- #08 gets sponsor for Lowe's races: #08-EM Motorsports owner John Carter announced that Natural Styles, creator of “Fueled Up Beyond All Recognition (FUBAR) Performance Drink" and "FUBAR Performance Bar" will become the primary sponsor for the #08 Sprint Cup Series team. This association will begin with the Sprint Showdown, which takes place May 17th, at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, NC. Tony Raines will pilot the EM Motorsports Dodge Charger in the event. Natural Styles, a Mesa Arizona based operation, has production facilities in Utah and California with a line up of new age - functional, "All Natural" beverages and 100% Organic performance bars.(Tony Raines.com)(5-10-2008) Comment here
- Raines to run the #08 at LMS: EM Motorsports owner John Carter announced that Tony Raines would pilot the Rhino’s Energy Drink Dodge Charger in both the Sprint Showdown and the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte. Fans will have the opportunity to vote a driver from the Sprint Showdown race into the field for the Sprint All-Star Race. EM Motorsports driver Tony Raines is eligible for the fan vote based on his finishing position in the 2007 Nextel Cup Series point standings had to be in the top 50, was 29th in drivers pts while driving ther #96). Based in Toccoa, GA, EM Motorsports presently has three race-ready COTs for Sprint Cup Series competition. EM Motorsports is led by owner John Carter, Crew Chief Charles Swing, Marketing VP Doug Barron and NASCAR Consultant James Hylton.(Tonyraines.com)(4-27-2008) Comment here
- Raines to attempt to make Martinsville in the #08: EM Motorsports owner John Carter announced that Tony Raines would pilot the #08-Rhino’s Energy Drink Dodge Charger in the Goody’s Cool Orange 500 on March 30, at Martinsville Speedway. Raines is a veteran of six Sprint Cup Series starts at Martinsville. Raines’ best finish at the historic half-mile track was a 10th place finish in last October’s Subway 500. Raines qualifies well at the track with an average starting position of 17.3 in his 6 races. EM Motorsports is based in Toccoa, Georgia and is led by owner John Carter, Crew Chief Charles Swing and Marketing VP Doug Barron.(EM Motorsports PR) Carl Long attempted to make the Daytona 500 with the team and Burney Lamar had made a few attempts. Long had been scheduled to run at Bristol, but the team didn't make an attempt there.(3-19-2008)
- Lamar to run the #08 at Calif and Vegas: EM Motorsports announced that Burney Lamar will be at the wheel of the #08 Rhino’s Energy Drink Dodge Charger in this
weekend’s Sprint Cup Auto Club 500 at California Speedway. Lamar will also pilot the #08 Dodge at Las Vegas next week. Lamar is a veteran of 31 Nationwide Series starts, with his best finish being a 2nd at Daytona in the 2006 Hershey’s 300. Lamar also has two Craftsman Truck Series starts and three ARCA RE/MAX Series starts.(EM Motorsports PR)(2-20-2008)
- Hylton will not attempt the Daytona 500: The preliminary entry list for the Feb. 17 Daytona 500 includes 52 cars, but does not include James Hylton. The 73-year-old has decided not to compete in the season-opening Sprint Cup event after previously announcing his plans to attempt to run the race. He says that team owner John Carter had planned to have him a car for the race, but it didn't work out. Hylton planned to run as a teammate to #08-Carl Long under the E&M Motorsports banner, using Long's backup car in the Daytona 500. "They were building a new [car of tomorrow] car," he said Thursday during NASCAR Media Day at Daytona International Speedway. "I came down here and tested with Carl Long early on. Then they were building a backup car, and the plan was bring the backup car, and if he didn't need it, I was going to enter it and run in it." Hylton said that Carter has told him he will definitely have a car to enter in the July race at Daytona International Speedway and that he could run in some other Cup events as well. Hylton is entered in the Daytona ARCA race but must qualify for that race. He says his performance in that event could lead to more Cup racing down the road.(SceneDaily.com)(2-7-2008)
- Long to run the #08 at Daytona: Carl Long is running the Daytona 500 with the #08 E&M Motorsports team with sponsorship from Millstar Tools and Rhino's Energy Drink. The team will be testing their #08 Dodge at Daytona on Monday. Long is also scheduled to drive at Bristol with California and Las Vegas as a possibilities.(Carl Long Racing)(1-13-2008)
- Hylton teams with EM Motorsports team for Daytona ARCA race: John Carter, owner of EM Motorsports, informed James Hylton that he was selected to drive the team’s 2007 Dodge Charger in the 2008 ARCA Daytona 200 on February 9th. Hylton tested the 2007 Charger at Daytona International Speedway in mid December and was 18th fastest with a best lap of 50.702 seconds / 177.508 mph. In 2005, John Carter / EM Motorsports scored a 9th place finish in the Daytona 500 with a Dodge Charger driven by Kevin Lepage. The 2007 EM Motorsports Dodge Charger will be sponsored by Rhino Energy Drink of Austria. Hylton has said that Speedweeks 2008 will be his final run at Daytona as a driver in the ARCA/REMAX series. Hylton sees this effort as a great opportunity to start the 2008 ARCA/REMAX season off with a bang. Hylton is also looking for an opportunity to attempt a start in the 50th Daytona 500.(Hylton Motorsports PR)(12-31-2007)
- EM Motorsports plans to run some 2008 races: #08 E&M Motorsports team owner John Carter is no quitter. "Whatever I go out to do, I go out to win," Carter said. "There's no negative thoughts on anything I do. I don't care if it's the scrap business, trash or whatever I'm trying to conquer. I go in with a positive outlook, no matter what it costs." A partnership that would have provided stability and sponsorship fell apart after a handful of races. His team made just one race -- at Michigan -- and Joe Nemechek wound up crashing the team's best car after 92 laps. A driver from Europe who promised to bring money to the team instead turned out to be a fraud. He can't sell any of his remaining rolling stock because of the change to the Car of Tomorrow chassis. And plans for a shop to replace his little two-car garage have stalled for lack of working capital. "The last three years I've run [first with the #37 team, then the #08 team in 2007], it's all come out of my pocket," Carter said. "I'd rather not say [how much]. I don't want to make myself sick thinking about it. I've had to take out a loan because I still don't have a sponsor. But I do have one trying to come on with me and help me. We have the same shop, but we can make it happen out of there." Carter has purchased one COT and has another on order. He plans on being at Daytona in February, with either Burney Lamar or Carl Long behind the wheel of the #08 Dodge, whether that's out of his pocket or with partial sponsorship. "We've got new cars being built right now, one for Daytona and one for the races after that," he said. "You can use the same cars because of the same suspension pieces. One car's built now and the other's being built and I'm in the process of buying it." Engine builder Ernie Elliott -- the man behind Bill Elliott's superspeedway domination in the '80s -- is responsible for the horsepower. "He's building us a special engine to run Daytona with," Carter said. "We believe we've got a good package to run at a superspeedway with the Car of Tomorrow." "With the two drivers I've got, I still think we can go out there and win," Carter said. "A lot of people think this is off the wall, but with these new cars and all, I still think we can compete and still win a race. If we can get in a race and run with Ernie's engines and these cars are so equal to each other, I think we've got a better shot than ever, as far as going there and running in the top five or 10."(NASCAR.com)(12-29-2007)
- Lamar to run Atlanta Cup race? UPDATE: Burney Lamar, former Kevin Harvick Inc. Busch driver, was at Martinsville. He revealed that he plans to attempt to make the Nextel Cup field at Atlanta next week with an independent team. Lamar’s most memorable achievement to date was his second-place finish at for KHI at Daytona in 2006.(Racing Milestones)(10-22-2007)
UPDATE: Lamar is listed as the driver of the #08 EM Motorsports Dodge on the Atlanta Entry List.(10-23-2007)
- Carl Long to attempt Charlotte: been told Carl Long will attempt to make the Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway [Oct 13th] in the #08 EM Motorsports Dodge. Joe Nemechek was to drive the #08, but has since gotten a full-time gig with the #78 Furniture Row team [which he will run in 2008 also]
AND confirmed at Carl-long.com...Carl Long will be racing in both the Busch Series and the Nextel Cup Series races next weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, NC. Long will pilot the #54 Fridel-Carter Motorsports Dodge in the Busch Series Dollar General 300, and the #08 E&M Motorsports Dodge in the Nextel Cup Bank of America 500.(10-8-2007)
- Nemechek in the #78 at California: #78-Furniture Row Racing plans to use several drivers through the rest of the season, manager Joe Garone said Tuesday.
"We released him, let him go, but it's not like a fire type of situation, just a continuing effort to get to the bottom of the problems we're having," Garone said of Wallace. "We're missing so many races. Ultimately, putting another driver in the car is something we have to do." Scott Wimmer unsuccessfully tried to qualify the #78 Chevrolet last weekend at Michigan - for a rain-delayed race that finally took place Tuesday - and Sterling Marlin is pegged to try to qualify the car for Saturday's race at Bristol. Joe Nemechek has agreed to try to get the #78 in the field for the ensuing race at California Speedway on Sept. 2. "It always helps running other drivers," Garone said. "Until we have a teammate situation, we can bounce things off various drivers that work for us. We're in a situation where we can move drivers in and out and share their information." Second-year Furniture Row runs Chevrolet engines, but not the new RO7 model that was distributed to the top Chevy teams in late May. Garone said the RO7 is producing about 30 more horsepower than the SB2 engine all Chevy teams began with this season. Wallace failed to qualify for eight consecutive races until he made the Aug. 12 event at Watkins Glen, N.Y., because rain canceled qualifying and the 43-car field was set by owner points. Wallace made seven consecutive races before his "losing" streak began, which coincided with the introduction of the RO7 that Chevy provided only to its signature, multiple-car teams of Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Richard Childress Racing and Dale Earnhardt Inc. "It's not that our engines aren't good," Garone said. "We are just not on the top of the food chain in Chevrolet's pecking order. We're last." Furniture Row, which builds its engines in its north Denver [CO] headquarters, has received the RO7 models and Garone said dyno testing should take place this week. He hopes the engine is ready to go by the Sept. 30 race at Kansas Speedway. For the next five races, whoever drives the car will be down on horsepower. Garone said all that his team members can do is keep their heads up. Garone said Wallace could drive the car again, and that there was no friction between Wallace and the team. Wallace was in the first year of a two-year contract that wasn't guaranteed for the second year.(Denver Post)(8-24-2007)
- #08 team gets associate sponsor for MIS: The #08 EM Motorsports team with driver Joe Nemechek will have a special hood graphic on the #08 Dodge for qualifying at Michigan, a yellow diamond shape with "Fans on Board" (like the Baby on Board signs). This is a fan message that they are on board with "Front Row Joe" Nemechek. Precision Gear, based in Taylor, Michigan is coming on the #08 Dodge as an associate sponsor for Michigan and likely beyond. More info on the team and fan effort at 08team.com.(EM Motorsports)(8-17-2007)
- Nemechek to attempt MIS in the #08 UPDATE: EM Motorsports owner John Carter announced that Joe Nemechek will be in the #08 Dodger at Michigan International Speedway in August, Nemechek's second effort for EM Motorsports which plan to enter the #08 in a number of races remaining on the 2007 schedule, while preparing for a full schedule in 2008. Discussions are under way with potential sponsors.(Race Week Media/08 Team PR)(8-9-2007)
UPDATE: Joe Nemechek fans are donating money to the team to help Nemechek, the team and help them find a sponsor. More info at 08team.com or joenemechek.net.(8-14-2007)
- Nemecheck to Drive at Indy UPDATE: Joe Nemechek will have a ride this weekend at Indianapolis, but which car he will drive remains in limbo. E&M Motorsports is looking to put Nemechek behind the wheel of its #08 car, but Ginn Racing may have a sponsor for the #13 -- the car from which Nemechek was bounced last week. E&M Motorsports had plans to run several races this season, beginning at Indianapolis with John Andretti at the wheel. Andretti has other commitments this weekend, so the team called on Nemechek.(NASCAR.com)(7-24-2007)
UPDATE: The #08 Team announces "Front Row Joe" Nemechek will drive the #08 car at Indy in the Allstate 400 for John Carter and EM Motorsports this weekend. Race Week Media is still searching for primary sponsorship for the car, but are confident of success with all of the support Nemechek fans are expressing. It was just over a week ago that it was announced the launch of the #08 Team and the momentum has been remarkable. The cars were loaded into the hauler late Wednesday night in Toccoa, Georgia for the ride to Indianapolis and are ready for Saturday's qualifying.(#08 Team PR)(7-27-2007)
- John Andretti to Lend Voice to IMS Radio Network: NASCAR and IRL driver John Andretti will join the IMS Radio Network as a broadcaster this Sunday for the Allstate 400 at the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway [NOTE: he will NOT run in the new #08 Dodge as the team announced]. The Andretti name is synonymous with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Andretti, born in Pennsylvania, moved to Indianapolis and went to high school only miles from the speedway. In 1994, he made history by becoming the first driver to complete the Memorial Day "double" competing in the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Andretti made his return to the Indianapolis 500 this year. Andretti, who recently completed a four race stretch in the #45 Dodge for Petty Enterprises, competed in this year's Indianapolis 500 after a 13 year hiatus for Panther Racing and sponsor Camping World. He is, again, looking forward to coming back to Indy this season. IMS Radio coverage of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard begins at 1:00pm/et.(Petty Racing PR)(7-24-2007)
- New team to debut at Indy with Andretti: a new team, E&M Motorsports, plans to debut and attempt the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the #08 Dodge is scheduled to run in the Nextel Cup Series for a limited number of races remaining in the 2007 schedule and a full schedule in 2008. E&M Motorsports is owned by NASCAR veteran John Carter [formerly owner of the #37 RJ Racing team] and is based in Toccoa, Georgia. The #08 car -- a Dodge -- will be take the track at Indy for the Allstate 400 this month with John Andretti driving and are currently seeking primary sponsors for the '08 car -- now and in 2008.(Race Week Media/08team.com PR)(7-18-2007)
