#27 Team News and Links Page
a 2008 Paint Scheme - Click on Car to go to the #27 Paint Scheme Gallery
LINKS
OFFICIAL
Bill Davis Racing
Johnny Benson
Jacques Villeneuve
Mike Skinner
SPONSORS
Primary:
Bad Boy Mowers(2 races)
Associates:
UN-OFFICIAL - team/driver
(not posting new unofficial sites anymore: too many have no updates, are old, driver bashing)
#27 [was #36] Team Past News and Rumors
(NOTE: some older links may not work)
Contract Status: Sponsor: thru 200?; Driver: 200?
- BDR sues former sponsor: Bill Davis Racing alleges that Rockford-Montgomery Labs has paid only $25,000 of the $14 million it was supposed to pay for sponsorship of the #36 Cup entry last season, according to a lawsuit filed April 2 in North Carolina Superior Court in Winston Salem, N.C. RML is the maker of 360 OTC, a line of hangover and headache medicine. The sponsorship was a three-year deal that was scheduled to increase to $14.5 million in 2008 and $15 million in 2009. There was a sponsor’s option for 2010 for $15.5 million. According to the lawsuit, RML also did not pay any of the $3 million it owed as a primary sponsor for the #36 truck and $1 million it owed to be primary sponsor for 10 races of the #23 truck. This is the latest in a series of lawsuits against RML, which has been sued by Just Marketing, which was handling the NASCAR sponsorship, as well as by the World of Outlaws and World Wrestling Entertainment. An attorney who represents RML in the World of Outlaws and the WWE case did not immediately return a request for comment.(see full story at SceneDaily)(4-9-2008) Comment here
- Management Reorganization at BDR: Bill Davis, President of Bill Davis Racing (BDR), announced a reorganization of the company's management team. Davis, who with wife Gail has fielded teams in NASCAR for over 20 years, has added several key personnel and shifted several others within the organization. All changes are effective immediately. NASCAR veteran Marty Gaunt has been named Vice President of Bill Davis Racing. Gaunt, a native of Toronto, Ont., Canada, began his tenure in NASCAR in 1996 and has held similar positions at Penske Racing and Team Red Bull. Gaunt was also part owner of Red Horse Racing. "It's an honor for me to able to be a part of Bill Davis Racing with Bill and Gail," stated Gaunt. "Bill has fielded teams for 21 years now and to be considered to be a part of the reorganization is a great opportunity. I'm excited about the tasks at hand and ready to get started."
Mark Chambers, who previously served as team manager of BDR's Craftsman Truck Series effort, will now assume the role of the general manager of Bill Davis Racing. Chambers, who has been with the team since 2006, takes over the GM role from Mike Brown, who will move into the position of Chief Financial Officer.
"I'm confident the modifications we've made to our management and front-office staff will make our entire organization stronger," stated Davis. "Our Truck Series program continues to thrive, but there isn't any doubt that the Cup Series program has struggled this year. Our partnership with Caterpillar is over 10 years strong, and we owe it to them and to ourselves to make sure we have the best possible people in the most important positions. We have great partners in Caterpillar and Toyota and we hope to continue our affiliation with them for many years to come. I'm confident the changes we've announced today will ensure a strong future for this team." In addition, Davis has hired Jim Thomas as the organization's Director of Marketing. Thomas, a Florida native, has been the Director of Business Development for Sullivan Worldwide Marketing Group, a leading strategic marketing and planning agency to the United States motorsports industry. Prior to that, he spent several years within the financial arm of Southeast Toyota.(BDR)(4-7-2008) Comment here
- Villeneuve seeking sponsors overseas: Jacques Villeneuve is still hopeful of returning to NASCAR and is currently seeking sponsors overseas to try to secure the budget that would see him back behind the wheel in the US. "Well we still have a few months to get the budget," said Villeneuve. "It's hard going. I'm working on my own now and actually working with Barry Green. Craig was working hard on buying a team in NASCAR, but that didn't work out and at the same time it closed some doors last year with teams that might have seats. So now I have to start again and keep going." The Canadian has secured a deal to compete in the last two events of the new Speedcar Series, which features former Formula One drivers in NASCAR Nationwide type machines. He says the opportunity will not only help him get some valuable seat time in preparation for an eventual return to NASCAR on a road course event, but also to find sponsorship on new markets like Dubai, where he is set to race next weekend.(Autosport.com)(4-6-2008) Comment here
- Villeneuve could return to BDR: Even though Bill Davis Racing released former World Driving Champion Jacques Villeneuve after he failed to qualify for the Daytona 500 and subsequently shut down the #27 Toyota Camry he drove, it doesn’t necessarily mean the story is over. BDR General Manager Mike Brown said Saturday morning that the team is still maintaining regular contact with both Villeneuve and his advisor, Barry Green, and if sponsor money can be found, the team might resume racing this season. “We could make that happen if we can put a sponsorship deal together,” said Brown. “We have weekly dialog with those guys and they’re all hoping we can put something together.” As for the new association with BAM Racing, who switched from Dodge to Toyota this week and is using BDR engines, Brown said it doesn’t necessarily mean the teams will merge. “We’re just doing what we can to better ourselves right now,” he said.(SPEEDtv)
AND Villeneuve is to join the Speedcar series for the last two rounds, taking the grid for the upcoming race at the Bahrain Grand Prix on April 4-6, followed by the final round in Dubai a week later on April 11-12. He will join Jean Alesi, Johnny Herbert, Stefan Johansson, Ukyo Katayama, JJ Lehto and Gianni Morbidelli in the field. "Speedcar Series looks like a great event and I have heard that it is a lot of fun," he said. "It's a series still in its infancy and will build up but I think it's a great idea. On a personal level, Speedcar will give me more road racing experience with this kind of cars which will be useful in future NASCAR road courses events, and it's also a great excuse to meet race fans."(GrandPrix)(3-30-2008) Comment here
- Changes at the #96? UPDATE 2 Labbe parts ways with BDR: hearing there could be a crew chief change coming at the #96 Hall of Fame Racing team...Slugger Labbe could be coming over from the now idle #27 Bill Davis Racing team. Brandon Thomas is the current crew chief for J.J. Yeley at Hall of Fame Racing. There tend to be some changed during the first of weekend every season.(3-16-2008)
UPDATE: been told thatLabbe was seen at Bristol in a Bill Davis Racing sweatshirt and been told by BDR rep that Labbe is still with BDR and will help out the #22 CAT team in testing the next couple weeks.(3-17-2008)
UPDATE 2: Richard “Slugger” Labbe, who was crew chief of the #27 Bill Davis Racing car, has parted ways with the team, a BDR spokesman confirmed Monday.(SceneDaily)(3-18-2008)
- #27 team suspends operations: Slugger Labbe, crew chief of the #27 Toyota for Bill Davis Racing told Mike Bagley and David Poole on The Morning Drive (Sirius NASCAR Radio 128) that the team has suspended operations due to lack of funding. The #27 may run Talladega but sponsorship money is needed to keep this team afloat.(Sirius NASCAR Radio 128)(3-10-2008)
- Benson in the #27 at Atlanta: The #27 Toyota Camry of Johnny Benson will feature the decals of Toyota Certified Used Vehicles this weekend in Atlanta. TCUV is one of Benson's primary sponsors on his #23 Craftsman Truck Series machine as well. Benson hopes to make his 275th career Sprint Cup Series start when the green flag waves for the 500-mile event Sunday afternoon. The #27 Bill Davis Racing team plans to utilize chassis No. 40 for the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This is the same Camry the team ran last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.(BDR PR)(3-5-2008)
- Bad Boys is Back on the #27: The #27 Toyota Camry of Mike Skinner will feature the decals of Bad Boy Mowers again this weekend. Bad Boy Mowers, a Batesville, Arkansas-based company, began in 1998 with the sole purpose of producing the Bad Boy zero-turn commercial lawn mower. Visit badboymowers.com for more information.(BDR PR), see an image of the car on my #27 Team Schemes page.(2-27-2008)
- Villeneuve to announce plans UPDATE: Jacques Villeneuve has scheduled a press conference in Montreal on Wednesday to announce his future racing plans. Supposedly he will race at the 24 hours of Le Mans in June and could announced a Nationwide Series ride for the Canada race and a part time ARCA ride.(2-19-2008)
UPDATE: former Formula One champion Jacques Villeneuve reaffirmed his intention to earn a regular ride in NASCAR on Wednesday. Barry Green, who owned IndyCar teams that Villeneuve rode to championships in the 1990s, will work with the native of Iberville, Que., to find the sponsors he needs to get a full-time ride, either in the Sprint Cup or Nationwide series. They have also hired public relations firm Torchia Communications to help in the search. More than 50 media members turned out to a news conference at Villeneuve's restaurant Newtown for an update on his progress and racing plans.(TSN.com)
AND Jacques Villeneuve is hoping to race this summer in Montreal at the NASCAR [Nationwide] NAPA Auto Parts 200 race to be held Aug. 2 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Villeneuve announced at a press conference Wednesday at his downtown Newtown club that he is not giving up on his racing career, after he was dropped by Bill Davis Racing after failing to qualify for last Sunday's Daytona 500. The Montreal race is part of the Nationwide NASCAR circuit, the second-tier level of the sport. Villeneuve, a former Indianapolis 500 winner, CART champion and Formula One world champion, announced this Wednesday that he has reunited with Barry Green, who sponsored him years ago when he drove in the Atlantic Series, and that they are searching for a title sponsor. The 36-year-old from Iberville, Que., crashed his #27 Toyota Camry into a wall last Thursday during a qualifying race for the Daytona 500, triggering a multi-car accident at Daytona International Speedway. Villeneuve made his debut in NASCAR's top series last October at Talledega, Ala., where he finished 21st after starting sixth. With Villeneuve now dropped from Bill Davis Racing, Johnny Benson and Mike Skinner will alternate driving the #27 car for next several races.(Montreal Gazette/Canwest News)(2-20-2008) Comment here
- Skinner in the #27, with Bad Boy Mowers: Mike Skinner will run the #27 Bill Davis Racing Toyota at California Speedway, running one of two Toyota Camrys the team tested last month at the two-mile speedway [by Jacques Villenueve]. The #27 Toyota will feature the decals of Bad Boy Mowers this weekend in Fontana. Bad Boy Mowers, a Batesville, Arkansas-based company, began in 1998 with the sole purpose of producing the Bad Boy zero-turn commercial lawn mower.(BDR PR)(2-20-2008)
- Skinner and Benson take over #27 ride...for now UPDATE: Jacques Villeneuve's career in the Sprint Cup Series is on hold. Villeneuve will be replaced next week at California, likely by Mike Skinner, unless a sponsor can be found for the Bill Davis Racing car over the next 24 hours. Mike Brown, the general manager at BDR, said there are no other plans to use Villeneuve until a sponsor is found. "It's a race-to-race thing," Brown said. "We thought we had one sponsor, down to having the uniform with the logo on it. We just never got the deal closed. It's unfortunate for everyone." Brown said the decision to go with a driver such as Skinner was based totally on experience. "By missing Daytona and putting ourselves in position of having to qualify to make the race we need somebody with Skinner's ability," he said. "Mike has run so well in the Truck Series out there." Brown said Villeneuve, whose attempt to make Sunday's Daytona 500 ended with a crash in Thursday's qualifying race, continues to work on finding a sponsor and rebuilding his marketing team, which was disrupted with a recent split with manager Craig Pollock. "Jaqcues is working hard to put all the right people in place with different Canadian companies," he said. "He just needs to regroup and get his management team in order."(ESPN.com)(2-15-2008)
UPDATE: Bill Davis Racing (BDR) announced that it will tap into its pool of veteran Cup Series drivers to pilot the #27 Toyota Camry during the next several Sprint Cup Series races. Truck Series drivers Mike Skinner and Johnny Benson are both expected to step behind the wheel of BDR's #27 entry. BDR will continue to support Jacques Villeneuve in his pursuit of a successful career in the Sprint Cup Series [find a sponsor]. "We know that Jacques has the talent and the desire to be in NASCAR, and are
diligently working on a long term relationship with him," commented team owner Bill Davis. Skinner will drive the #27 Toyota next weekend at California Speedway.(BDR PR)(2-16-2008) Comment here
- Villeneuve may not attempt Calif next week? Whether Jacques Villeneuve will attempt to qualify for the Auto Club 500 next week at California Speedway is being evaluated due to the lack of sponsorship of the Bill Davis Racing team. Villeneuve has been working to obtain sponsorship for the #27 Toyota. Villeneuve crashed during a 150-mile qualifying race Thursday and failed to make the field for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. “We’ve got to have a sponsor,” Davis said Friday morning at Daytona International Speedway. “We’re going to [sit down] in the next day or two and kind of re-evaluate. They have a lot of companies up there [in Canada] in play. Some are very interested. We’ll have to see where we’re at. Obviously, not getting in this deal was a lick, [but] I think everybody was realistic about the odds.” Villeneuve competed in two Sprint Cup races last season and thought he was close to sponsorship before parting ways with business manager Craig Pollock. That left him looking for sponsorship over the last month. “It seems to be harder than it should be – we’ll find out,” Villeneuve said after the race Thursday about whether he was confident he would find sponsorship. “[Potential sponsors] won’t be angry with this race because they weren’t there.” Would Davis, who also is working to find a sponsor for the #27 car, consider putting another driver in there for California? “We’ll evaluate that,” Davis said. “It depends what comes up.”(SceneDaily.com)(2-15-2008)
- Villeneuve close to a sponsor? Hires Barry Green UPDATE: #27-Jacques Villeneuve has moved to NASCAR, where he's signed on with a fledgling team that's very short on sponsorship. If this venture fails - and it soon might if he doesn't find a sponsor for his Bill Davis Racing team - there's nowhere else for the 36-year-old driver to go. If he's worried, Villeneuve isn't letting on. "It can't fall apart. I won't let it,'' he said Thursday at media day for the Daytona 500. "Of course you are not in 100% control of what happens all the time, so if it does fall apart, I will just persevere.'' It begins this weekend for Villeneuve, who will attempt to qualify his unsponsored car for the Daytona 500. If he's not among the fastest two in Sunday's time trials, he'll have to race his way into the field next week. He's confident about his chances, even though he has a shell of a team working on his Toyota Camry. The financial limitations have him lagging behind the super teams, and even though his years of open-wheel success made him a very rich man, he's not prepared to finance this venture himself because he spent so much to get the operation off the ground late last year, and money is a little tight. But Villeneuve claims he has a sponsor on the edge of commitment, a company just needing one final push to sign on the dotted line. This weekend could seal it, ensuring him a fully funded car for the entire 36-race schedule. Having to deal with all the details has stressed Villeneuve a bit, so he last week called Barry Green, who fielded his cars for him in CART, and asked him to handle his business affairs. "The only thing I want to be doing is drive the race car,'' he said. "When you try to do more than one job at a time, you won't do it as good as you should because your mind is not as rested the way it should be. It's not a positive thing. If I am driving, then I just want to concentrate on that.''(in part from Sports Illustrated/AP)(2-8-2008)
UPDATE: Villeneuve had hoped to sign CGI Group as his primary sponsor, but the deal fell thru and Villeneuve is talking to other Canadian companies.(translated from La Presse.(2-11-2008) Comment here.
- Villeneuve cuts ties with manager: #27-Jacques Villeneuve has cut ties with his long-time manager Craig Pollock just weeks before the start of the 2008 Sprint Cup season. According to the Journal de Montreal, the split was primarily due to Pollock's personal life going in another direction. However, there are also reports that the two differed on the management of Villeneuve's NASCAR career. "Craig has a new wife and he seems to want to concentrate on his new family life which will be centered in Europe," Villeneuve tells the newspaper. For my part, I chose to base myself here, in Canada, with my family, in order to pursue my career as a NASCAR driver. It's going well so far with Bill Davis Racing. I want to concentrate on it and do my things here." Villeneuve is set to start his first full season in the Sprint Cup series but reports he has not yet secured financing for the entire year meaning he is only guaranteed to compete in the first five races. It's believed the former F1 and Indy 500 champion has been able to secure two-thirds of the sponsorship needed for a full time ride but suggestions that Pollock's management style was becoming an obstacle for both Bill Davis Racing and Toyota may have forced Villeneuve's into the decision to part ways.(TSA.ca)(1-26-2008) Comment here
- Remember 360 OTC? getting sued again: World Wrestling Entertainment, the producer of Wrestlemania, has sued an Athens [GA] company that markets a hangover pill, alleging the company failed to pay for a sponsorship agreement worth more than $1 million. The WWE suit claims that Three Sixty Inc., which distributes over-the-counter hangover medicine 360 OTC, promised in 2006 to pay $1 million to sponsor Wrestlemania, but paid only $75,000. Three Sixty has continued to represent itself as the "official pain relief" of Wrestlemania against WWE's demands to remove the claim from the company's Web site, according to the suit. The suit also names IAHL Corp., Three Sixty's new corporate name; Three Sixty's subsidiary Rockford-Montgomery Labs Inc.; company officers Michele Shearer and Mark De Mattei; and Air, Sea and Ground Inc., an advertising agency De Mattei runs. WWE asked the U.S. Middle District Court of Georgia to force Three Sixty to pay for the sponsorship, including a percentage of 360 OTC profits, and to stop using the Wrestlemania name to promote the 360 OTC products. The WWE lawsuit is the latest in a barrage of legal troubles for Three Sixty, Shearer and DeMattei.
Last year, Virginia-based NASCAR racing team Morgan-McClure Motorsports, sued, claiming that Rockford-Montgomery failed to make payments on a $10.1 million race team sponsorship. The two parties settled the case on Jan. 14, and Rockford-Montgomery Labs promised to pay Morgan-McClure $3 million.
In another case, Dirt Motorsports, a Delaware company that sponsors the World of Outlaws racing tour, sued in August, claiming that Three Sixty and others failed to pay $4.8 million in sponsorship agreements. That case remains unresolved.
Just Marketing International, an Indiana-based firm, also sued Rockford-Montgomery, Three Sixty, Shearer and De Mattei last summer for failing to pay for marketing work the company did for Rockford-Montgomery. Gary Coulter, the Athens attorney who represents Shearer and DeMattei, had no comment on any of the cases. Shearer and DeMattei did not respond to e-mails.(Athens Banner-Herald)(1-26-2008) Comment here
- Villeneuve's Uncle injured in snowmobile crash: Jacques Villeneuve Sr., the uncle of 1997 Formula One world champion and NASCAR newcomer #27-Jacques Villeneuve, was released from the hospital Tuesday after breaking his pelvis and suffering a spine injury at the 45th World Championship Snowmobile Derby. Villeneuve is a three-time winner at the event in Eagle River, Wis. During a heat Friday in the 440 class championship, Villeneuve was knocked off his snowmobile and hit by another racer. The 54-year-old was airlifted to a hospital in central Wisconsin, about 120 miles away. Track general manager Todd Achterberg said Villeneuve's Ski-Doo sled appeared to blow its engine before it was hit from behind on a straightaway, leaving Villeneuve vulnerable. Villeneuve, a member of the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame, previously raced open-wheeled vehicles in Formula Atlantic, CART, Can-Am and Formula One. He is most well-known for being the first Canadian to win a CART IndyCar race when he captured a title at Elkhart Lake, Wis., in 1985. Villeneuve, who had a wide open and sometimes wild driving style, also raced in the Indianapolis 500 in 1986 after a bad wreck in practice in 1985 forced him to skip the event.(Associated Press)(1-23-2008)
- Villeneuve not to run full season? On SPEED's coverage of Preseason Thunder testing coverage from Daytona, that things are up in the air with Jacques Villeneuve and the #27 [was #36] Bill Davis Racing team. Villeneuve was to run for the 2008 Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award, but supposedly now, will run the first five races of the 2008 Sprint Cup season and see where the team is after those races and if they get in the top-35 in owners points and the guaranteed spot.(1-10-2008)
- BDR not moving: Mike Brown, general manager for Bill Davis Racing [#22, #27, #36], says the team is not looking to move to the Charlotte [NC] area. The team, based in High Point, N.C., is one of the few Cup teams based outside the Charlotte area. Petty Enterprises announced last week it would move from Level Cross to Mooresville, N.C., after this season, in part to be able to be closer to the Charlotte area in hopes of attracting more crew members. “I understand what the Pettys are doing and if that’s right for them, that’s good,” Brown said. “Right now, we don’t see that as something that we’re entertaining.” Brown estimates that 25% of the team’s 300 employees are based in the Charlotte area. “We’re really happy with where we’re at,” Brown said.(Roanoke Times)(11-14-2007)
- Villeneuve to attempt Phoenix: Jacques Villeneuve will attempt to make his second career Nextel Cup Series start behind the wheel of the #27 Toyota at Phoenix International Raceway. Richard "Slugger" Labbe will once again serve as crew chief.(BDR PR)(11-8-2007)
- Benson takes over the #36 at Phoenix: Craftsman Truck Series veteran [and Nextel Cup race winner] Johnny Benson will take over the reigns of the #36 Toyota this weekend and will finish the season in the machine. Trip Bruce, who leads Benson's NCTS effort, will call the shots this weekend for the Cup car as well.(BDR PR)(11-8-2007)
- Bill Davis Again Denies Sale Rumors UPDATE: Interviewed on Sirius NASCAR Radio's Sirius Speedway Tuesday, Davis once again denied reports that Jacques Villeneuve or his agent, Craig Pollack, have purchased the team, saying that he and his wife maintain 100% ownership.(Sirius Speedway)(10-31-2007)
UPDATE - Villeneuve rules out BDR purchase: Jacques Villeneuve has categorically stated that he has no interest in buying into NASCAR team Bill Davis Racing.
The 1997 Formula One world champion has been linked to a purchase of the team he is racing for since his manager Craig Pollock expressed an interest in buying a NASCAR team, but Villeneuve claims that he will not be involved in any takeover bid. Villeneuve said: "Over the last few weeks there has been persistent speculation that I am considering some form of purchase of the Bill Davis Racing organisation. "In spite of my consistent denial of these claims, the questions and speculation continue, so I want to set the record straight, one time only. I am not interested in buying the BDR business, or any other NASCAR team. I have not been considering such a purchase, and I will not be changing that position." Villeneuve added that he wants to remain totally focused on his racing in NASCAR, where he is currently preparing for his rookie season in the Sprint Cup in 2008.(Autosport.com)(11-3-2007)
- Bill Davis Trucking Files for Bankruptcy: Bill Davis Trucking Inc. of Batesville, Ark. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Bill Davis, company president, is widely known as owner of a NASCAR team. The company's attorney, Geoff Treece of Little Rock, declined to comment on the pending case. A meeting with creditors is scheduled for Dec. 18, according to an Oct. 22 filing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District Arkansas in Batesville. Chapter 11 allows restructuring of debt so that a company can continue to operate. A list of assets and liabilities is not currently available. The deadline for filing that is Nov. 6. Davis also owns Bill Davis Racing, based in High Point, N.C. It had been speculated that his NASCAR team would potentially be sold or bought into.(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
Statement From Bill Daivs Racing: Bill Davis Trucking, Inc., founded in 1975 by Bill and Gail Davis, announced it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Today’s action was necessitated by an injury accident and an ensuing lawsuit against the company, based in Batesville, Arkansas. “This has been a very unfortunate chain of events and Gail and I certainly hate that it ever had to happen,” stated Bill Davis. “Bill Davis Trucking and Bill Davis Racing are two completely separate entities and the race team will in no way be affected by today’s announcement.”(Bill Davis Racing PR)(10-30-2007)
- Latest on Bill Davis Team Sale: UPDATE: Jacques Villeneuve has apparently completed a buy-in of Bill Davis' High Point-based Toyota operation, according to sources close to the team, and Villeneuve will have at least a majority interest in the operation, perhaps even full ownership. Last Sunday, when asked about the report of a planned Villeneuve buy-in, Davis said he wasn't in a position to give a specific answer but did say he was considering a number of options. It is unclear what a purchase price might be. It is also unclear why Villeneuve, who lives in Montreal, would want to buy a NASCAR team, or if Villeneuve might move the team from High Point, where Davis has operated for more than 15 years.(Winston Salem Journal)(10-27-2007)
UPDATE: What Villeneuve might be doing in NASCAR is still a subject of debate. According to some familiar with the situation, Villeneuve may be coming into the sport for a short-time run as a driver but as a long-term run as an investor/owner. Just what role NASCAR executives might have in this is unclear, though obviously NASCAR is the big winner in the deal, which enhances their new Canadian venture. Last year, Villeneuve and Pollack began talking about setting up their own NASCAR operation and talked with Ford's Jack Roush and Geoff Smith about a deal for cars, engines and start-up stuff. But it never got very far. Roush said that Villeneuve wanted to take the quickest road to the Cup tour, while Roush suggested he spend more time in Busch to learn the sport.(Winston Salem Journal)(10-29-2007)
- Labbe Takes Over as #36 Crew Chief: Richard “Slugger” Labbe will take over duties as crew chief of the #36 team for at least the next two races. Labbe, a 39-year-old native of Saco, Maine, has been busy for the last several months working with Bill Davis Racing newcomer Jacques Villeneuve.(BDR PR)(10-23-2007)
- Pollack talks about interest of buying BDR: Jacques Villeneuve's manager Craig Pollock says he is interested in buying a Nextel Cup team while admitting he has held talks with Bill Davis Racing, the team for which his driver is currently competing in NASCAR. The former Formula One team principal and Champ Car team owner said in an interview with Le Journal de Montreal that he has held talks with a number of Nextel Cup teams, evaluating different options to become involved as a team owner. Pollock is understood to be in serious talks with Bill Davis to buy equity in his NASCAR squad, which currently fields two cars in Cup and three in the Craftsman Truck Series. Jacques Villeneuve is expected to race for the team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup next year."I'm interested in having an active participation in a NASCAR team, preferably the one where Jacques drives," said Pollock. "It's the best way to make sure that my driver has access to the best equipment available." It had been reported during the weekend at Martinsville and on Canadian radio that Jacques Villeneuve was the one actually buying BDR, something that Pollock categorically denies. "Jacques has never spoken with a team with the intention to invest in it," he added. Bill Davis would not confirm that he has already sold his team to Pollock, but has admitted openly that he is looking for the right partner to buy into his team in a time when funded investors have shown massive interest for getting involved in NASCAR.(Autosport.com), see the #22 Team News and links page for past news and rumors on the possible sale of BDR.(10-23-2007)
- Stremme? Mayfield to Haas? UPDATE 2 Mayfield in the #66 NOW: hearing that both David Stremme, currently driving the #40 Dodge for Chip Ganassi [but out of a job at the end of 2007] has also talked to Haas CNC Racing about driving for them in 2008; also hearing that Jeremy Mayfield, currently driving the #36 Toyota for Bill Davis Racing [but out of a job at the end of 2007] has talked to Haas CNC Racing about driving for them in 2008. Haas CNC Racing has already signed Scott Riggs [now in the #10 Dodge at GEM] to drive one of their cars for them in 2008, either the #66 Chevy currently driven by Jeff Green], the #70 Chevy [currently Johnny Sauter] or a possible third team. Stremme is also being rumored to others rides, including #10 GEM Dodge, Michael Waltrip Racing and Penske Racing [if Horish decides not to run Cup in 2008 in their third car].(10-9-2007)
UPDATE Mayfield to Haas? on Sunday's SPEED Report, Bob Dilner reported that it looks like current Haas CNC Racing drivers, Jeff Green and Johnny Sauter will not return in 2008 and that Jeremy Mayfield is now the leading candidate to join the team. Scott Riggs was recently signed to drive for the team in 2008. Dilner also mentioned that Tony Furr could ended up back with Haas as Mayfield's crew chief, but Furr denied that.(10-22-2007)
UPDATE 2: Jeremy Mayfield will replace Jeff Green in the Haas CNC Racing #66 Chevrolet, effective immediately, team general manager Joe Custer said Monday morning.
Mayfield also will join Scott Riggs in the driver lineup for next season but the alignment of the two drivers with car numbers in 2008 has not been determined, Custer said. Green is 27th in the series points standings. "[Green] did a good job for us, and we appreciate everything he did," Custer said. His replacement in the #36 Bill Davis Racing team for this weekend at Atlanta has not been announced. As far as the status of current Haas CNC Racing driver Johnny Sauter, Custer said Sauter (who is 31st in points) is under contract with the team and that "we're working through that" for 2008.(SceneDaily.com)
AND Bill Davis Racing (BDR) announced that Mike Skinner and Johnny Benson will share driving duties of the #36 Toyota Camry for the remaining four events on the 2007 Nextel Cup schedule. BDR and Jeremy Mayfield, who had been behind the wheel since the season began, have parted ways effective immediately. Skinner, who currently leads the battle for the Craftsman Truck Series championship in his Bill Davis Racing Toyota Tundra, will pilot the #36 Camry this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway and again the following
weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Benson, driver of the #23 Toyota Tundra for BDR, will take over the reigns of the #36 Toyota Camry beginning with the event at Phoenix International Raceway and will finish out the season in the car [last race at Homestead].(BDR PR)(10-22-2007)
- Athens Banner-Herald: Due diligence with penny stocks needed [about 360 OTC] by Don Nelson.(10-22-2007)
- Villeneuve buys Bill Davis Racing? UPDATE 3: Auto123.com's contributor Bertrand Godin has learned earlier today a rumour indicating that Jacques Villeneuve and Craig Pollock have purchased the Bill Davis Racing Team [#22, #27 and #36 in Cup, #5, #22, #23, #27 in Truck]. According to a reliable source, Villeneuve and his business manager since 1992, Craig Pollock, have recently purchased Bill and Gail Davis' stock-car racing team. This is the team that currently runs Villeneuve in the Craftsman Trucks series and in the Nextel Cup. The new team, based in High Point, North Carolina will apparently continue to field the current drivers, as well as a Sprint Cup car for Villeneuve.(Auto123.com)(10-19-2007)
UPDATE: Team owner Bill Davis insisted on Saturday that he has not sold his organization as published reports indicated. That doesn't mean he won't. The owner of Bill Davis Racing said several parties have expressed an interest in purchasing his company that includes two Nextel Cup cars driven by Dave Blaney and Jeremy Mayfield, who will be replaced by Formula One star Jacques Villeneuve next season. "Like any team our size, we have to be realistic and look at all of our options with what's going on in the sport right now," he said before practice at Martinsville Speedway. "We've had a lot of interest, a lot of very interested people, and a lot of things that are for real. We just have to do our due diligence and make a smart, logical choice."(ESPN.com)(10-20-2007)
UPDATE 2: Bill Davis sees all that is going on around him in Nextel Cup racing and is not ashamed to say that his operation needs help. So he has hung out the "For Sale" shingle at Bill Davis Racing. Part of it? All of it? Even Davis doesn't seem to be sure yet. But he's willing to listen to all offers, and indeed is in the process of doing precisely that. Jacques Villeneuve indicated that he is not interested in owning BDR -- but didn't rule out the fact that his business manager, Craig Pollock, might have some interest. Davis said he would like to retain at least part-ownership in the team that bears his name.(NASCAR.com)(10-21-2007)
UPDATE 3: Bill Davis said reports that he’s selling his High Point NASCAR team may be premature, but he won’t flat-out deny reports he may be selling part of his team to Jacques Villeneuve, perhaps a very significant part. Davis has signed Villeneuve to run his Toyotas next season on the Nextel Cup tour, as teammate with Dave Blaney. And Villeneuve is spending this fall running NASCAR Trucks, to warm up for 2008. Now comes word that there is much more to the Davis-Villeneuve deal than the two are letting on. Davis hedged when pressed on the situation. “We’re not in position to make any comment right now,” Davis said.(Winston Salem Journal)(10-22-2007)
- Villeneuve, BDR consider competing in COT race at Phoenix: #27-Jacques Villeneuve and Bill Davis Racing, coming off positive results in the former Formula One champion's Cup debut Sunday at Talladega, are contemplating running another Cup race before the end of the season. Mike Brown, general manager at BDR, said the team had several meetings Monday to discuss the feasibility of Villeneuve competing in the Car of Tomorrow race at Phoenix International Raceway on Nov. 11. Villeneuve, who also has an Indianapolis 500 win on his resume, qualified sixth at Talladega and finished 21st. Villeneuve, who will drive in the remaining Craftsman Truck series races this year, will drive in the Cup series for BDR next season. "We've talked to Jacques about it, and he wants to do it and we want to do it," Brown said of adding Phoenix. "We're kicking it around, and we really want to do it." Brown said the team wants Villeneuve, who will participate in the two-day COT test later this month at Atlanta, to get in some testing time at a track comparable to the one-mile Phoenix track. Villeneuve has raced an open-wheel car at the track, so it's not a completely unknown entity to him. Villeneuve possibly could test at Nashville or New Smyrna.(ESPN.com)(10-9-2007)
- Stremme? Mayfield to Haas? hearing that both David Stremme, currently driving the #40 Dodge for Chip Ganassi [but out of a job at the end of 2007] has also talked to Haas CNC Racing about driving for them in 2008; also hearing that Jeremy Mayfield, currently driving the #36 Toyota for Bill Davis Racing [but out of a job at the end of 2007] has talked to Haas CNC Racing about driving for them in 2008. Haas CNC Racing has already signed Scott Riggs [now in the #10 Dodge at GEM] to drive one of their cars for them in 2008, either the #66 Chevy currently driven by Jeff Green], the #70 Chevy [currently Johnny Sauter] or a possible third team. Stremme is also being rumored to others rides, including #10 GEN Dodge, Michael Waltrip Racing and Penske Racing [if Horish decides not to run Cup in 2008 in their third car].(10-9-2007)
- Villeneuve's rides to promote UNICEF at Talladega: This week’s truck race will be Jacques Villeneuve’s second, having debuted in Las Vegas on the weekend of September 22. As was the case when he debuted in Las Vegas, Villeneuve has never driven a truck at Talladega. Villeneuve will debut title sponsorship from the United Nations’ UNICEF children’s charity on both his # 27 truck and Cup car. As part of the relationship, visitors to the UNICEF.org website will be asked to donate $27 to charitable causes as part of an initiative called ‘Going the extra mile’.(Bill Davis Racing PR), see an image of the car at the UNICEF site of my #27 Team Schemes page.(10-5-2007)
- Latest news on Three Sixty Inc./360 OTC: Morgan-McClure Motorsports is one of two auto racing companies suing an Athens firm that markets a hangover relief pill for failing to live up to sponsorship agreements. The suits allege breach of contract and fraud against Three Sixty Inc., which distributes over-the-counter hangover relief medicine 360 OTC. Other defendants in the suits are Three Sixty's subsidiary Rockford-Montgomery Labs Inc., Rockford-Montgomery company officers Michele Shearer and Mark De Mattei and Air, Sea and Ground Inc. an advertising agency run by De Mattei. The lawsuits are just part of the trouble for the apparently beleaguered company. Three Sixty announced in a news release Thursday that Shearer had resigned as president of the company, after serving as president and CEO of the company only since May. Shearer founded Rockford-Montgomery Labs, which created the 360 OTC brand. Virginia-based Morgan-McClure's suit, filed in the U.S. Northern District Court of Georgia, claims that Rockford-Montgomery failed to make payments on a $10.1 million race team sponsorship agreed to in 2006 for the 2007 season. The suit further alleged that Rockford-Montgomery signed up for another sponsorship with the Bill Davis Racing team, a competitor of Morgan-McClure and that Rockford-Montgomery attempted to terminate the agreement with Morgan-McClure without valid cause. De Mattei, as an agent for Rockford-Montgomery, sent a letter of termination in November to Morgan-McClure saying the racing company failed to hire a race car driver in time for Rockford-Montgomery to come up with a marketing plan. Dirt Motorsports, a Delaware company that sponsors the World of Outlaws racing tour, filed suit in August in the U.S. Middle District Court of Georgia against Shearer, De Mattei, Three Sixty, Rockford-Montgomery and Air, Sea and Ground Inc. Dirt Motorsports' lawsuit charges breach of contract and fraud, and claims Three Sixty and the others failed to pay for $4.8 million in sponsorship agreements. Among several charges of fraud, the suit said De Mattei and Shearer knowingly made false claims that Air, Sea and Ground was managing a $65 million advertising campaign for Rockford-Montgomery.
In a related matter involving the Morgan-McClure suit, Athens attorney Roy E. Manoll III with Fortson, Bentley and Griffin, who had been hired as counsel for Rockford-Montgomery, withdrew from the case in September. Manoll wrote to Shearer that Rockford-Montgomery had not paid past legal fees, and he could not continue to work on the case with Rockford-Montgomery owing "significant" past due bills. Motorsports marketing agency Just Marketing International, an Indiana-based firm, also filed suit in Clarke County Superior Court this summer against Rockford-Montgomery, Three Sixty, Shearer and De Mattei for nonpayment on a marketing program that Just Marketing worked on for Rockford-Montgomery. Repeated attempts were made to reach Shearer and De Mattei, who did not return phone messages or e-mail inquiries.(Athens Banner-Herald)(10-4-2007)
- Drivers Don't Like Villeneuve Debuting at Talladega: #24-Jeff Gordon thinks it's a big mistake for former Formula One champion Jacques Villeneuve to attempt to make his Nextel Cup debut next week at Talladega Superspeedway. "I love Jacques, but that's not the right decision to make," Gordon said Friday. "I didn't think it was the right decision last year for David Gilliland, either. Nothing against their talent or anything else, but that race in the Chase? Why? If you want to run a race, go to Atlanta or another 1.5-mile oval." Gordon said he was surprised NASCAR gave it approval for Villeneuve to debut on the giant 2.6-mile oval. The Oct. 7 event is the first restrictor-plate race in the Car of Tomorrow.(ESPN.com)
AND: #5- Kyle Busch was shocked to learn that former Formula 1 and CART champion Jacques Villeneuve will attempt to make his Nextel Cup debut next weekend at Talladega. "He's doing what? Holy cow, that's not good," Busch said when asked for his reaction to Villeneuve racing at Talladega. "You've got to start somewhere but the Cup Series at Talladega definitely isn't the place to start."(SPEEDtv.com)(9-29-2007)
- Villeneuve to attempt Talladega: Jacques Villeneuve will make his Nextel Cup race debut next weekend, five weeks earlier than originally planned, in the ‘UAW-Ford 500’, at the famous Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. Villeneuve, who sat in a ‘Cup’ car for the first time just 24 days ago, was initially scheduled to race the ARCA and Craftsman Truck races at Talladega – steps one and two on the NASCAR ladder – whilst watching the main ‘Cup’ event on Sunday, along with over 143,000 trackside spectators. Villeneuve’s fast-track to ‘Cup’, the top step of the NASCAR ladder, has been made possible only with the approval of NASCAR. His recent performance in his debut ‘Car of Tomorrow’ test, also at Talladega, where he ran more laps than any other driver, and successfully ‘bump-drafted’ his way through the pack, without making enemies of the more experienced drivers, is seen to have eased that same process of approval. Having made his NASCAR race debut in the Craftsman Truck event at Las Vegas just last weekend, Villeneuve now faces a new challenge, where he will again be focused initially on qualifying his #27 car (43 cars will start the race, of which 36 are guaranteed a place based on pre-earned team points – Villeneuve does not have the benefit of such team points, either earned or inherited). In addition to Sunday’s 500-miler, Villeneuve will contest Saturday afternoon’s Craftsman Truck event, the 94-lap ‘Mountain Dew 250’, which is exactly half the length of Sunday’s flagship ‘Cup’ race. Earlier this week, the 36-year-old Canadian tested an ARCA car at Talladega.(MWR PR)(9-28-2007)
- Three Sixty [360 OTC] announces Certain Significant Corporate Changes: Three Sixty, Inc. [360 OTC, sponsor of the #36 Bill Davis Racing team] announced that a significant change in the corporate structure and its business activities has taken place. Effective as of September 14, 2007, Michelle E. Shearer has resigned as President & CEO of the company. Ms. Shearer, as President of Rockford-Montgomery Labs, Inc., also rescinded the share purchase agreement of Three Sixty, Inc. thus rendering the company without the asset stated. The company, after careful review with advice of counsel, accepted Ms. Shearer's action without objection as the company believes it was in the best interest of the shareholders and the company. The company has since nominated a new President & CEO that will take the company in a new and more potentially lucrative direction in the aviation arena. In the coming weeks the company will change its name to IAH Corporation with a new trading symbol of which will better reflect the new direction of the company. Mr. Peter Van Dyke has acquired the controlling interest in Three Sixty, Inc. and has taken the position of President & CEO of the company.(Marketwire), no mention of NASCAR or the team.(9-28-2007)
- Mayfield's team expects 'big penalties' from infraction UPDATE: Joe Lax, crew chief for Jeremy Mayfield's #36 Toyota, is expecting a significant penalty after his team got caught putting illegal weight in the car. In pre-qualifying inspection Friday at California Speedway, Mayfield's Bill Davis Racing car was found to have too much camber in the rear end. The team fixed the problem, which requires taking a blowtorch to the rear of the car, and went back through the inspection line, but the car was found to be too light on the right side. Then, in a moment of desperation, a team member stuck a piece of lead inside the water bottle to add the extra weight. But NASCAR discovered the illegal trick, which is considered tampering with the car.(SceneDaily.com)(9-1-2007)
UPDATE: Joe Lax, crew chief for the #36 Toyota driven by Jeremy Mayfield in the Nextel Cup Series, has been fined $25,000, suspended from NASCAR competition until Sept. 19 [2 races] and placed on probation until Dec. 31 due to rule violations last week at California Speedway. Prior to qualifying, Lax was found to have violated Sections 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-Q (car, car parts, components and/or equipment not conforming to NASCAR rules); 20-2.3 (added car weight); and 12-4W (improperly attached weight; weight installed inside water container). Those infractions also have resulted in a loss of 25 championship driver points for Mayfield and a loss of 25 championship car owner points for Gail Davis.(NASCAR PR)(9-6-2007)
- Sad News - Terry Mayfield: Terry Mayfield, father of Bill Davis Racing driver Jeremy Mayfield, passed away last night at the age of 56. A native of Owensboro, Ky., Mayfield made his home in Mooresville, North Carolina. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at this time. "Gail and I, as well as everyone at Bill Davis Racing, offer our condolences to
Jeremy on the passing of his father. Our thoughts and prayers are with him, Shana, Terry's wife Lisa and his family at this difficult time." Mayfield will compete in this weekend's Nextel Cup Series event at Richmond International Raceway.(Bill Davis Racing PR)(9-6-2007)
- Villeneuve tests COT at Kentucky: Jacques Villeneuve continued his preparation for his NASCAR debut by testing Wednesday at Kentucky Speedway. He turned laps for Bill Davis Racing in the new Car of Tomorrow [#27 Toyota]. “Feels great! I’m just getting up to speed and getting used to driving the car,” said Villeneuve during a lunch break. “It is very different than anything I have driven before so I just want it to become natural and its fun.” Villeneuve will use the final seven races of the 2007 Craftsman Truck Series season to prep for Sprint Cup Series competition in 2008. Even though the race trucks and the COT have similar aerodynamics, both are very different from what he has driven in the past. “It is not as responsive. But, the tracks are very different as well. The driving style is different. If it was on a similar type than there would be a huge difference.” Testing continues through-out the fall at the 1.5 mile tri-oval. For the weekly schedule, check www.kentuckyspeedway.com. The testing schedule appears on the home page.(Kentucky Speedway site with images of the car and Villeneuve)(9-6-2007)
- BDR hires race engineer for Villeneuve: Ryan Coniam has been hired as race engineer for Jacques Villeneuve in the 2008 Nextel Cup Series. Villeneuve, who was world driving champion in 1997, will start his NASCAR career at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sept. 22 when he will partner Bill Davis Racing teammate Mike Skinner in a Craftsman Truck Series race. Villeneuve is expected to drive as many as seven truck races and possibly one Nextel Cup race in ’07 before going into the Cup series full-time in 2008. The 27-year-old Coniam, former World of Outlaws sprint car star and son of Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame inductee Warren Coniam, has been living in Mooresville, N.C., where he was employed in research and development for Dale Earnhardt Inc. He was head-hunted by BDR and travelled to Bristol, Tenn., for an interview the weekend of Aug. 25. He was notified last Friday that he has the job. Villeneuve will drive truck #27, renumbered in recent days by BDR to honour Villeneuve’s late father, Gilles Villeneuve, who drove Ferrari #27. Jacques Villeneuve also drove with that number on his car when he raced in the CART series in the mid-1990s, winning both the Indianapolis 500 and the CART championship in 1995.(Toronto Star)(9-5-20074)
- BDR sponsor 360 OTC facing lawsuits: Team owner Bill Davis said last week that he doesn't expect 360 OTC pain relief products to return as a sponsor of his #36 Nextel Cup entry next year. There could be a possible reason: The company that distributes 360 OTC, Rockford-Montgomery Labs, is involved in its third lawsuit concerning motorsports sponsorships. Dirt Motor Sports, which operates the World of Outlaws, is suing Rockford-Montgomery Labs for non-payment of its title sponsorship of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. The deal was worth $1.5 million in 2007, $1.6 million in 2008 and $1.7 million in 2009. According to the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Georgia, Rockford-Montgomery Labs never paid the bill. A check for $150,000 bounced in February, according to the court record. Just Marketing, which was under contract to develop and manage a motorsports marketing program for Rockford-Montgomery Labs, has sued the company for non-payment. Morgan-McClure Motorsports also is suing the company over a $10.1 million sponsorship deal signed in June 2006 for 2007, which Rockford-Montgomery Labs later backed out of citing poor performance, the lack of a driver and the lack of time to prepare promotional materials. RML later announced its sponsorship of BDR. A phone message to Mark De Mattei [remember him from ther defunct Pharb, a similar product as 360 OTC, which was to sponsor the #78 car or Gary Bradberry in the late 1990's, Pharb was then bought by Who's Your Daddy, another sponsor in NASCAR with the same results], the CEO of RML's marketing arm, Air, Sea And Ground, was not returned.(SceneDaily.com) and on SPEED's Tradin' Paint TV program last weekend, Bob Dilner reported that 360 OTC had not been paying Bill Davis Racing either.(8-30-2007)
- Villeneuve tests truck at Chicago, debut at Vegas, could run Cup race UPDATE: Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 Formula One champion and 1995 Indianapolis 500 winner, will drive seven races in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Bill Davis Racing in anticipation of racing full time next season. Villeneuve tested in a Craftsman truck [the #27 Toyota], which uses a stock-car chassis with a pickup body, in Chicago on Monday. He is expected to make his debut on the third-tier NASCAR circuit at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sept. 22. "We're planning on running him in the last seven truck races, starting in Vegas," said Michelle Marckwardt of Bill Davis Racing. "It's possible he may run a Nextel Cup car at the end of the year."(Detroit Free Press)(8-28-2007)
UPDATE: Former Formula 1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve made his debut behind the wheel of a Bill Davis Racing Toyota Tundra machine Monday and Tuesday at Chicagoland Speedway. Villeneuve, who has not raced on an oval track since 1995, when he won both the Indianapolis 500 and the CART Indy Car Championship, spent Monday acclimating himself to the #27 truck. After watching teammate Mike Skinner run a few laps, Villeneuve hit the track in his Tundra. By his 12th lap, Villeneuve's lap time was 31.67 seconds [170.508mph] around the 1.5-mile tri-oval and within six tenths of a second of Skinner's times. Villeneuve finished the day only two tenths of a second slower than the Craftsman Truck Series Championship leader. The team made a number of changes to the truck throughout the two-day test session, but Villeneuve never slowed. His lap of 31.00 seconds [174.194mph] Tuesday proved to the other Craftsman Truck Series teams attending the test just how talented he really is. "It was a great test," Villeneuve said. "I missed racing on ovals, so it has been a lot of fun the last few days. I definitely learned a lot. The truck has a lot more grip then I thought it was going to have. It turns very well. It took a little getting used to at first, but I am very comfortable in it now."
"Jacques did very well," said BDR Truck Team Manager Mark Chambers. "He gives incredible feedback and adapted to the truck extremely well. Overall, I would have to say that he was very impressive on and off the track. He will be a great asset to BDR." Villeneuve will make his first career NASCAR start in the Craftsman Truck Series event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sept. 22. He will then compete in the remainder of the NCTS events for Bill Davis Racing. The 36-year old champion could possibly make his Nextel Cup Series debut before the end of the 2007 season.(Bill Davis Racing PR)(8-28-2007)
- Villeneuve could be headed to Cup in 2008: Bill Davis Racing plans to field a full-time Sprint Cup entry for former Formula One world champion Jacques Villeneuve in 2008, team owner Bill Davis said Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway. Davis said the plan right now is to run Villeneuve in the #22 Craftsman Truck Series entry later this season, as well as test the Car of Tomorrow. BDR will also field a car for Villeneuve in the ARCA race at Talladega in October in preparation for the Daytona 500 in 2008, Davis said. Then? "And then we'll go Cup racing next year," Davis said. Davis said that Villeneuve's jump to Cup doesn't necessarily mean he'll be in the #36 Toyota and that a three-car team "is a possibility." Veteran Nextel Cup crew chief Slugger Labbe will lead Villeneuve's team, Davis said. Villeneuve will debut in NASCAR during a CTS test at Chicagoland Speedway on Monday. The hope right now is debut him in a CTS race next month in Las Vegas. "It is an experiment, if you will," Davis said. "But he's pretty confident he can do it, and we are, too. I think it'll work out just fine."(ESPN.com)
AND: If all goes according to plan, 1997 Formula 1 World Driving Champion and 1995 Indianapolis 500 winner Jacques Villeneuve will replace #36-Jeremy Mayfield next year in a Bill Davis Racing Nextel Cup Toyota. Team General Manager Mike Brown said over the next six weeks, Villeneuve will undergo an intensive testing program that will include seat time in a Craftsman Truck Series entry and possibly an ARCA car at Talladega Superspeedway in October. “That’s what we hope to do, that’s what he feels like he’d like to do,” Brown said when asked if Villeneuve would drive a BDR Cup car next season. “Obviously, the whole NASCAR program is new to him, so we’re going to put together an aggressive test program for him. The truck … is much like the COT car we’ll be racing next year. Obviously, he’s got to go through the validation process with NASCAR, so we’re looking at places we can go run him in trucks, maybe in the ARCA series … an aggressive test program, not only with the trucks, but with the COT cars … Kentucky (Speedway), all the different places we can go to.” Brown said sponsor 360 OTC likely will not be back with BDR next season.(SPEEDtv.com)(8-25-2007)
- Villeneuve to test truck for Bill Davis Racing: Following an invitation from Toyota NASCAR team Bill Davis Racing, former F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve will make his NASCAR debut behind the wheel of a Toyota Tundra truck on Monday, August 27 at Chicagoland Speedway in Illinois. Having won both the IndyCar series and the legendary Indy 500 event, Villeneuve is no stranger to oval racing, although he last did so in 1995. For a driver with an almost unequalled resumé, the 36-year-old father of one is fully accepting of his ‘rookie’ status, and is focused on learning as much as he can, as quickly as he can. Speaking from Bill Davis Racing’s High Point, N.C. HQ, Jacques Villeneuve commented, “We have spent the last few months considering a number of NASCAR options and were in agreement that the truck offers the closest reference point to the Car of Tomorrow. Bill Davis Racing was aware of my interest in NASCAR and approached my management team with a view to allowing me to test within its truck program. I’m glad we were able to work that out, and having spent the day with the team for my seat fitting, I am really looking forward to working with Bill and his staff.” Villeneuve’s long-term manager, Craig Pollock, added to the picture, stating, “There’s been a lot of speculation about when Jacques would arrive in NASCAR. Bill Davis’ kind invitation coincided with our decision to start within Craftsman Truck, so the fit was both timely and natural.”(BDR PR)(8-23-2007)
- #36 sponsorship for 2008 up in the air: Bill Davis Racing still plans to field a second car [currently #36 Toyota] for next season, though a replacement for driver Jeremy Mayfield has not been signed yet. As to that team's sponsorship status, Brown is taking a wait-and-see approach with current sponsor 360 OTC. "We're in constant communication with 360 and where they stand on everything," he said. "Obviously they're a relatively new company that's went through growing pains but at the same time we've supported that endeavor for them and we hope we'll be rewarded for it as we go forward."(SceneDaily.com)(8-18-2007)
- Mayfield looking for new gig, could stay at BDR: Bill Davis Racing's #36-Jeremy Mayfield, who will not return to the team in 2008, said he has no particular options right now. While he'd like to continue racing in the Nextel Cup Series, Mayfield says that he would consider the Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series if that's what it took to land a competitive ride. Mayfield said that he and the team decided to announce a split at season's end while everyone was still getting along well. "It's a good mutual deal, nothing bad and nothing's wrong at all," he said. "Who knows, we might run good the rest of the year and end up staying together, but we don't know that." Mayfield doesn't have any offers in the works right now and says that if his team started performing well, he could even end up back at BDR. He's not interested in signing with a Cup team that isn't competitive just to stay in NASCAR's elite series. "My whole intentions are to stay in the Cup deal, but what I want to make sure that it's with a good team that can run up front and get the job done," he said. "If it's not a good team, I'm not going to just drive anything in Cup. I'd rather go run a good Busch car or a good truck versus a bad Cup car, so I don't know what I'm going to do yet."(in part from SceneDaily.com)(8-11-2007)
- Bill Davis to Release Mayfield at End of Season UPDATE: Bill Davis Racing officials announced Tuesday that driver #36-Jeremy Mayfield will not return to the team next year. Mayfield joined BDR for the 2007 season as the team expanded to a two-car operation for Toyota's first season in Nextel Cup, but he has struggled this year, qualifying for only eight of the 21 races. No replacement driver has been named.(SceneDaily.com)(8-8-2007)
UPDATE: Jeremy Mayfield will not return to Bill Davis Racing next year, the team announced Tuesday. A replacement driver has not been named. Mayfield, who joined BDR after a contentious divorce from Evernham Motorsports, has struggled this season. His #36 Toyota Camry team has qualified for only eight of 21 races. The team also failed to build continuity or momentum, going through several crew chief changes in an attempt to find the right chemistry. Team owner Bill Davis said Mayfield had "done all we asked of him and more' as the team took on the challenge of Toyota's first season in the Nextel Cup series and adjusting to the Car of Tomorrow template. But Davis still decided to make a change.
"We have had great support from Toyota on this endeavor, but it takes more than just manufacturer support to compete on this level," Davis said. "It takes a tremendous amount of additional sponsorship support that just did not materialize as we had anticipated. I've been in this sport long enough to know that it takes time to bring a brand new car up to speed in what is probably the most competitive racing series in the world," Mayfield said in the team's news release. "When I made the decision to move here to BDR with an untested car and a sponsor completely unfamiliar with NASCAR, I knew it would be somewhat of a gamble. I believed then, and I believe now, that Toyota has a bright future in the Cup aeries and is making progress every weekend. But I think I have delivered what I can to the effort and looking at the total picture -- what's best for me, what's best for the team -- I believe this is the right time for me to consider other opportunities."(ESPN.com)(8-9-2007)
- Changes at the #36: Joe Lax has been tagged to lead the #36 360 OTC Bill Davis Racing team and driver Jeremy Mayfield after David Hyder left the team [to go back to the #49 BAM Racing team] following the event at Chicagoland Speedway. Lax previously served as a shock specialist at Bill Davis Racing. In addition, engineers Garth Finley and Dax Gerringer have swapped teams. Finley now works with the 360 OTC Racing team, and Gerringer has moved to the #22 Caterpillar Racing team. Brad Tunny will take over car chief duties from Mike Cooper, who will now stay back at the High Point, N.C., shop. Gary Grossenbacher will travel with the team this week and will serve as lead engineer for both BDR Cup teams. Lax and his wife Suzanne welcomed son Jacob Julius into their family Tuesday, July 17. Jacob weighed in at 8 pounds, 3 ounces. Lax also has a 10-year-old daughter named Chelsea.(BDR PR)(7-24-2007)
