Gillett Evernham Motorsports News
# 9 |
Kasey Kahne - Driver of Budweiser Dodge |
#19 |
Elliott Sadler - Driver of Best Buy/McDonalds/Stanley Tools Dodge |
| #10 |
Reed Sorenson - Driver of the No. 10 Dodge |
Updated: 2009 - Current Richard Petty Motorsports (formly Gillett Evernham Motorsports)
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Evernham not done with NASCAR: Ray Evernham, a former NASCAR team owner. He has retired from the day-to-day operations of the team, retaining only a small minority interest "I'm not burned out," said Evernham, who will have a small ownership stake in the new Petty team. "I'm not done with NASCAR. There is still plenty left for me to do. I'm just not sure what it is." (ESPN.com)
Friday, January 9, 2009
Sadler back in No. 19 GEM car: Gillett Evernham Motorsports (GEM) announced that Elliott Sadler will drive the #19 Dodge in the 2009 Sprint Cup season.
Tom Reddin, GEM CEO: "We are a family. Sometimes in a family you have differences. We have resolved all differences. We are moving on and excited about heading to Daytona."
Elliott Sadler: "I want to drive. I'm a racer and that's what I do. We are all on the same page now and I think you will see that show on the track."(GEM PR)
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Petty & Gillett Evernham Motorsports reach agreement in principle to merge: Gillett Evernham Motorsports (GEM) and Petty Holdings announced an agreement in principle to form a new NASCAR Sprint Cup team co-owned by Richard Petty, Petty Holdings, owned by majority shareholder Boston Ventures, and Gillett Evernham Motorsports. The team will field four Dodge entries in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Details of the transaction are expected once the deal is closed. Petty and GEM officials anticipate a final agreement by the end of January. (Gillett Evernham PR)
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
No word on Petty-Gillett Evernham merger: Petty Enterprises cars were in the wind tunnel just a week before the organization’s officials told employees they would be laid off and that the team shop was shutting down, according to crew chief Stewart Cooper. Cooper, who was crew chief for the organization’s #45 Sprint Cup car for much of last season, said he wasn’t bitter with the way things ended at Petty. He said virtually all of the remaining 38 employees were laid off, with only Petty Enterprises Executive Vice President Robbie Loomis and a couple of others remaining. The organization is expected to merge with Gillett Evernham Motorsports, with an announcement expected as early as this week. “As of [early] last week we were working as if we were going to Daytona. … I really feel like it’s nobody’s fault,” Cooper said Tuesday night. “It’s just the way the dice fell this time. [Those of us laid off] will have to work through it and move on.” Cooper said he didn’t expect himself nor many of the former Petty employees to get hired by the new team, which is expected to work out of the Gillett Evernham shop in Statesville, N.C. “I left [my status] up to Robbie Loomis,” Cooper said. “I didn’t have any major conversations with Robbie about it. I really don’t think they’re going to take too many people up there. They had a full staff anyway [at GEM]."(SceneDaily)
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Lawyer: Sadler wants to race: Attorney John Buric said Monday that Sadler will file suit against Gillett-Evernham Motorsports, team owner George Gillett, Ray Evernham Enterprises and driver AJ Allmendinger, hoping to block Allmendinger from replacing Sadler this season in the No. 19 Dodge. "Our objective is to get in the car and race for them," said Buric, "We have a contract with them. We intend to enforce that contract." Sadler recently filed paperwork in Iredell County (NC) court, giving him until January 20th to file a breach of contract suit, if a settlement cannot be reached. Sadler learned from Christmas Eve media reports that GEM was negotiating with Allmendinger to replace him, and claims that he still has not been officially informed of the move by anyone associated with the team. Buric says Sadler received a phone call saying only that the team wants to buy him out of his contract. "We said we don't want to be bought out,” said Buric. “Elliott has a contract that doesn't expire until the end of 2010. He intends to race in 2009 and 2010." (The Motorsports Soapbox)
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
GEM laysoff 60 employees: Over the last week, Gillett Evernham Motorsports released 65 employees between its Nationwide Series team and engine shop. Due to a downturn in the economy and the inability to secure sponsorship, GEM was forced to cease operation of its NNS team on Tuesday. GEM is still in open discussions with Petty Enterprises regarding a possible merger. However, the option of Petty Enterprises not leasing engines in the future led to the company's decision to downsize its engine department by nearly half. The organization will continue to employ nearly 300 workers at its Statesville, N.C. facility and field three teams in the Sprint Cup Series with drivers Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler and Reed Sorenson, who will join the team from Chip Ganassi Racing in 2009.(FoxSports.com)
GEM-Petty merger off? Sorenson to run partial schedule? Sirius Speedway has learned that the much-discussed merger between Gillett Evernham Motorsports and Petty Enterprises has run aground. Anonymous sources say that GEM laid off approximately 50 employees today, and that its Nationwide Series team will either be eliminated or cut back dramatically. In addition, multiple sources say that GEM’s #10 Sprint Cup team and driver Reed Sorenson will also run only a partial schedule. While not commenting on the reported demise of the Petty deal, Gillett Evernham Motorsports CEO Tom Reddin confirmed today that major changes are underway. "We are a Sprint Cup team first and foremost, and winning in that series needs to be our primary focus,” he said. “The Nationwide Series is a fantastic series and we certainly look forward to racing a partial schedule in 2009, but we will not run the full season next year. We will remained focused on putting all of our effort behind the Cup program in 2009. GEM is very fortunate to have nearly all of our Cup sponsors returning in 2009 in addition to the new arrival of others."(Sirius Speedway's Motorsports Soapbox)
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Brad Parrott laid off from Earnhardt Ganassi; looking at #19 GEM team: The newly merged Earnhardt Ganassi Racing team has shut down its NASCAR Nationwide Series operation, former crew chief Brad Parrott confirmed Wednesday. Parrott said seven crew members were laid off from the team, which originally planned to run the full Nationwide schedule next year with driver Bryan Clauson. The laid-off crew members were told Monday, Parrott said, and Earnhardt Ganassi is trying to sell its inventory of Nationwide Dodges. Parrott said sponsor Fastenal left Earnhardt Ganassi and is searching for another team. Parrott also hopes to bring a core group of crewmen with him to another team, if sponsorship can be found. Parrott said he has contacted Gillett Evernham Motorsports about the crew chief opening for Elliott Sadler’s #19 Sprint Cup team but has not talked directly about that job. “With 23 years of racing experience – and I just had my first year without going to victory lane in NASCAR since 1992 – the fire still burns,” Parrott said. “I can still win races as a crew chief, as a car chief or as a manager or as whatever needs to be done. I’ve got my name out there already, trying to beat down as many doors as I can because I know there’s a lot of people needing jobs,” Parrott said. “I’ve got a group of guys that have been together for three years. We can go as separate people, or we can go as a team.” Parrott has talked to two owners who want to bring him and his crewmen together, pending sponsorship. They said, ‘Brad, you’re at the top of our list if we can get this deal done,’” Parrott said. “They’re very close on the deals, and that’s them telling me I’m at the top of their list.”(SceneDaily)
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Petty announcement Thursday? The future of Petty Enterprises could be determined as soon as Thursday morning. Petty Enterprises will make an announcement -- most likely regarding driver Bobby Labonte and the team's flagship #43 car -- on Thursday. The Petty franchise has reportedly been in negotiations with Gillett-Evernham Motorsports about a possible merger. Representatives for Petty Enterprises did not immediately return telephone calls seeking comment. A GEM spokesman said the team "has no plans to make any announcement" on Thursday. (NASCAR.com)
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
More layoffs at Petty; GEM and Petty merger? Petty Enterprises released 39 employees on Monday, bringing the total to 65 since the end of the season. A source close to the situation said Petty Enterprises has about 54 employees anxiously waiting to hear whether there will be a merger with Gillett-Evernham Motorsports. "Everybody is still looking for marching orders in what direction we're going in," the source said. The Pettys have been in negotiations to merge with several teams for months. Two were eliminated when Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates merged last month. The possible merger with GEM would have the famous #43 joining the #9 (Kasey Kahne), #19 (Elliott Sadler) and #10 (Reed Sorenson) of GEM to become a four-car operation. Whether 2000 Cup champion Bobby Labonte, the current driver of the unsponsored #43, would be a part of that deal remains unclear. Labonte, who signed a long-term deal that included partial ownership with Petty Enterprises earlier this year, has reportedly had talks with DEI-Ganassi about driving the Target-sponsored #41. That could clear the way for AJ Allmendinger, released by Red Bull Racing late this season, to move into the #43. Officials at Petty Enterprises and GEM were not available for comment. (ESPN.com)
Kahne to serve community service: Gillett Evernham Motorsports driver #9-Kasey Kahne will have his record cleared provided he performs 50 hours of community service and donates $50 donation to a court charity to resolve a misdemeanor battery charge from Homestead-Miami Speedway in November 2007. The court will dismiss the misdemeanor charge against Kahne once he performs his community service, according to Miami-Dade County (Fla.) court records. Such matters are typically resolved with this type of agreement when there is a dispute over the facts and the accused, with no criminal record, prefers to take care of the matter without going to trial. Kahne has maintained his innocence in the matter over whether he pushed security guard Archibald Hutchinson, who was guarding the driver motorhome lot Nov. 16, 2007 during the race weekend at Homestead. (SceneDaily.com)
Friday, December 5, 2008
Petty: report of merger is "not accurate": Multiple people familiar with the talks told the AP that the two teams are discussing a deal that would merge Petty's #43 Dodge with GEM to become a four-car operation. They requested anonymity because the negotiations are ongoing. SI.com first reported Thursday that Petty Enterprises' top operation will not return in 2009. But David Zucker, CEO of Petty Enterprises, said the report was "not accurate." He would not discuss a potential merger. "We're not going to comment on rumors and speculation," he said. Petty has no full-time sponsorship lined up for next season. The team fields cars for Bobby Labonte, Chad McCumbee and Kyle Petty. Robbie Loomis, vice president of Petty Enterprises, told the AP nothing has changed with the organization, and the team is continuing to talk to potential partners. Drew Brown, a spokesman for GEM, did not immediately return a call for comment.(Associated Press)
REPORT: Petty and GEM to merge: SI.com has learned that Petty Enterprises two-car team will not return in 2009. The sole remaining organization from NASCAR's inaugural Cup season in 1949 will instead merge with fellow Dodge owner George Gillett. The No. 43 car once driven by "King" Richard in all but three of his 200 Sprint Cup victories will be added to the Gillett stable as a fourth car, while the No. 45 car once driven by second- and third-generation drivers Kyle and Adam Petty will cease to exist. Official word of the move is pending and could come as early as this evening. No word on the future association with Petty Enterprises and Boston Ventures, although a source tells SI.com that Boston Ventures may maintain some involvement in the Richard Petty Driving Experience. Richard Petty's role in the new organization is also unclear, although the alcohol sponsorship of Kasey Kahne's Budweiser team could present a potential hurdle. The Pettys never supported alcohol sponsorship in their organization, refusing to run even the small NASCAR-sponsored decals mandated for every car in the field. (SI.com)
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Childers named Reutimann crew chief: Rodney Childers will leave Gillett Evernham Motorsports, where he was crew chief for #19-Elliott Sadler, to become #00-David Reutimann's crew chief at Michael Waltrip Racing, according to sources familiar with the situation. An announcement should come later this week. Childers will replace Ryan Pemberton, who left MWR to become Brian Vickers' crew chief at Red Bull Racing.(SceneDaily.com)
Monday, December 1, 2008
Evernham interested in more track ownership: Cup team co-owner Ray Evernham has completed his deal to purchase East Lincoln Speedway and said that might not be the last track he buys. “I will try to save race tracks to keep them from becoming shopping malls,” Evernham said on Sirius NASCAR Radio. (Charlotte Observer)
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Evernham considering retiring from NASCAR? NASCAR team owner Ray Evernham announced Thursday night in Lincolnton that he is in advanced negotiations to purchase the East Lincoln Speedway and plans to retire from NASCAR. Evernham and partner Bob Mack of Cornelius-based RPM Group Holdings said they had hoped to have the keys to the speedway in their hands when they appeared at the Lincolnton-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce’s Business After-Hours event to make the announcement, but were prevented from doing so as negotiations continued. Evernham said he has already sold off most of his interest in the Gillett-Evernham Motorsports race team and is ending his career with NASCAR. “I want to get back into grassroots racing,” he told the gathering of area community leaders and businesspeople. (Lincoln Times-News)
Friday, November 14, 2008
No. 10 Crew Chief suspended: Long-time Gillett Evernham Motorsports technical director Sammy Johns will step in as interim crew chief for the #10 Dodge and driver AJ Allmendinger this weekend. Crew chief Mike Shiplett was suspended from the team activities this week for missing the flight home from Phoenix last weekend. (FOXSports.com)
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Air Force to sponsor Gillett/Evernham's Reed Sorenson: Air Force officials announced Wendesday that it will begin a new NASCAR partnership with Gillett Evernham Motorsports when it sponsors the #10 car driven by Reed Sorenson for the 2009 Sprint Cup season. GSD&M Idea City, the Air Force's advertising agency, organized the sponsorship and will roll out a multimedia advertising campaign to support the partnership in early 2009. The Air Force is both a primary and associate sponsor of the #10 car driven by Reed Sorenson, a 22-year-old three-time winner in the Nationwide Series. As a primary sponsor, the car will feature the Air Force paint scheme in four of 38 Sprint Cup races in 2009. For the 2009 season, the Air Force is changing their marketing strategy to rebalance their sponsorship and activation programs to increase public awareness of the Air Force and to attract more recruits. "Advertising and marketing that goes beyond the race track will help us connect with fans and emphasize the speed, power, precision, and team work that is common to both NASCAR and the Air Force," said Col. Timothy Hanson, Air Force Recruiting Service director of Strategic Communications. The Air Force has had a long-standing relationship with Wood Brothers Racing and the #21 car. "The Air Force is proud of the partnership we have had with the Wood Brothers Racing," Colonel Hanson said. "They are perhaps the most respected team in NASCAR and they have been strong supporters of the Air Force. While our sponsorship has changed we will always value the services they have provided us." The colonel added that he is excited about this new venture and confident that Gillett Evernham Motorsports and Reed Sorenson will provide new opportunities for the Air Force to achieve their sponsorship goals and inspire young Americans to consider the Air Force as a great career choice. (Air Force PR)
Friday, July 25, 2008
Terry Labonte in the #10 for Pocono: Gillett Evernham Motorsports announced today that Terry Labonte will drive the No. 10 Charter Dodge in the Aug. 3 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway. Labonte, 51, the 1984 and 1996 Sprint Cup series champion, will substitute for Patrick Carpentier who is racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race that weekend in his hometown of Montreal. “I think anyone who follows our sport knows the caliber of driver and person Terry Labonte is,” said Tom Reddin, Gillett Evernham Motorsports CEO. “We appreciate Terry’s willingness to step in and help us out for a weekend.” Labonte owns 857 starts in his career including six in 2008 with Petty Enterprises. (Gillett Evernham Motorsports PR)
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Gillett Evernham host North Carolina National Guard Unit: The final off-weekend of the 2008 Sprint Cup season saw many Gillett Evernham Motorsports employees put in a little extra time at the team's race shop Friday night. But it wasn't to work on race cars. The employees played host to soldiers from a local North Carolina National Guard unit that plans to deploy overseas in 2009. More than 100 uniformed troops and their families enjoyed food, pit stop demonstrations, entertainment and employee tours of the race shops that are home to Kasey Kahne's Budweiser Dodge, Elliott Sadler's Best Buy/Stanley Tools/McDonald's Dodge and Patrick Carpentier's Valvoline/LifeLock Dodge. The guard unit detachment is from the Alpha Battery 1-113 Field Artillery Unit of the North Carolina Army National Guard. The battery is headquartered in Lincolnton, N.C. while the detachment calls Statesville home. Friday night's event marks the first public effort of the Gillett Evernham Motorsports Soldier Outreach committee. The committee plans future fundraisers to aid the unit and its families while the troops are overseas. (GEM PR)
Monday, July 7, 2008
GEM names Chief Finanical Officer: Gillett Evernham Motorsports announced the promotion of Gregory D. Park to chief financial officer of the NASCAR team. "Greg has been a key contributor to the development of our team as well as a leader in the financial management, analysis and control of our business" said Tom Reddin, chief executive officer of Gillett Evernham Motorsports. I am very proud of the business team that we have assembled here. Having worked with Greg over the past few months, I know that he will be a strong chief financial officer, and that his management skills will be a great asset to the organization." Park joined GEM in 2005 as the team's director of systems and financial reporting. Prior to that, Park served as chief financial officer at MB2 and MBV Motorsports. He was also the corporate controller and director of systems and reporting for Action Performance Companies Inc. Park is a certified public accountant holding master's and bachelor's degrees from the University of Utah.(GEM PR)
June 17, 2007
Evernham Gillett partnership hopefully signed by August; Evernham fourth team? George Gillett Jr., president of the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens, could play a key role in Evernham's quest to sign Busch for that potential fourth team. Evernham has been courting Gillett to become a minority investor in the organization, much like Boston Red Sox owner John Henry recently joined ranks with Jack Roush. Evernham said a partnership with Gillett is getting closer, perhaps two months away from being completed. Evernham said he'd love to announce a deal in Montreal in early August for NASCAR's first-ever Busch Series race there. "That'd be awesome," he said. "That would be good incentive for the attorneys to hurry up and get it done." (Yahoo! Sports)
June 16, 2007
Evernham looking to resign Riggs: Car owner Ray Evernham says he's in talks with Scott Riggs to keep him there. Riggs is in the last year of his contract. ... Evernham also says his deal to add George Gillette as a partner is about a month away from completion. (News-Record)
July 18, 2006
E. Sadler to Evernham Motorsports: Though he denies any contact with Ray Evernham, Elliott Sadler will drive the No. 19 Evernham Motorsports Dodge in 2007, multiple sources close to Robert Yates Racing have confirmed. Contrary to recent speculation, M&Ms, Sadler's current primary sponsor at Yates, will not accompany him to Evernham, those same sources say. (NASCAR.com)
July 14, 2006
Mayfield possibly to MWR? Michael Waltrip, who will graduate to team ownership with Toyota next year, says he has offered a job to driver Jeremy Mayfield, who recently has expressed dissatisfaction with his current situation at Evernham Racing. "The ball's in his court," Waltrip told SPEED Channel after his qualifying run Friday at New Hampshire, referring to Mayfield. "Hopefully it will all come together, and as soon as it does we'll let the world know." That, meanwhile, would open the seat in Evernham's No. 19 for Elliott Sadler, who apparently is looking for a way out of his deal with Robert Yates. Other reports say Sadler could take sponsor M&Ms with him to the No. 19, although that could not be confirmed. Robert Yates and Doug Yates were not at the track Friday, although Slugger Labbe, crew chief for Sadler teammate Dale Jarrett and the No. 88, hinted, "Where there's smoke, there's fire." Mayfield would complete the lineup for Waltrip's three-car Toyota stable. Waltrip will drive one of the cars, with NAPA sponsorship. He has hired Jarrett and landed sponsor UPS for the second car, and Mayfield would drive the so-far-vacant third car, to be backed by Domino's and Burger King. Mayfield had no comment on the reports. Sadler denied he had had any negotiations with Evernham, and he has a year left on his contract with Yates. He admitted he had had a long talk with Yates this week at the Indianapolis tests. (Speedtv.com)
July 10, 2006
Evernham responds to Mayfield frustration: Statement by Ray Evernham from Chicagoland on Sunday morning. "My commitment to building a championship caliber motorsports organization for numerous racing series and multiple teams has never wavered. Neither has my commitment to providing the best people and resources for our race teams. What has changed is my job. I'm running a significant business with operations in the US and the UK. I have tremendous responsibilities to our sponsors and business partners away from the race track. That's been my focus this season. And, that's why I've put smart, talented people such as Sammy Johns, competition director, Mark MArdle, engine program director, and Dr. Eric Warren, engineering director, in charge of day-to-day operations at the track. Jeremy and I talked this weekend, and we're on the same page. We're both unsatisfied with the performance of his team. We know the potential is there and that Jeremy is a talented driver. It's frustrating when you can't quickly find the solution. That doesn't mean we aren't trying. Jeremy and I are going to continue to work on getting this team where it needs to be. There's a lot of racing left this season and I'm confident that we can get this program on track." (Clear!Blue PR)
July 7, 2006
Mayfield frustrated with Evernham and team: Jeremy Mayfield on Friday expressed frustration with his team's performance this season and called this year "the worst I've ever run in the Nextel Cup Series." Mayfield, who qualified for the Chase for the Nextel Cup the past two seasons in Evernham Motorsports' No. 19 Dodge, also said he has had few conversations with team owner Ray Evernham of late about his team's problems. "I don't talk to Ray much. He encourages us when he's around, but he hasn't been around much lately," Mayfield said. "At Daytona we ran terrible. We ran the worse than all three of us had ever run. "Kasey (Kahne) sucked every bad as we did. He wasn't there all weekend. ... I didn't see him at Sears Point the week before that. (That'sRacin.com)
July 4, 2006
Dodge F1 and NASCAR programs to partner: Given Formula One's ability to develop cars and NASCAR's ability to sell them, DaimlerChrysler is counting on a union of German technology and good, old American know-how to improve both programs. DaimlerChrysler CEO Dr. Dieter Zetsche attended Saturday night's Nextel Cup race at Daytona Beach, Fla., where his likeness appeared on the hoods of the Dodges driven by Evernham Motorsports' Kasey Kahne and Jeremy Mayfield. Then Zetsche flew to Indianapolis to be with McLaren-Mercedes for what turned out to be a short day for the team in Sunday's U.S. Grand Prix. At a news conference Sunday morning at the convention center, where he was joined by McLaren team principal Ron Dennis and NASCAR team owner Ray Evernham, among others, Zetsche said a joint NASCAR/F-1 program isn't as farfetched as it might seem. "The technology is very different, but the principles are the same," he said. "There is much to share. NASCAR has something to tell as far as the show is concerned. I saw Daytona and it's quite something." Zetsche said DaimlerChrysler is committed long term to both programs. "It's our history and will be our future as well," he said. "NASCAR is as American as it can get. We are there to stay." (Indianapolis Star)
July 1, 2006
Dodge Chairman committed to NASCAR: The chairman of DaimlerChrysler denied a widespread rumor that Dodge is pulling out of NASCAR, and pledged his commitment to America's top racing series. Dr. Dieter Zetsche, attending his first race of the season Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway, said NASCAR is a successful platform for DaimlerChrysler and he has no plans to pull Dodge out. "I don't know who is creating those rumors, we have no reason whatsoever (to leave),'' he said before the start of the Pepsi 400. "We are very happy with NASCAR, it is a great platform, and Dodge is the right brand to race NASCAR.'' (MSNBC.com)
June 22, 2006:
Riggs injured, B. Elliott on standby Sunday: Monday, while on vacation with his family in Myrtle Beach [SC, #10-Scott Riggs injured both feet while unloading his jet ski in an oyster bed. The wounds required 12 stitches in the ball of left foot and eight stitches in the right big toe. The injury to Riggs has caused Valvoline Evernham Racing to make back-up plans for this weekend’s NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race in Sonoma. Ray Evernham and Valvoline Designated Team Owner Jim Rocco have retained former NASCAR champion Bill Elliott to stand by this weekend should Riggs not be able to practice, qualify or race the Valvoline/Stanley Tools Dodge Charger. As things stand today, Riggs will be racing Sunday, according to the team. “Jim and I huddled today with Scott, Bill Elliott, Team Director Rodney Childers and Competition Director Sammy Johns and we are going to Sonoma with the intention of Scott running the full weekend,” Evernham said. “But Bill will be ready for any scenario.” “I’m going to Sonoma to race,” Riggs said Wednesday. “It was a freak incident at Myrtle Beach. There was no warning about an oyster bed where we unloaded. We’ll see what happens when I get in the race car. I’m going to do what’s best for the team this weekend.” Valvoline Evernham Racing will have updates at Infineon Raceway for the media. (Evernham Motorsports/Clear!Blue PR)
June 19, 2006:
Francis Wins WYPALL® Wipers Race Award
June 18, 2006:
Kahne wins rain-shortened race
June 14, 2006:
Boris Said test Evernham cars: Said spent Tuesday testing with all three Evernham Cup series drivers on the road course at VIR {Virginia International Raceway} in preparation for the upcoming NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Infineon Raceway. (Evernham Motorsports)
June 12, 2006:
UPS to Evernham? It appears UPS is still in play as a major sponsor. In the past two years the winner in the sponsor hunt has been Evernham Motorsports. UPS may add itself to the list of Evernham conquests signing as the primary sponsor of the No. 9 Dodge driven by Kasey Kahne. Then again, it is said the Dodge Dealers aren't willing to vacate their position on Kahne's ride. The dealers might be willing to let loose of the No. 19 driven by Jeremy Mayfield. However, it’s not clear Mayfield would be the driver of choice for UPS. (CircleTrackPlus.com)
June 10, 2006:
UPS to Roush or Evernham: On the sponsor front, sources in the garage indicate that UPS will be moving from Robert Yates Racing to one of two teams in 2007, either the No. 9 Evernham Motorsports Dodge Charger driven by Kasey Kahne or the No. 16 Roush Racing Ford Fusion driven by Greg Biffle. RYR will replace UPS with CitiFinancial, its current Busch Series sponsor, sources said. (Speedtv)
Mayfield to stay with Evernham through 2007
May 25, 2006:
Evernham teammates on front-row of Coca-Cola 600: Scott Riggs and Jeremy Mayfield made it an all-Evernham Motorsports front row Thursday by taking the top two qualifying spots for the Coca-Cola 600. Riggs, who went out midway through qualifying, put himself on the pole with a lap of 187.865 mph. He then had to wait out the competition, which included Jimmie Johnson, winner of seven of the last 10 races at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Johnson just missed bumping him off the pole, then Riggs only had his teammate to worry about. Mayfield was the final driver to qualify, and his first lap of 187.292 was good enough for second place. (USA Today - Starting Line-Up)
May 9, 2006:
Evernham Motorsports names May 27, fan appreciation day: On May 27, Evernham Motorsports will hold its fifth annual Fan Appreciation Day featuring team owner Ray Evernham and drivers Jeremy Mayfield, Kasey Kahne, Scott Riggs, Boris Said and AJ Foyt IV. The event is held to thank fans for their support of the team and provide them an opportunity to meet the stars of the Evernham Motorsports organization in person. The event will be from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET at the Evernham Motorsports facilities in Statesville, N.C. Throughout the event, fans will have the opportunity to view areas of the race facility and see how a race shop runs. Evernham Motorsports partners will have displays and giveaways. Interactive exhibits will be provided by Valvoline, Stanley and vitaminwater. The main features will consist of autograph sessions with Evernham, Kasey and Foyt at 9:30 a.m. and Mayfield, Riggs and Said at 11:30 a.m. Due to the expected crowd, fans will be limited to one autographed item per person and a wristband is required to participate in the autograph session. In order to give more fans the opportunity to get an autograph, this year's sessions will have a separate line for each personality -- meaning more tickets will be given, but one for each line. Fans may pick up wristbands at the Evernham Motorsports facility beginning at 7:00 a.m. the day of the event whiles supplies last. A total of 300 wristbands will be given for each line. (Evernham Motorsports PR)
April 10, 2006:
Francis Wins Wypall Crew Chief of the Race
Said helping Evernham on Road Courses: Evernham Motorsports owner Ray Evernham has an ace in the hole to get red-hot Kasey Kahne ready for the upcoming NASCAR Nextel Cup road course races: Boris Said. Said, a veteran road racer and occasional NASCAR Cup competitor, is working as a consultant to help Evernham's drivers - Kahne, Jeremy Mayfield and Scott Riggs - get ready for those winding tracks that can be tough on younger drivers. (NASCAR Scene Daily)
April 1, 2006:
Evernham named All-time Best Crew Chief by the media: Ray Evernham, who won three NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series championships in the 1990s as crew chief for Jeff Gordon, has been selected as NASCAR’s top all-time crew chief in a vote by a national motorsports media contingent. Evernham’s selection was announced Friday at Martinsville (Virginia) Speedway, in conjunction with the announcement of the new NASCAR DIRECTV Crew Chief of the Race contingency award for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. The $5,600 per-race award will go into effect with Sunday’s running of the DIRECTV 500 at Martinsville. It will be presented weekly to the crew chief whose team has the lowest combined start/finish numbers. A year-end award of $102,400 will also be presented to the crew chief with the most victories. (Eligibility is based on a team’s participation in the DIRECTV Crew Chief of the Race contingency program.) Evernham, heading a first-rate pit crew that became known as the “Rainbow Warriors” because of their brightly-colored uniforms that represented the team’s sponsor, DuPont, guided Gordon to NASCAR NEXTEL Cup championships in 1995, ’97 and ’98. Evernham left the team late in the 1999 season to head Dodge’s 2001 return to the series. He continues in that role, via his Evernham Motorsports operation with drivers Kasey Kahne, Jeremy Mayfield and Scott Riggs. “I’m blown away,” Evernham said. “I’ve never thought of myself as anyone special. All I did was have a great team, a great driver and did my job the best I could. I thank the media for their recognition.” Evernham was one of 10 crew chiefs nominated for the all-time award. Over several days of voting on NASCARMEDIA.com, Evernham amassed a total of 1,187 points to edge eight-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion crew chief Dale Inman by only 24 (1,163) points. Leonard Wood, who is credited with helping to revolutionize the approach to pit stops in the 1960s, finished third with 1,079 points. Media participating in the voting ranked the 10 nominated crew chiefs. A first-place ranking was worth 10 points, a second-place ranking nine points, etc. Evernham received 46 first-place votes, while Inman had 47 and Wood 19. Rounding out the results: In fourth place was Harry Hyde with 1,051 points, followed by Bud Moore (937); Kirk Shelmerdine (908); Ray Fox (748); Lee Petty (737); Gary Nelson (643); and Herb Nab (512). “To me it’s an honor to be mentioned with those other people,” Evernham said. “Those guys are the heroes that I’ve looked up to. If you were a baseball player, it’s like winning an award above Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth, great people like that.” (NASCAR PR)
March 13, 2006:
Evernham not moving team to Indy: Team owner Ray Evernham said Sunday morning that there was absolutely no truth to the rumors that he was considering relocating his team from Statesville, N.C., to the Indianapolis area. The state of Indiana has been trying to lure teams to the Hoosier state, but Evernham said he wouldn’t even consider leaving his current location, which abuts an airport and houses the rapidly growing Evernham Motorsports operation. “I have not talked to anybody at Indy,” Evernham said Sunday morning. “We have no intention of moving Evernham Motorsports. We’re more than happy where we’re at. And actually, it’s been distracting to the team because I had a lot of people coming up and asking me about it. I have no idea where that even came from.” (SPEEDTV)
Dec. 31, 2005:
Kahne appointed by Pres. Bush
Nov. 21, 2005:
Former Evernham Crew Chiefs Labbe and Baldwin now crew chiefs for Yates: Look for some organizational changes at Robert Yates Racing. Slugger Labbe will take over as crew chief of the #88, which is driven by Dale Jarrett, and Tommy Baldwin will lead the #38 crew and Elliott Sadler. Yates ended rumors that he will start a third team; he says he first wants to make the 88 and 38 teams stronger. But there still are plans for additional buildings on Yates' property in Mooresville, N.C. (Sporting News)
Nov. 16, 2005:
Evernham team swap, Baldwin to start own team: As the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup season winds down, planning for 2006 is already well underway at Evernham Motorsports. For President and CEO Ray Evernham, it is anything but business as usual. Evernham is developing a new architecture for team success, one designed to foster better collective thinking, decision making and intellectual innovation. In 2006, Evernham will do away with the crew chief position on all of his race teams, instead installing a leadership team similar to many corporate structures. Each of the Evernham Motorsports Nextel Cup teams will have a Team Director, a Car Director and an Engineer. Evernham designed the new team structure with an eye toward the future and the continued evolution of the sport.
#19: For 2006, the leadership and team members of Evernham Motorsports will shift their alignment to better share the knowledge and thought-processes throughout the organization. The team that comprises the #91 Evernham Dodge Charger today will move to the #19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger, driven by Jeremy Mayfield. It will be led by Chris Andrews as Team Director. Kirk Almquist will be the Car Director and Tim Malinovsky will be the Engineer.
#9: The #19 team will shift to the #9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger, which Kasey Kahne will continue to drive. Kenny Francis will be the Team Director for the #9 team, Mike Shiplett will be the Car Director and Keith Rodden will be the Engineer.
#10: The #9 team will support the new No. 10 Valvoline/Stanley Tools Dodge Charger and driver Scott Riggs. Rodney Childers is the acting Team Director, and the leadership team will be announced at a later date.
The new team structure will be in effect for the final race of the 2005 season at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2005. Tommy Baldwin, Team Director of the #9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger, will serve as a team consultant at Miami before moving on to pursue his dreams of running his own team. "Tommy will be leaving Evernham Motorsports to hopefully start his own operation," added Evernham. "He's very interested in being a team owner, and I want to help him get started just like Rick Hendrick helped me get started. I've known Tommy since he was 10 or 11 years old, and wish him the very best in the future."
"I appreciate the opportunity to work with Ray for several years," said Baldwin. "I've learned an awful lot from him. I also appreciate him letting me move on and helping me accomplish what I want to accomplish in the future. I came to Ray some time ago and told him this is what I've wanted to do. He didn't have any problems with that. He was in the same position with Rick (Hendrick) when he wanted to move on. Ray has helped me through all this and helped my decision making. I'm thankful for his friendship. Kasey and I have talked about this," he added. "He's going to win plenty of races with me or without me. He just has a God-given talent. I'm not worried about that. I'm glad I've become really good friends with him, and hopefully we can carry that into the future." The remaining positions within the new team structure at Evernham Motorsports are expected to be named in the next few weeks. (Clear!Blue/Evernham Motorsports PR)
Nov. 15, 2005:
Evernham cars in new 2006 schemes: When the green flag falls at the 2006 Daytona 500 next February, the Dodge Chargers of Jeremy Mayfield and Kasey Kahne will be sporting bold new paint schemes reflective of the bold design of the popular Dodge Charger production vehicle. The new 2006 Dodge Dealers paint scheme provides Kasey Kahne and Jeremy Mayfield distinctive yet familiar team identities. The new scheme maintains the Dodge trademark red color and provides greater on-track visibility for Dodge Dealers. "For the first five years of competition in Dodge's modern era of NASCAR competition, our two Dodges have carried similar paint schemes," said Linda Mahoney, motorsports marketing manager for Dodge. "Now, we want to give each driver a unique look and identity on the track."The No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger of Jeremy Mayfield will still feature the bright red hood with the signature Dodge Ram's head and branding for the Dodge Dealers. But, the Dodge Charger will carry black doors and fenders with red numbers on the side and white numbers on the roof. Mayfield drove a black car in several races in 2005, and made a special request for a cool black Dodge Charger for 2006. Kasey Kahne's No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger also will have a new look for 2006. His Charger will carry the same bright red hood and Dodge Ram logo as the No. 19, but will have white doors and fenders. The numbers on the side of the car will be black and the top of the car will be white. (Evernham Motorsports)
Nov. 11, 2005:
Kahne new Crew Chief? #9-Kasey Kahne could have a new crew chief next season, with Chris Andrews taking over for Tommy Baldwin, according to team sources. Where Baldwin might wind up is unclear. At the moment Andrews said he expects to be working with Scott Riggs, the newest addition to Ray Evernham's lineup. (Salem Journal)
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