent
Car owner Chip Ganassi doesn't really want to let David Stremme go, but since losing the Coors sponsorship he has nothing to offer the driver for next season so he has not yet picked up his option. Career stats: 2 top 10s, 8 laps led. Ouch. But ... even with the Yates and DEI opening already filled, silly season is still going strong. There'll be somebody out there looking for a little experience.

I wonder ... if I were an owner, who would look more appealing ... Stremme? or Mayfield? Eh. I'd like more choices, but ... I'm going to have to go with Mayfield, baggage and all. A mere two seasons ago, he was contending for the championship. He hasn't forgotten how to drive. But first we'd have to have a come to Jesus meeting. Then again, Stremme is probably more marketable, so ... let's make that an undecided, dependent upon sponsors.

Scott Riggs has next. David Reutimann on deck.

Parlez-vous français?
In French, it's better concealed how bad it is. In English, it's painfully obvious.

Go Fish
Big Fish Games has launched a Roush Fenway Racing-branded gaming site for RoushFenway.com. Uh ... ok?

Changing of the Guard at Yates in 2008 and Other Friday Leftovers originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 08 Sep 2007 07:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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3+8=38 and Other Car Number Math

tallglassofmilk — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 08:49:00 EST

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dale Earnhardt Inc., Yates Racing

Bob Dilner reported last night that Hendrick Motor Sports has requested the #38 from Robert Yates Racing for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

I think he's on to something ... but the chatter in my inbox suggests that RYR offered the #38 up to HMS and will acquire the rights to the #89, which is currently assigned to Morgan Shepherd but hasn't been run in 2007. Yates would then have the #88 and #89 in Sprint Cup and the #90 in the Busch Series.

Since he can't get the #8, I have to guess that having his daddy's number along side his own has got to be the next best thing for Junior. That ought to even satisfy the fans that continually beg him to drive the #3 made famous by Dale Earnhardt.

Can he still make a connection to his grandfather in the #38? Well, Ralph drove a 1938 Chevrolet making a name for himself on the short tracks of North Carolina. That ought to count for something.

I don't suppose I need to mention the difference between 8 and 3 is 5. Rick Hendrick, for whom the #5 holds sentimental value, will still have that number in Busch to honor his son, the late Ricky Hendrick, who, incidentally, ran 38 Busch Series races in his career.

3+8=38 and Other Car Number Math originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 27 Aug 2007 08:49:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jarrett Will Be Back, Rudd Won't

Geoffrey Miller — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 01:11:00 EST

Filed under: Dale Jarrett, Ford, Toyota, Roush Fenway Racing, Nextel Cup, Ricky Rudd, Yates Racing, NASCAR Silly Season

Dale Jarrett hasn't had the best of years -- by far.

That, though, doesn't mean the Cup Champ is going to step out of the driver seat of the No. 44 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota before his contract is up at the end of 2008.

"I'm very fortunate to have a sponsor that's very committed to our program, and I'm fortunate as a driver that they built their marketing program around me, and so that's very good," he said. "Do they want to do better? Sure. We all do. They're no different than anyone else, but never has there been anything said about making a change or doing anything different."

UPS really should be given a pat on the back for their support of Jarrett. Can the man still wheel a race car? Definitely. Can he make hilarious commercials? He can act in them, I suppose.

And they realize that Toyota will make some nice strides in 2008 with the Car of Tomorrow.

Rudd One and Done

As for Jarrett's old car and teammate, Ricky Rudd has deciding to hang it up again next year.

Though contemplating full retirement, Rudd hasn't taken his name away from anything, other than saying he won't be back at Yates and that he is tired of the daily grind.

Isn't that we he left the sport for a year ago?

Jarrett Will Be Back, Rudd Won't originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 20 Aug 2007 01:11:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lucky in Kentucky: Yates' Leicht Takes the 'W'

Geoffrey Miller — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 23:59:00 EST

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Roush Fenway Racing, David Gilliland, Yates Racing, Busch Series

Last year, when David Gilliland won his first ever Busch race in an unsponsored car at the spring Kentucky event, by the fall he was piloting Robert Yates Racing No. 38.

Stephen Leicht took his first Busch win at the same track Saturday night, but he's already racing for RYR and has Citifinancial as a sponsor.

Does that mean he gets an automatic Cup ride, too?

Doubt it.

But hey, he's a winner, right? I'm sure the party will be nice tonight -- mainly because he doesn't have to be at Michigan for the Cup race Sunday.

One minor issue though. Leicht is only 20, and underage drinking is wrong. Especially in the Busch Series. Wrong.

At least now, however, Leicht has the first win slump past him. He was the first non-Cup driver to win a Busch race in 52 consecutive races.

Busch Series point leader -- or the guy that's suffocating NASCAR's idea to not add the Chase for the Busch Series -- Carl Edwards led a race-high 96 of 200 laps before being caught up in a wreck with less than 30 laps to go on a restart.

He'll probably leave Kentucky with a 30-bajillion point lead, instead of 39-bajillion one. Darn.

It was a big night otherwise for non-Cup Busch regulars.
19-year-old Brad Coleman finished 2nd with Scott Wimmer in a Richard Childress Racing car got third. Shane Huffman finished 5th, Aric Almirola 6th, and Kelly Bires (who?!) 7th in his second-career Busch start.

The evil Cuppers in the top-10 included David Stremme in 4th, and David Ragain, Mike Bliss (sometimes a Cupper), and Greg Biffle rounding out the top-10.

Hm, kinda sounds like an old Busch Series race -- and I like it.

(Begin rant ... here.) Who really cares if Carl Edwards wins a Busch Series title? Will the folks who believe that the Busch Series being consistently filled with the vast numbers of Cup drivers is good?

Will they buy a 2007 Carl Edwards Busch Championship tee or hat? Doubt it.

My point exactly. (Rant over, thanks.)

Lucky in Kentucky: Yates' Leicht Takes the 'W' originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 16 Jun 2007 23:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yates Says Thanks But No Thanks, Sticks With Ford

Geoffrey Miller — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 09:53:00 EST

Filed under: Nextel Cup, David Gilliland, Ricky Rudd, Yates Racing

Say goodbye to any rumors that Robert Yates Racing will be running any other model than a Ford in the near future.

Yates told ESPN on Thursday that he had signed a new five-year deal with the manufacturer in a move that quieted some gossip but didn't clear up much.

"We have been talking to different people and they ask, 'What manufacturer are you with? How strong is that? How long term is it?' [This contract] puts a lot to bed. We have a good relationship with Ford, and we continue to," said Yates.

It's good to see one of NASCAR's traditional names still find a place in the growing sport. Yates knows he has some catching up to do to get Ricky Rudd and David Gilliland running like the Yates teams of the 90's, but this new contract helps solidify things for a few years.

The DEI-RYR partnership rumor is still alive and kicking, however, because DEI hasn't ruled out not campaigning with a different make in 2008. DEI has, however, inked a deal with Richard Childress Racing to build engines.

Confused yet? I am.
Yates isn't though, he's got a couple of a possible partnerships lined up now that he has manufacturer stability with Ford -- a group he holds near and dear to the heart.

"I sort of started my life with [Ford], and hopefully it will extend my life."

Uhh, like, so were Robert's parents at a drive-in in a Ford 9 months or so before his birth? And is Ford a new anti-aging brand?

Interesting analogy.

(Photo by Gavin Lawrence, Getty Images)

Yates Says Thanks But No Thanks, Sticks With Ford originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 01 Jun 2007 09:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yates: DEI Looks Different Without Junior

tallglassofmilk — Sun, 13 May 2007 01:30:00 EST

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dale Earnhardt Inc., Yates Racing

Negotiations between Robert Yates Racing and Dale Earnhardt Inc. were already slow-going ...

Doug Yates, co-owner of the #38 and #88 Ford Fusions:

"Our position all along has been that we're trying to do whatever we can do to get our team as strong as we can get it, so we've looked at a lot of situations - DEI being one of them. They've talked to us and we've talked to them, plus there is other stuff, but at the end of the day we haven't gotten anywhere with that in particular.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s exit isn't going to move things along any:

"It definitely makes it look different, that's for sure. I think looking at DEI without Dale Jr. is a different situation. It doesn't mean that it's any better or any worse, it's just different. We're still open to trying to, like I said, our goal is to make our team as strong as we can make it and we're gonna continue to look at scenarios until we can figure out what that is."

Is Junior driving for RYR one of the scenarios they'd like to look at?

"Obviously, everybody here would love to have Dale Jr. drive for them, so we'll see what happens."

In your dreams, Yates. In your dreams.

Yates: DEI Looks Different Without Junior originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 13 May 2007 01:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Doesn't Play Well with Others

tallglassofmilk — Fri, 04 May 2007 12:15:00 EST

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, Ford, Dale Earnhardt Inc., Yates Racing

All the talk of Dale Earnhardt Inc. buying Robert Yates Racing has everyone talking manufacturers.

Doug Yates builds Ford engines.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. drives Chevys.

If the deal goes down and Junior stays with DEI, change is imminent for one of them.

Not likely for Junior, a Chevy devotee.

On his XM radio show last night, Junior, whose own classic car collection doesn't include a single Ford, declared his love for Chevy and made his thoughts about driving a Ford crystal clear:

"Ford is like the other half and you don't play with the other half."

No word on whether or not he will move to disallow Ford plugging him in their commercials.

Doesn't Play Well with Others originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 04 May 2007 12:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dale Jr. in a Ford? Yates Confirms Talks With DEI About Buyout

Geoffrey Miller — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 13:51:00 EST

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, Ford, Dale Earnhardt Inc., Talladega Superspeedway, Yates Racing

And Dale Earnhardt Jr. thought he was the most important negotiation that DEI had on its plate.

Lee Spencer would like to beg to differ:

Robert Yates confirmed on Saturday that talks have resumed between Robert Yates Racing and Dale Earnhardt Inc. The topic of discussion: The possible sale of RYR to DEI.

This is quite an interesting story on many fronts. Not only is the Dale Jr. contract such a hot-button issue in NASCAR right now, but you also have to look at it from a Ford and Chevrolet standpoint. Remember, the Yates organization currently works with Roush Fenway Racing in the engine department to produce Roush-Yates Ford engines. Robert Yates has long been a Ford guy, and Jack Roush will likely be buried in a Ford Mustang.

[Richie] Gilmore said Chevrolet has already submitted a new offer to DEI, and the company is willing to listen to offers. John Story, a DEI manager, said that three of the four manufacturers have made offers to the company.

Note: Richie Gilmore is the VP of Competition at DEI

Also, John Story, who is a member of DEI's executive team, confirmed that Ford was one of the other companies DEI had preliminary discussions with. Chevrolet, apparently, is still the top priority.

"We're going to work through the Chevrolet process first. If there is a need, then we'll entertain some of these other opportunities," said Story.

Quite an interesting tune for DEI, to be actually giving legitimacy about a switch away from Chevrolet. After all, Dale Earnhardt Jr. seems to be a fan of the Bowtie Brigade.

"You know, I like driving Chevrolets. Over the years, NASCAR has done things that I didn't agree with to help certain manufacturers, maintain a level playing field. But, you know, my Chevrolet, I don't know, I've always been a Chevrolet guy," said Earnhardt Jr.

Richard Childress Racing might be looking awfully nice right now with his Chevy Monte Carlos and Impalas. And maybe this is why Dale Earnhardt Jr. so badly wants ownership of DEI -- to keep one of the most important links to his father as a die-hard Chevrolet fan -- alive.

After all, can you really see something bearing the Ford emblem coming out of a Dale Earnhardt-related business venture?When pigs fly?

Stay tuned on this one folks. This will undoubtedly raise alarm in Dale Jr.'s negotiations.

Previously at the NASCAR FanHouse
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Gets Plugged in Ford Commercial
DEI Puts Deal on Table, Ball in Junior's Court
What Would Dad Do?

Dale Jr. in a Ford? Yates Confirms Talks With DEI About Buyout originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 29 Apr 2007 13:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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