Robert Yates Racing had plans to partner with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. (Photo by Michael Heiman/Getty Images)

“As many of you know I announced at the Brickyard earlier this year, my decision to enter into a partnership with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing,” said Robert Yates in a statement. “The goal of this partnership was to build a team to contend for the championship. The more I thought about it the more I realized instead this was the perfect opportunity for me to pass the torch to the next generation.”

At the end of 2007, the newly renamed Yates Racing relocated from the old RYR shops in Mooresville, N.C., to Concord, N.C., in shops adjacent to Roush Fenway Racing. Max Jones, Roush’s former GM, came on as co-owner. Ironically, the Mooresville space ended being leased for a season by Petty Enterprises before it merged with Gillett Evernham Motorsports.

In 2008, Yates Racing campaigned a two-car team with David Gilliland and Travis Kvapil, piecing together a number of small sponsorship packages. Doug Yates let Jones run the Sprint Cup while he concentrated on the Roush-Yates Engines, the factory Ford NASCAR engine provider. Like father, like son — Doug loves engines and hated be in charge of the race team.

This year, Paul Menard came on board with sponsorship from his father’s hardware chain, but Gilliland’s car got parked for lack of money prior to the season, while Kvapil made it to Bristol before his car got shut down.

Yates did a one-year only deal to field the No. 96 Ford for Hall of Fame Racing with Bobby Labonte and for seven of the last 12 races of the year, Erik Darnell. But that car will go away next year.

The latest twist came on Thursday, when it was announced that Yates Racing would merge with Richard Petty Motorsports and campaign four Ford Fusions. The new team will carry only the Petty name, with Menard and RPM incumbents Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler and AJ Allmendinger as its four drivers. Reed Sorenson, who now drives the No. 43 RPM entry, will not be retained.

Many details are unclear — where the team will be based, what happens to RPM’s engine shop, will RPM work with Roush as Yates did, with RPM gone will Dodge have any Cup teams next year — but this much is certain: The long, strange odyssey of Yates Racing has taken yet another turn. And only time will tell where this one leads.

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,” and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to