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Travis Kvapil ranks second in laps completed on the season, trailing only Jeff Burton. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images Photo) ยป More Photos
SPEEDtv.com's Tom Jensen blogs the latest news heading into the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Check back for updates and don't forget to leave your comments below!
Blog Post: Saturday, July 26, 2008 11:42 AM Eastern
LOOKING UP One of the pleasant surprises of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season has been the performance of Yates Racing, a team that began the year with new ownership, a new shop, lots of new crew members and virtually no sponsorship. Despite the changes and challenges, however, team drivers Travis Kvapil and David Gilliland are 21st and 25th, respectively, in points and have performed solidly all season long. Kvapil, in fact, ranks second in laps completed on the season, trailing only Jeff Burton.
Team co-owner Max Jones said both Kvapil and Gilliland will be back at Yates Racing next season, with sponsor announcements expected within 30 to 60 days. In addition, Jones said that when Roush Fenway Racing is forced to cut back to four cars in 2010, Yates Racing likely will add a third car.
“Some other things have to fall into place and then as those dominoes fall, our dominoes will fall into place, too,” Jones said of the team’s sponsorship hunt for 2009 and beyond. “I feel confident about that. Do we have everything signed up and done? No. But I feel good about it. I feel a lot better about it then I did in January.”
As for adding a third team as Roush Fenway contracts, Jones said, “I’d like to think that I’ve gotten my roots deep enough into the ground and Doug (co-owner Yates) and I are in a position to do that. I’m sure Jack Roush and John Henry aren’t just going to toss that team over here, but I think we’ll be established strong enough that we’ll be able to do that.”
SPONSOR HUNT With Chevrolet opting to drop sponsorships of 12 race tracks that host NASCAR Sprint Cup races, sources have confirmed to SPEEDTV.com that those tracks have already begun pitching Dodge, Ford and Toyota about replacing Chevy as it phases out it track sponsorships over the next few years. Track sponsors get to use their brand of cars as pace cars and driver introduction vehicles. They also get major signage and display space at the track. So far, sources said, no replacements have been signed.
HISTORY LESSON Even though Sunday’s Allstate 400 at the Brickyard will be the 15th time that the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has raced at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the track continues to impress the drivers who come here. “It’s breathtaking how big this place is,” said Elliott Sadler, driver of the Gillett Evernham Motorsports No. 19 Dodge. “Television doesn’t give any justice on how big it is and how many fans come here. It’s just so big. It’s like a little city inside the race track. It’s a cool place. I have to say that one my favorite moments was leading the race here at The Brickyard. We sat on the pole and led a bunch of laps that day and just couldn’t believe that we were leading at Indy. It was just a cool feeling. It’s like a Daytona 500 to me.”
“Well, this place survived two world wars and it’s been around for a long time and the history goes far beyond the sport itself and any single driver (or) personality,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Hendrick Motorsports. “It was really clever for NASCAR to come here in the first place. … The history that the track has and what has happened here propels it into that position as being the following act for the Daytona 500, the biggest race of the season.”
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