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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Yates Improving During Hard Times
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will race for the first time under the lights in Chicago this week.
Tom Jensen  |  Posted July 09, 2008   Charlotte, North Carolina
Of all the realigned teams, Yates Racing looks to be in the most favorable position. Doug Yates and Max Jones managed to field two mid-pack cars last year with minimal sponsorship and a virtual start-up team. (Photo: Todd Warshaw, Getty Images)

HANGING TOUGH While Bill Davis Racing, BAM Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates all have already shut down underfunded Sprint Cup cars during the first half of the NASCAR season, Yates Racing has defied the skeptics by not only surviving, but by running well. Yates, essentially a start-up team this year, began 2008 without sponsors for either of its cars, yet has managed to cobble together enough small sponsor deals to stay alive.

And the team has been surprisingly competitive as well. This weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, both of the team’s cars will be sponsored by freecreditreport.com, and that’s good news for drivers Travis Kvapil (20th in the Sprint Cup points standings) and David Gilliland (22nd).

“We knew we were up against a lot when we started the season,” said Kvapil. “As a group, we felt like we were capable of being a top-20 car, but the reality, until you go out there and do it, keep yourself out of trouble and survive without having a full-time sponsor, it’s tough. And we’ve been able to do that. We’ve been able to piece a lot of great deals together and lot partners throughout the season, and we’ve been nice and steady and consistent as a group. So, I’m just really proud of where we’re at. I think we definitely need to improve a bit, for sure. But, so far, so good.”

Team co-owner Yates is optimistic that this season’s performances will translate into next season’s sponsors. “At the end of the day, we want people to believe in what we’re doing and we’re starting to get that feeling and starting to get meetings to talk about the future,” said Yates. “But as we all know, things aren’t done until they’re signed and sealed, so we’ll just keep plugging along and hopefully we’ll go out and have some more good runs and get some things done here.”

One thing that should help Yates is that now that the Tony Stewart sweepstakes are about completed, sponsors can start firming up deals that may have been on hold pending Stewart’s plans.


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