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NASCAR's Labonte signs with newly formed merger between Yates and Hall Of Fame Racing
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In a preseason filled with mergers another was announced Tuesday as Yates Racing and Hall Of Fame Racing announced they have joined operations.
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The new alliance will campaign Fords and have driver Bobby Labonte behind the wheel of the No. 96. Primary sponsorship will come from Ask.com.
Yates Racing will operate the No. 96 of Hall of Fame Racing for the entire 2009 Sprint Cup schedule out of the Yates Racing complex in Concord, N.C. Doug Yates and Max Jones will continue as co-owners of Yates Racing, while Tom Garfinkel and Jeff Moorad will continue as co-owners of Hall of Fame Racing.
“This partnership with Hall of Fame is a great stepping stone for the Yates organization,” said Jones. “Through this partnership, we are able to continue the expansion of our shop and field another Sprint Cup entry. We, along with Ford Racing, welcome Hall of Fame Racing and look forward to a very successful season.”
Labonte was released from Petty Enterprises recently. That fabled team was also part of a merger, joining in an alliance with Gillett Evernham Motorsports
"With our new Yates partnership and having a true champion and class person in Bobby Labonte behind the wheel, we're expecting great things on the race track," said Garfinkel.
Ask.com is new to NASCAR and will be the primary sponsor on the car for 18 races with an option to sign for more.
“As part of our strategy to go deeper into the highest-volume categories and provide the best answer, the first time, every time, we want to be the first place fans search online for NASCAR information,” said Ask.com Chief Executive Officer Jim Safka.
As part of their agreement Ask.com will also become an official partner of NASCAR.
“Through these partnerships, we will break new ground by applying our semantic search technology capabilities to NASCAR-related content while also tapping one of the largest marketing channels in America,” Safka added. “Our goal is to win over the millions of loyal fans by providing them with the best NASCAR search experience on the Web, and introduce them to all of Ask’s capabilities when they come.”
The advantage of signing Labonte for the newly formed team will be the use of Labonte’s past champion’s provisionals. Labonte who was a champion in 2000 can use up to 6 a year to make the field should the car not make it on speed or owners points.
No word yet on exactly what will happen with the Yates Racing numbers 28, 38 and 98. Travis Kvapil ran the 28 last year and Paul Menard was signed to drive another entry as well. According to some, Menard will run the No. 38 which is inside the top 35 in owners points guaranteeing a spot in the first five races of the year.
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