More News Images by Dwight Drum
© 2007 Dwight Drum Web work by Larsen & Drum
Best Buy Teams Up with Gillett Evernham Motorsports
-Retailer to sponsor No. 19 Dodge team in 15 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Events in 2008-
Best Buy, Inc., announced it has entered a new affiliation with Gillett Evernham Motorsports.
The nation’s leading electronics retailer will serve as the primary sponsor of driver Elliott Sadler and the No. 19 Gillett Evernham Motorsports Dodge Avenger in 15 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events in 2008, including the 50th running of the “Great American Race,” the Daytona 500.
“At Best Buy, we’re all about bringing consumers the complete product and service experiences, and that’s what we feel we’ve found with Gillett Evernham Motorsports,“ said Barry Judge, senior vice president, Marketing, Best Buy. “With Gillett Evernham Motorsports, not only do we have the focus on performance, but we also have a charismatic fan favorite and proven winner in our driver, Elliott Sadler. We’re confident this new relationship will generate excitement and enthusiasm among our employees, as well as our customers.”
”This sponsorship is a natural fit,” said Gillett Evernham Motorsports co-owner, Ray Evernham. “Gillett Evernham Motorsports is known for bringing technology and innovation to its race program, just as Best Buy is recognized for bringing the newest technology in entertainment to its customers.”
“At Gillett Evernham Motorsports, we always look to align ourselves with companies at the forefront of their respective industries,” said George N. Gillett, Jr., co-owner of Gillett Evernham Motorsports. “We’re honored to have such a prominent brand supporting our racing program, along with our other outstanding partners.”
Since 2000, Gillett Evernham Motorsports has posted 13 wins, 24 poles, 67 top-five and 130 top-10 finishes in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition.
Driver Elliott Sadler is also no stranger to Victory Lane, with three Sprint Cup wins, 55 top-10 finishes and seven pole positions to his credit.
“Best Buy is a brand I’ve believed in and supported for years, so to represent them is honestly a dream come true,” said Elliott Sadler, driver of the No. 19 Dodge Avenger. “I love all kinds of music and movies, and I’ve always been a ‘gadget guy.’ My house, car, boat and even my motor home are all tricked out with stereos, speakers, gaming systems, GPS, flat screens, DVD players, you name it. The employees at the Mooresville (N.C.) Best Buy store already know me by name, but they’ll be seeing even more of me now.”
Rusty Wallace Racing To Field Two Cars in 2008
Steve Wallace, David Stremme, Chase Austin and a yet-to-be named road racing veteran will drive for Rusty Wallace Racing next year in NASCAR's Nationwide Series (currently Busch Series). Team owner Wallace announced Sunday morning at Atlanta Motor Speedway that son Steve Wallace will pilot the No. 66 car full-time in 2008, while driving duties for the No. 64 car will be shared by Stremme, Austin and a veteran road racer. Stremme will drive the car in 17 races, while the 18-year-old Austin will pilot the car in 15 events. Austin, a Kansas native, also will compete in at least five ARCA races. The team plans to put a veteran road racer behind the wheel of the No. 64 car for the Nationwide Series three road course races. Discussions are underway with several drivers regarding that role.
Wallace, the NASCAR Cup Series 1989 champion who is now an analyst for ABC/ESPN, also announced his team would switch from Dodge to Chevrolet and engines would be provided by Dale Earnhardt Inc./Richard Childress Racing. Wallace's team had competed under the Dodge banner since its inception with engines provided by Penske-Jasper Engines.
“Chevrolet has really stepped up in a big way to help our team grow with engineering, aerodynamics, a lot of help on and off the race track,” Wallace said.
“I want to thank the folks from Dodge. They have been fantastic to me. But right now, they support the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and they don't have a financial involvement in the Busch Series and Chevrolet does. That was a large part of our decision, going with a company that is heavily involved in the Busch Series.”
Wallace campaigned GM cars during his NASCAR driving career from 1984-1993. During that time he won his championship, produced 31 victories, 91 top-five and 150 top-10 finishes, and 15 pole positions.
Sponsorship for both cars in the majority of the events will be provided by Atlanta-based Atreus Homes and Communities. Currently known as HomeLife Communities, the national builder known for affordable dream homes, will undergo the name change on Jan. 1. Steve Wallace's car will feature another sponsor in 10 races next season. That sponsorship will be announced later.
Wallace also announced an arrangement with Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates for Sunday's Pep Boys Auto 500 and next week's event at Texas Motor Speedway. In today's NEXTEL Cup race at AMS, HomeLife Communities is featured on Stremme's car's rear quarter panel. At Texas, Stremme's Cup car will carry the current HomeLife Communities paint scheme, while Steve Wallace's Busch Series car will have Memorex and Wal-Mart on it.
Started in 1993 with the construction of seven houses, HomeLife built 3,000 homes last year. In addition to Atlanta, the company targets the first-time home buyer in Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C., Phoenix, Ariz., and Albuquerque, N.M.
Doug Yates to Field Two NSCS Teams in 2008
Second Generation To Carry On Rich Yates Family Racing Heritage
Doug Yates announced today he will field two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) teams in 2008 with drivers David Gilliland and Travis Kvapil. These teams will be operated under a company called “Yates Racing” which has agreed to acquire operating assets from Robert Yates Racing, including the transfer of car numbers and owner points. The transaction will be effective December 1, 2007.
“With this announcement it’s clear that the letter of intent with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing will not proceed. We’re thankful for their support and would welcome the opportunity to work with them in the future,” said Yates Racing CEO Doug Yates. “I am very excited to carry the Yates Racing heritage into the future. I believe I have the experience and understanding of the competition and business requirements that are necessary to be an effective team owner.
“My first order of business is to revamp our infrastructure into one that can field race teams that can compete successfully with the pre-eminent teams in the sport. I personally think the best business and competitive model in the sport to emulate for long-term success is that of Jack Roush and Roush Fenway Racing,” continued Doug Yates. “I have gotten to know Jack and his organization very well through our joint engine company and before I undertook this commitment I asked Jack for advice.
“I am pleased to announce that Yates Racing will have full support from Roush Fenway Racing, including hardware, engineering, marketing and operational practices,” added Doug Yates. “By the 2008 Daytona 500, Yates Racing wants to be in an elevated position where we are competing successfully against any race team in the sport.
“With David, Travis and Roush Fenway Racing, we will continue to work on finding the right sponsor partners to join our programs.”
Neither Jack Roush, Roush Fenway Racing, John Henry or Fenway Sports Group will have any ownership interest in Yates Racing.
Joe Gibbs Racing to Switch to Toyota in 2008
Team Will Field Camrys in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Grand National Series
Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), winners of three NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series championships and over 70 NASCAR races, will campaign Toyota Camrys in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Grand National Series beginning in 2008.
“We look forward to partnering with Toyota in NASCAR in 2008. Toyota will be hands-on with us as we become an integral part of their long-term development in NASCAR,” said J.D. Gibbs, president of JGR.
“We have 420-plus families that are our number one priority, and taking care of them for the future is very important to us. Our people have made us as successful as we are today, and it’s those same people who will ensure our success in the future. When our teams win, those families win. We’re thrilled for everyone at JGR who will benefit from this.”
“This decision was made by all of the key leadership at JGR,” said Jimmy Makar, senior vice president of racing operations for JGR. “It was a decision made by the people in our competition department, who live by the one question whenever a decision is made regarding Joe Gibbs Racing: ‘Will this make us more competitive on the race track?’ The consensus answer was yes.”
JGR has been associated with General Motors since its debut in the 1992 Daytona 500. The team fielded Chevrolets from 1992 through 1996, switched to Pontiac in 1997, and then switched back to Chevrolet in 2003. Two of its championships came with Pontiac – Bobby Labonte in 2000 and Tony Stewart in 2002 – while the most recent championship came with Chevrolet in 2005 at the hands of Stewart. Two of JGR’s drivers – Stewart and Denny Hamlin – are currently in position to challenge for this year’s championship.
“General Motors has been a great partner to Joe Gibbs Racing, and we’ve been able to celebrate many victories together,” said Joe Gibbs, owner and founder of JGR. “GM has many great teams, and moving forward, we know they will continue to be very successful. It’s our hope we can deliver to GM their 38th Cup Series championship this season as a way to cap our 16-year relationship with them.”
“Joe Gibbs Racing is one of the most respected teams in NASCAR, a championship-caliber race team and a first-class organization,” said Jim Aust, vice president of Toyota Motorsports and president and CEO of Toyota Racing Development, USA. “We are confident that partnering with the Gibbs team will raise the level of our entire Toyota NASCAR program, and will be beneficial to all of our current teams racing the Toyota Camry.”
In motorsports a fast pace is not reserved for tracks only. Off track changes come at breaking speed too. Teams like DEI and Ginn are merging. One manufacturer, Chrysler has been sold. Drivers are moving up and out. Dodge Motorsports comments:
<
Racing Legend Evernham Brings Gillett’s Entrepreneurial Spirit to NASCAR
Ray Evernham and George N. Gillett, Jr. announced the creation of Gillett Evernham Motorsports (GEM), a partnership combining Evernham Motorsports and the Gillett family where Evernham will remain a substantial owner and retain the title of Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
The strength of Evernham’s championship on-track performance and Gillett’s off-track sports business experience creates a high-performance, high-energy platform to establish GEM’s value and appeal to fans and sponsors, on and off the track.
Recognizing that the rate of change off-track has exceeded the change on-track in the past few years, Evernham forged a relationship with Gillett, whose diverse holdings offer unique business-to-business opportunities, sponsorship activation and fulfillment that will revolutionize what sponsors can expect from a NASCAR team.
Gillett is the owner of the Montreal Canadiens National Hockey League (NHL) team and a co-owner of the Liverpool Football Club in the English Premier League. Gillett’s other business interests include the Bell Centre, home of the Montreal Canadiens and Gillett Entertainment Group (GEG), producers of some 700 sporting and entertainment events in numerous venues throughout Canada and the United States.
GEM will benefit from Gillett’s existing network of sports and entertainment properties, resorts, auto dealerships and auto franchises offering unique access to sponsors and partners and a powerful global connection that no other team can offer.
“It’s very exciting for me to deliver to sponsors and fans the opportunity to align with a worldwide sports leader,” said Evernham, CEO of GEM. “With the business acumen of the Gillett family and its sports brands, we’ve greatly expanded our reach.
This will allow me to focus on our racing operations and team performance, while the Gillett family will focus on our business operations. It certainly allows us to capitalize on our strengths and position GEM for long-term success both on and off the track.”
“Racing is in my blood,” said Gillett, chairman of Booth Creek Management Corporation (BCMC). “It’s not often you get to partner with a leader with Ray’s reputation, talent and championship legacy.”
Evernham, whom motorsports media voted The Greatest Crew Chief of All Time in 2006, spearheaded Dodge’s re-entry into NASCAR in 2001 and earned a pole position in Dodge’s debut at the Daytona 500 with driver Bill Elliott. Prior to founding Evernham Motorsports, Evernham served as Jeff Gordon’s crew chief, earning three NASCAR NEXTEL Cup championships and 47 wins in just 216 starts.
Gillett’s business interests include: Booth Creek Resort Properties, LLC, the owner of luxury ski and golf resorts in North America; Grand Targhee Ski Resort in Wyoming; WorldCast Holdings, a major fishing guide company in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. Booth Creek’s automotive platform includes Summit Automotive Partners, LLC and Vista Automotive Group, owners of some 14 dealerships and 27 franchises in the United States. Other BCMC holdings are Coleman Natural Foods and Wheat Montana Farms & Bakery.
The transaction was initiated and negotiated by Matthew Doherty at McLaren Capital Partners in Los Angeles. Wachovia Securities advised BCMC.
Disclaimer: NASCAR® is a registered trademark owned and controlled by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. Nextel Cup is a registered trademark. The operators of this site are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the NASCAR organization. The Official NASCAR® website is NASCAR ONLINE® at: www.nascar.com.