#19 Team Past News and Rumors
NOTE: many of the links in the past news will be old and may not work
decided it was not worth the time to go thru each one on all the Team Past News pages
Past 2007 News
Sadler's and Yeley enter Horsepower Series: Elliott and Hermie Sadler, and J.J. Yeley will join a cast of eight stock car personalities [five to be named later] as they will team with Power Golf Professionals Sean Fister, Brooks Baldwin, Danny Luirette, Kevin Bullard, Vince Howell, Scott Ionno, JD Murkerson, and Carl Wolter in the 2008 HorsePower Tee Shot Tour. The Horsepower Tee Shot Tour (HTST) will include six events being played under the lights during race weeks next season. The scoring format will not only reward length off the tee, but accuracy as well. SPEED TV will be airing all the HTST events during the summer and early fall of 2008. Jeff Hammond is the spokesman for the HTST and NASCAR on FOX broadcaster. In addition to the “Power Golf” competition, each stop on the Tour also will include a golf trick-shot exhibition, fan participation and a charity event to benefit the Petty’s Victory Junction Gang Camp.(HTST PR)(12-30-2007)
No Petty/GEM merger: For the time being, Petty Enterprises will go it alone in the increasingly costly world of NASCAR. Kyle Petty said Tuesday that Richard Petty has decided not to merge with Gillett Evernham Motorsports. Not at this time, at least. Petty Enterprises and Gillett Evernham were said to be discussing a merger or partnership that would have allowed Petty to maintain its identity.(Kansas City Star)(11-28-2007)
Evernham plans to scale back track time in 2008: Although Ray Evernham will be overseeing how the race cars will be built at Gillett Evernham Motorsports next year, he doesn't expect to be at the race track all the time to do it. "You'll probably see less of me as the thing goes on a little bit," Evernham said Nov. 16. "I'm going to try to get a little bit rested up and concentrate on what we've got to do to get better and see what the next things are." Evernham sold majority interest of his team to George Gillett and family in August. The former crew chief for Jeff Gordon has remained with the team as chief executive officer. "The Gilletts have done a great job and they're doing exactly what they said they would do and it's maybe letting me stand back a little bit and say, 'OK, what have we really got to do with this organization?' " Evernham said. "I'm looking forward to maybe being more of a consultant to my own company and helping more rather than trying. For me to be in the shop worrying about where the bodies are put and how the cars are being built? No, I need to be out identifying the people and getting that long-term vision back again and it's going to allow me to do that, so you're probably going to see a little bit less of me."(SceneDaily.com)(11-19-2007)
Best Buy moving? UPDATE 6 to the #19: hearing that Best Buy will not return to Haas CNC Racing in 2008, but supposedly will stay in the sport with an unknown team, possibly a Dodge team, the #19 GEM Dodge of Elliott Sadler is one rumored possibility.(10-22-2007)
UPDATE: Haas CNC Racing has settled on its drivers for its two-car Sprint Cup team in 2008, but its sponsorship situation is unsettled. Best Buy, which backs the team's # 66 - driven for the first time this weekend by Jeremy Mayfield - has not decided its future, a spokesman for the company said this week. And Wednesday, a statement released by Yellow Transportation said that company is evaluating its future in the sport. Yellow entered Nextel Cup this season as sponsor of Johnny Sauter's #70. Sauter will be replaced next season by Scott Riggs. Haas CNC Racing General Manager Joe Custer said this week the team is negotiating with both companies to return next season.(SceneDaily.com)(10-25-2007)
UPDATE 2: hearing Best Buy sponsorship is a done deal to Gillett Evernham Mototsports #19 team and driver Elliott Sadler, who supposedly made a commercial for Best Buy already.(11-1-2007)
UPDATE 3: As far as sponsorship goes for the #19 next season, team sources said it will be a combination deal, with Best Buy, Valvoline and Stanley all rotating as primary sponsors next season.(SPEEDtv.com)(11-3-2007)
UPDATE 4: Best Buy Racing will hold a press conference at Phoenix International Raceway Friday, November 9, to announce its sponsorship of a new driver and team, and unveil its 2008 car design.(11-8-2007)
OR And Best Buy is expected to be announcing a sponsorship move today, possible to the Jack Roush-Doug Yates operation, possibly with driver #38-David Gilliland.(Winston Salem Journal)(11-9-2007)
UPDATE 6: Best Buy, Inc., announced it has entered a new affiliation with Gillett Evernham Motorsports. The nation's leading electronics retailer will serve as the primary sponsor of driver Elliott Sadler and the #19 Gillett Evernham Motorsports Dodge Avenger in 15 Sprint Cup Series events in 2008, including the 50th running of the "Great American Race," the Daytona 500. "At Best Buy, we're all about bringing consumers the complete product and service experiences, and that's what we feel we've found with Gillett Evernham
Motorsports," said Barry Judge, senior vice president, Marketing, Best Buy. "With Gillett Evernham Motorsports, not only do we have the focus on performance, but we also have a charismatic fan favorite and proven winner in our driver, Elliott Sadler. We're confident this new relationship will generate excitement and enthusiasm among our employees, as well as our customers." To announce the partnership, Best Buy and Gillett Evernham Motorsports held a press conference on Friday morning, Nov. 9, at Phoenix International Raceway,
which featured a unique twist on the traditional sponsorship announcement. Instead of representatives just speaking about the new partnership, the relationship was announced through a special video piece that aired on flat-screen TV's placed in front of the media center stage. Produced by Best Buy's internal Yellow Tag production team and filmed last week
at the Mooresville, N.C., Best Buy store, the humorous clip features Sadler, Evernham and local Best Buy employees, known as "Blue Shirts." In 2008, Best Buy will enter its fourth season as a sponsor in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. In 2005, Best Buy partnered with NetZero as co-primary sponsors of the #0 entry, fielded by Haas CNC Racing. For the past two years, Best Buy has served as the primary sponsor of the #66 Haas CNC Racing car. Fans can view the video by visiting www.racing.bestbuy.com.(Evernham Motorsports PR), see images of the car on my Paint Schemes Gallery.(11-9-2007)
More changes at GEM? UPDATE 2: hearing a few more engineers have parted ways with Gillett Evernham Mototsports, including former #19 crew chief Josh Browne.(11-1-2007)
UPDATE: during ESPN2's Nextel Cup practice coverage at Texas on Friday, it was mentioned that #10 GEM Dodge Team Director [crew chief] Rodney Childers is heading up the team for #19 Elliott Sadler and Scott McDougall is heading up the #10 team of Scott Riggs. This will be Riggs last race in the #10 with Patrick Carpentier taking over at Phoenix.(11-2-2007)
UPDATE: Gillett Evernham Motorsports is shuffling its lineup in anticipation of 2008. Rodney Childers, who was the team director of the #10 Dodge of Scott Riggs, has moved over to Elliott Sadler and the #19, replacing Josh Browne. Scott McDougall is team director of the #10 this week, while Ray Evernham himself might take over those responsibilities next week in Phoenix, when Patrick Carpentier will replace Riggs, who is in his last weekend with the team.(SPEEDtv.com)(11-3-2007)
GEM-Petty deal on hold? Alex Gillett still hopes to work out a partnership with Petty Enterprises, although he admits talks have slowed. "What you've got is one of the most storied people in the sport," the co-owner of Gillett Evernham Motorsports said. "There is a lot of emotion attached to what they want to do in the future and who they want to move into the future with. I can respect that. If that means give them space or not space. We did it with Ray." Negotiations to merge Gillett with owner Ray Evernham lasted at least four months longer than anticipated because an underground storage tank had to first be removed from Evernham's property in Statesville, N.C., for environmental reasons. "A lot of people criticized us for taking too long to close," Gillett said. "Well, nobody asked us the question of why. Each one of these has a life cycle. You can't push it." Meanwhile, Gillett said GEM officials are talking to two or three drivers to replace Scott Riggs in the #10 next season. He acknowledged that Canadian driver Patrick Carpentier is a strong candidate even though he has only one Nextel Cup start. David Stremme, who was not re-signed by Chip Ganassi Racing, also is a candidate. "I'm not sure if you bring somebody like a Patrick Carpentier and throw him right into Nextel Cup," Gillett said. "So we've got some other good options in the No. 10 car we're exploring. We'll see over the next couple of weeks where that ends up."(ESPN.cpm)(10-8-2007)
GEM to open New York Sales Office Gillett Evernham Motorsports announced that Jim Tucker has been hired as senior director, sales & development. Tucker has over nine years of corporate sponsorship experience, in developing, negotiating and implementing integrated marketing programs for major brands and properties in the sports, media and entertainment industries. Jim Tucker will be opening a sales office in New York City that will work complement and expand the reach of the existing Statesville, NC based sales and marketing department. Tucker will report to David Jessey, Vice President of Sales & Development. The new office will be responsible for developing new team sponsorships with Fortune 500 companies for the Gillett Motorsports’ fleet of cars and drivers, including #9-Kasey Kahne, #19-Elliott Sadler and #10-Scott Riggs. Prior to this announcement, Jim Tucker spent four years in NASCAR’s sales and marketing offices, based in Manhattan. Prior to NASCAR, Jim Tucker worked with the National Football League in their Corporate Sales & Marketing division, managing the League’s official sponsorships.(Clear!Blue PR)(9-25-2007)
Dodge Dealers back on the #19 in 2008 UPDATE maybe not? Elliott Sadler’s #19 Gillett Evernham Motorsports Dodge will continue to carry the colors of Dodge dealers nationwide, who again in 2008 will ante up to stay in Nextel Cup.(SPEEDtv.com)(9-16-2007)
UPDATE: Sponsorship for Gillett Evernham Motorsports' #19 car driven by Elliott Sadler remains unclear for next season, majority owner George Gillett said Tuesday.
"We have options," Gillett said of the 19 car. "We can go that way [with Dodge] or we can go other ways. We have a very good relationship with Dodge and the Dodge Dealers. They wanted to be associated with Evernham and our cars, and we have flexibility."(SceneDaily.com)(9-19-2007)
More on the GEM/Petty 'merger': George Gillett Jr., the majority owner of Gillett Evernham Motorsports, has been a big fan of seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Richard Petty for more than 30 years. Now he wants to be business partners. Gillett is actively pursuing a merger that would make Petty Enterprises and GEM a four-car team. Sources close to the situation say the merger likely would happen before the start of the 2008 Sprint Cup season, with Petty likely moving his two-car operation of #43-Bobby Labonte and #45-Kyle Petty to GEM's Statesville [NC] facility. Gillett would only confirm that there have been discussions. "He's a man of great integrity, honesty," Gillett said of Petty. "His values are something like I've never seen. ... I'd love to figure out a way to be associated with him. I'm not prepared to say any more than that today. Richard and I are good friends." GEM minority owner Ray Evernham said such a deal would make both organizations stronger. "From my point of view, I would like to see that happen," Evernham said of the merger. "For me, the sooner the better." Evernham has been looking to expand to four teams. The difference here, he said, is he would have four good teams that are solidly in the top 35 for next season. Gillett said expansion is the only way to keep up, and not just in terms of teams. He is looking to build a large shop in the Charlotte area that will become a destination for racing fans. "Ray Evernham has every bit of technical skill and genius as the best of any one of those programs," he said of Evernham, who won three Cup titles as Gordon's crew chief. "So we will deploy ourselves in a way that gives us as much competitive strength as is possible to do within the rules." To stay within those rules, specifically NASCAR's four-car limit, GEM would have to lose one of its three teams to merge with Petty. The #10 driven by Scott Riggs is the likely target. Riggs is 37th in [drivers and owners] points, well behind Kahne in 22nd [drivers] and Elliott Sadler in 25th [drivers]. Gillett acknowledged that he would like to get more seat time for Patrick Carpentier, who finished 22nd when he replaced Riggs at the Watkins Glen road course last month. "We had our first test with him yesterday on an oval," [Kentucky Speedway] he said. "We're going over the data. ... I can tell you he looked very good and very comfortable on the track. He was competitive. It doesn't appear there will be any significant learning curve." Regardless, to merge with Petty Enterprises there would be no room for Carpentier in a Cup car. "It's all about the number of cars," Gillett said. "We would have to get rid of one of the cars here. Whether 'get rid of' means mothball or have it aligned with another team ... there are a number of teams out there that don't have four cars, several of whom we already have relationships with." GEM and Petty, which would remain under the Petty Enterprises umbrella, potentially could have the knowledge of six to eight cars under that scenario as Roush Fenway Racing plans to do under its partnership with Yates Racing. "As you can see, we've got technical excellence, a commitment to technology and upstanding people," Gillett said. "We need to exploit that. That can be exploited in any number of ways."(ESPN.com), on has to wonder..... what about Petty Enterprises long standing non-alcohol sponsorship policy? neither the #43-Labonte or #45-Petty cars carry any form of alcohol [beer or spirits] decals/sponsorship - like the Bud Pole award. How would teaming up with GEM and the #9 Budweiser sponsorship effect this policy?(9-19-2007)
Latest on the GEM-Petty merger: A possible merger between Gillett Evernham Motorsports and Petty Enterprises would benefit both teams from a competition standpoint, Petty vice president of racing operations Robbie Loomis said Saturday. In a season of mergers, GEM and Petty are just the latest to talk about combining their teams and resources. From Loomis' view on the competition side, sharing engineering would only help. Loomis pointed to the agreement between Roush Fenway Racing and Yates Racing - in which the teams will share information, cars and motors - as one that might work for Petty and GEM. "I think that's the same thing we're trying," he said. "The model of the sport has been created by NASCAR, the framework has been set with the rules. And now we're trying to figure out how to make Petty Enterprises bigger and larger." Petty already gets its engines from GEM. Evernham, who is focused more on the racing and less on the business since selling a majority share of his company to George Gillett, said he would welcome the opportunity to work with the Pettys and "especially Bobby Labonte." "There's obviously discussions going on," he said. "I don't know exactly where they're at. ... I think it would be a good thing for both organizations." Loomis said in the year and a half since he returned to the Petty organization, he'd been approached by three or four teams about doing various deals with the 43 car in particular. "That's what everybody is interested in, they're interested in the Petty brand and the 43," he said. "It's such a clean thing. You look at the things with Kyle Petty and Victory Junction Gang [Camp] and everything they stand for, their worth is worth a lot more than what's on the race track. And what I want to do is make sure we've got the money and the tools to operate on the race track. Right now we're operating on half to a third of the budget that the big teams are operating on, so I want to make sure that we're going to get the money and the financing to carry the company forward and take it to the next level while we still keep what I call the 'P' in the Petty - the things off the track that makes Petty feel good."(SceneDaily.com)(9-16-2007)
GEM/Petty to merge? Petty Enterprises, NASCAR's most storied organization, is open to a change of ownership. The two-car operation owned by seven-time champion Richard Petty is having discussions with Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillett Jr. that would allow it to merge with Gillett Evernham Motorsports and form a four-car Nextel Cup organization. "They have quoted some numbers,'' Kyle Petty, the CEO of Petty Enterprises and driver of the #45 Dodge, said on Friday at Richmond International Raceway. Gillett recently purchased majority ownership of Evernham Motorsports, now known as Gillett Evernham Motorsports. Petty said Gillett has floated an offer in which the companies would merge but allow Petty Enterprises to continue working under its flagship name. For that to happen, Gillett Evernham Motorsports would have to drop one of its three teams to comply with NASCAR's cap of four cars. The #10 car of Scott Riggs would be the most likely victim. Riggs is out of the top 35 in owner's points that automatically qualify for races and his contract is up after this season. Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler are solidly in the top 35 in owner's points with Kahne at 22 and Sadler at 28. Both Petty Enterprises cars also are in the top 35 with Bobby Labonte at 18 and Kyle Petty at 34. Evernham said there's no doubt the proper business model is for a four-car operation. Because he already has a relationship with the Pettys, supplying the organization with engines and technical support, he would be all for a merger. "I think we could combine the organizations and be stronger,'' he said. "How the car numbers work, I don't know.'' Petty said he is far from a deal with Gillett, which took more than six months to finalize his deal with Evernham, or any suitor. Should a merger with Gillett occur, Petty said the organization would consider every option from relocating to Salisbury, N.C., as has been discussed regardless to moving to Evernham's shop in Statesville, N.C. "We've been in this business 60 years,'' Petty said. "When you look at it this just seems to be the trend of the moment. Do you jump on the trend of the moment or do you stay the course? We've been the same course for 60 years. Whether that's the right course or wrong course I'm not going to say.''(ESPN.com)(9-8-2007)
OFFICIAL: Evernham & Gillett Partner to Create Gillett Evernham Motorsports: Today [8/6/2007], Ray Evernham and George N. Gillett, Jr. announced the creation of Gillett Evernham Motorsports (GEM), a partnership combining Evernham Motorsports [#9, #10, #19 teams] and the Gillett family where Evernham will remain a substantial owner and retain the title of Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The strength of Evernham’s championship on-track performance and Gillett’s off-track sports business experience creates a high-performance, high-energy platform to establish GEM’s value and appeal to fans and sponsors, on and off the track. Recognizing that the rate of change off-track has exceeded the change on-track in the past few years, Evernham forged a relationship with Gillett, whose diverse holdings offer unique business-to-business opportunities, sponsorship activation and fulfillment that will revolutionize what sponsors can expect from a NASCAR team. Gillett is the owner of the Montreal Canadiens National Hockey League (NHL) team and a co-owner of the Liverpool Football Club in the English Premier League. Gillett’s other business interests include the Bell Centre, home of the Montreal Canadiens and Gillett Entertainment Group (GEG), producers of some 700 sporting and entertainment events in numerous venues throughout Canada and the United States. GEM will benefit from Gillett’s existing network of sports and entertainment properties, resorts, auto dealerships and auto franchises offering unique access to sponsors and partners and a powerful global connection that no other team can offer.
“It’s very exciting for me to deliver to sponsors and fans the opportunity to align with a worldwide sports leader,” said Evernham, CEO of GEM. “With the business acumen of the Gillett family and its sports brands, we’ve greatly expanded our reach. This will allow me to focus on our racing operations and team performance, while the Gillett family will focus on our business operations. It certainly allows us to capitalize on our strengths and position GEM for long-term success both on and off the track.”
“Racing is in my blood,” said Gillett, chairman of Booth Creek Management Corporation (BCMC). “It’s not often you get to partner with a leader with Ray’s reputation, talent and championship legacy.” The transaction was initiated and negotiated by Matthew Doherty at McLaren Capital Partners in Los Angeles. Wachovia Securities advised BCMC.(Gillett Evernham Motorsports-GEM PR)(8-6-2007)
Evernham-Gillett deal could be done by Monday..at the latest: UPDATE: Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillett told the [St Petersburg] Times on Thursday there is a "95% chance" his purchase into Evernham Motorsports will be final by today or Monday at the latest. Gillett, 67, who has had stakes or complete control of the Harlem Globetrotters, Miami Dolphins and currently the Liverpool Football Club, would not divulge his percentage of ownership, but Ray Evernham has stated in the past it would be a majority. Gillett, whose net worth was estimated at $250-million in 2006. Gillett also owns a series of organic and natural foods companies, ski resorts and car dealerships. The Wisconsin native said he had been interested in acquiring part of a NASCAR team for three years but was seeking the right partner and "we weren't interested in just coming in and bringing money." He found his partner and a jovial friendship with Evernham, 49, who won three championships and 47 races as Jeff Gordon's crew chief, but had struggled recently to field a competitive team as costs skyrocketed. "We've got some fairly novel ideas that Ray's been developing and we've been developing together," Gillett said. "It's fair to say Ray's primary emphasis and time commitment will be on the racing side."
"My partnership with Gillett is not about needing money," Evernham said. "It's about growing this company."(St Petersburg Times)(8-3-2007)
UPDATE: Evernham Motorsports is expected to announce George Gillett Jr. as its new majority owner as early as today. Ray Evernham said Saturday that the deal is in place. Evernham said he's willing to surrender control of his operation to bring in Gillett's business acumen. The move will enable Evernham to refocus his energies on his strength, the competition side of the industry. Evernham, who currently fields cars for Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler and Scott Riggs, said he expected to make multiple major announcements this week, fueling speculation that Budweiser could be coming aboard as a sponsor in 2008. (USA Today)(8-6-2007)
Dodge Reconfirms Commitment to NASCAR: Mike Delahanty, senior manager of the Dodge Motorsports program, confirmed on Saturday at Pocono Raceway the manufacturer's long-term intent to remain in the series and an extension of Petty Enterprises' deal with Dodge. He also said its flagship Evernham Motorsports cars might have a different look next season. Cerberus Capital Management, an investment group, this week finalized its agreement to split the Chrysler brands away from DaimlerChrysler, but Delahanty said Dodge's motorsports involvement would not be affected, with the plan for four teams to run 10 cars next season. Delahanty declined to go into the details of rumors that connect Ray Evernham's team to possible deals with commercial sponsors such as Budweiser or a Masterfoods brand such as Snickers -- but said the #9 and 19 Dodges, which have carried Dodge Dealers and UAW sponsorship since the newest program began in 2001, might look different next season.(NASCAR.com)(8-5-2007)
Evernham-Gillett deal close: George Gillett, the owner of the Montreal Canadiens and a co-owner of the Liverpool soccer team confirmed Sunday that his company will close a deal to buy part of Evernham Motorsports in the next two weeks. "That's our hope," Gillett said in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway garage. "That's our expectation. We will close within [two weeks]. Yes." Gillett would not say what percentage of the team he would own, but Ray Evernham has indicated that Gillett would be a majority owner. The deal will allow Evernham to focus more on the competition side instead of the business side, something the former Jeff Gordon crew chief already has started doing.(SceneDaily.com)(7-30-2007)
Evernham Motorsports to 2006 Dodge: Evernham Motorsports will run the remaining non-Car of Tomorrow races with the 2006 Dodge Charger and without technical director Eric Warren. Warren was recently given a leave of absence after team owner Ray Evernham discovered critical changes regarding aerodynamics and simulation software were made to the 2007 car after an early-season test at Las Vegas. He said those changes weren't reflected in the cars that were built moving forward, leading to less than stellar results on the track. "So we basically have spent half a year trying to build a foundation that didn't exist," Evernham said on Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "The information that we had was nonexistent. We had to go back to doing things the normal way and put cars in the wind tunnel to find out there was a huge difference. In the end, when you have people that are responsible for performance and the performance is way off you have to make changes in those people," Evernham said. "Ultimately, the [changes] aerodynamically and simulation-wise were the responsibility of the engineering department and that was led by Eric Warren. Right now Eric is on leave until we decide if we're going to put him in another position or find a happy medium and let him go somewhere else," he said. Evernham said he and competition director Sammy Johns have taken over Warren's duties. He added that his move to the competition side has delayed finalizing his partnership with Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillett and a few sponsorship deals. He expects the deal with Gillett to be complete within the next 14 days, at which point he also hopes to announce new sponsors for 2008. Among the sponsors interested in joining EMS is Budweiser, which would like Kahne to replace Dale Earnhardt Jr. as its NASCAR spokesperson.(ESPN.com)(7-27-2007)
Evernham admits relationship hurt driver's [Crocker] career: Team owner Ray Evernham says the best thing for developmental driver Erin Crocker is to find a new race team. "I don't think it's any secret that because of the personal relationship between Erin and I it hurt her career," Evernham said on Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "The proper thing to do and something her and I would like to do is move her to another race team. I think the girl has a lot of talent. But if I sit here and say to somebody, 'Look, she's got a lot of talent, you should sponsor her,' my credibility is not good because of the personal relationship," he said. Evernham, who turns 50 in August, began dating the 26-year-old Crocker last season.(ESPN.com)(7-27-2007)
Sadler back with M&M's? UPDATE: As far as Elliott Sadler’s #19 car, the leading candidate is candymaker M&M’s, which currently sponsors David Gilliland and the #38 Robert Yates Racing Ford, a car Sadler used to drive. Sadler was exceptionally popular with M&M’s when he drove for Yates and sources said the company would love to work with the affable Virginia native again.(SPEEDtv.com)(7-16-2007)
UPDATE: Ray Evernham told Sirius NASCAR Radio's Sirius Speedway Tuesday that there was no truth to the rumor that M&Ms will sponsor Elliott Sadler's #19 Dodge next season. "Absolutely not," he said. "I don't know where that came from, but it's not true."(7-18-2007)
Drivers Have Different Plans for Off Week: The last open weekend on the Nextel Cup schedule until Thanksgiving means different things to different drivers as they gear up for a stretch of 17 races without a break starting July 29 in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
Jeff Gordon is going to pack up his family car for a short road trip with wife Ingrid and month-old daughter Ella Sofia. Jimmie Johnson and wife Chandra are flying to Europe. Kyle Petty is getting on a motorcycle to join his annual charity ride. Elliott Sadler is heading to the golf course. And several drivers will be driving, either in a Busch Series race in suburban St. Louis or, in Tony Stewart's case, at a time and place still to be determined.(Indianapolis Star)(7-17-2007)
AND: Tony Steweart says he is going to Canada to go fishing for his vacation this weekend. See my Driver Appearances page for more on some drivers running races(7-17-2007)
Evernham/Gillett deal could close this week: Team owner [#9,#10,#19] Ray Evernham’s partnership agreement with [NHL Montral Canadian's owner] George Gillett, Jr., is expected to close next week, said a source familiar with the deal. And a whole host of sponsor possibilities are in play on the Evernham Motorsports Nextel Cup cars of #9-Kasey Kahne and #19-Elliott Sadler, according to multiple sources. Evernham would neither confirm nor deny the merger timetable Sunday morning at Chicagoland Speedway, saying only, “We’re working towards closing the deal.” With the sale of Chrysler Group to investment-banking firm Cerberus Capital Partners pending, it would make sense that Evernham Motorsports would seek additional sponsorship for its Nextel Cup operations. Cerberus, an investor known for sharp cost-cutting of the companies it acquires, may be willing to relinquish sponsorship rights to the two Evernham cars next season, something Dodge was unwilling to do last year when a major sponsor approached Evernham about becoming Kahne’s primary sponsor, a deal that ultimately was rejected by the automaker. Evernham said Sunday he has a contract with Dodge through 2010 and confirmed he is one of a half-dozen teams who have talked with Budweiser about taking over the brewing company’s sponsorship deal in 2008, now that Hendrick Motorsports and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. are out of the running. There are other options for Kahne beyond Budweiser. Fast-food giant McDonald’s, who already has a minor associate position on the #9 of Kahne, could step up to become primary of Kahne’s car, as the company is looking towards re-establishing its presence in NASCAR, sources said Sunday. Another sponsor said to be looking closely at Kahne’s car is Coca-Cola, which in May agreed to buy Vitamin Water maker Glaceau for $4.1 billion in cash. Kahne is a national pitchman for Vitamin Water and an integral part of its marketing campaign. Kahne said he’s OK with however the sponsorship situation shakes out. “Myself, I’m with Ray Evernham for 2008 and whatever he decides to do that’s a good deal. I’m behind him,” Kahne said Friday.(SPEEDtv.com)
AND: Evernham said he's also talked to other sponsors -- sources said Allstate is one -- about being on Kahne's car and reiterated that Budweiser is talking to other teams. Among Budweiser's options is staying at Dale Earnhart Inc., where it has been since 2000.(ESPN.com)(7-16-2007)
Budweiser to Evernham? UPDATE: hearing that Budweiser could sponsor one of the Evernham Motorsports teams in 2008, leaving DEI and Dale Earnhardt Jr. it could be the sponsor for Kasey Kahne if Dodge lets him out of their sponsor deal of the #9 and if Bud feels Kahne meets their demographics, or even #19-Elliott Sadler team. Supposedly DEI could still be in play for the Bud sponsor, but looks like Bud will not follow Dale Earnhardt Jr. to Hendrick Motorsports and that Pepsi/Mountain Dew will sponsor Dale Jr. in 2008.(7-10-2007)
UPDATE: Budweiser officials are shopping around for their best sponsorship option in NASCAR, a clear indication that the beer company will not sponsor Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Hendrick Motorsports next season, sources confirmed Tuesday. It's expected that PepsiCo Inc., possibly with the Mountain Dew brand or a combination of Pepsi products, will sponsor Earnhardt next season in the #5 Chevy [or possibly the #8] for Hendrick. And Anheuser-Busch is negotiating with Evernham Motorsports to possibly move the Bud sponsorship to Kasey Kahne's #9 Dodge next season. Budweiser officials also have contacted officials at Lowe's Motor Speedway about the possibility of holding a news conference at the Lowe's Speedway Club next week if a new team sponsorship agreement is reached. An Evernham Motorsports official said Tuesday that no agreement has been reached with Budweiser and that the Evernham marketing department was talking to several other companies about potential sponsorships for 2008. Team owner Ray Evernham has an agreement with Dodge, through the Dodge Dealers, to sponsor both Kahne's car and the #19 Dodge of Elliott Sadler through 2010. The Dodge dealers would have to sign off on any deal to allow Budweiser to move to Kahne's car.
One source close to the negotiations told ESPN.com that it's still possible Budweiser could stay at Dale Earnhardt Inc., depending on whom DEI signs to replace Earnhardt. Budweiser officials now have targeted four other drivers they would consider sponsoring next season, including Kahne. The other three drivers are not known.(more at ESPN.com)(7-11-2007)
Sadler's Team Director (Crew Chief) Resigns: Evernham Motorsports announced that Josh Browne has elected to resign from his team director duties [of #19-Elliott Sadler] and return to the organization’s engineering department effective immediately. Longtime Evernham Motorsports employee Scott McDougall, former team director of the #98 Evernham Motorsports Truck/ARCA team, will take over as team director of the #19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge on an interim basis. “As we look to make vital improvements across our entire program, we are reviewing the allocation of personnel and resources within the organization. Josh is better suited to help the organization as a whole from an engineering perspective and our efforts in that area,” said Ray Evernham, team owner and CEO. "I commend Josh for his decision and being a team player."(Evernham Motorsports PR)(7-3-2007)
Evernham tests on....NASA Runway at KSC: A team in NASCAR's elite Nextel Cup Series wrapped up its second visit to Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility on Friday, using the nearly 3-mile-long runway to gauge aerodynamics of its race cars. Evernham Motorsports took a test version of one of its new Dodge Avengers -- the Car of Tomorrow [COT] that debuted this season in Nextel Cup -- to the runway for a shakedown this week and also earlier this year, Keith Rodden, a car director for the Statesville, N.C.-based team, said Friday. Rodden said he believes Evernham was the first and only NASCAR team to test at KSC. NASA charges a fee for use of the facility. The amount assessed to Evernham Motorsports was not made available by NASA on Friday.(Florida Today)(6-30-2007)
Evernham to Host New ESPN2 Garage Program: Beginning in July, NASCAR team owner [#9,#10,#19] Ray Evernham will be the featured host of a new and unique racing program on ESPN2. Part of the ESPN2 Garage group of motorsports and automotive shows, Race Wizard with Ray Evernham will premiere at 11:00am/et Saturday, July 7 [after NASCAR Now]. The innovative new show will provide racing fans an entertaining look at the intriguing technical aspects and little-known inner-workings of motorsports and racing. Race Wizard is created for and by NASCAR fans, who will go behind the scenes of the racing world through “person on the street” interviews with one of racing’s brightest minds and most successful team owners. “ESPN has such a legacy in this sport and deserves a great deal of credit for turning NASCAR into one of the most popular sports today,” Evernham said. “Through Race Wizard, I look forward to sharing what I’ve learned in this sport over the years and help viewers understand how technology and innovation are giving teams the edge in competition today.” Sample Race Wizard topics include: Fast Car Basics – A fan’s question on the basics of racing answered, including “How do spoilers on the back of a car increase speed?”; Girl’s Guide – Women have the “need for speed,” too, and this vignette is for them, answering “Why do race cars swerve during caution laps?”; and Race Day – Focusing on improving the fan’s experience in racing by answering, “Where is the best place to sit to watch a race?”(ESPN PR)(6-29-2007)
Evernham close to a deal to sell part of team: UPDATE 2: Ray Evernham expects to finalize the sale of an unspecified portion of his Nextel Cup Series operation to Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillett Jr. within 60 to 90 days, the team owner told ESPN.com on Tuesday. "It's not done, but we're working on it pretty hard," Evernham said. "Honestly, I'm flying to Chicago and we're hammering through some things. Things are looking really positive, but it's not done. Quite honestly, it's not going to be done for another 60 to 90 days. It takes a long, long time, but it looks good. We've agreed to go forward, but there's so much legal stuff that's got to be done. It takes months. I feel positive it'll get done. I really do." Evernham chose not to divulge the exact percentage of his company Gillett would acquire, but did say both gentlemen would have a "substantial stake in the business side of things." Evernham also said he would still run EMS' day-to-day operations. Evernham said there are multiple contracts to wade through and further due diligence to complete. Once done, Evernham says the deal would instantly elevate EMS toward the Nextel Cup elite.(ESPN.com)(5-30-2007)
UPDATE: Nextel Cup owner Ray Evernham took another step on Wednesday toward finalizing his partnership with Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillett Jr., informing his more than 35 sponsors collectively on how the deal will work. Evernham has been negotiating for months an agreement that will give Gillett substantial ownership of his organization. He told sponsors the partnership will allow him to focus more on the competition side of the business and provide him with the resources to keep up with top organizations. The final terms aren't expected to be completed for another two to three months. "A partnership with the Gillett Group would bring excellent resources to Evernham Motorsports,'' Evernham told his sponsors. "Not only does George Gillett offer incredible business experience, his team has deep knowledge of how to successfully manage sports organizations. "This partnership would also benefit our partners at Evernham Motorsports with new business-to-business marketing opportunities." Evernham told his sponsors he would continue to own a significant part of EMS and remain the CEO. "It is an excellent opportunity that would benefit the entire organization,'' he said.(ESPN.com)(6-6-2007)
UPDATE 2: 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)(6-17-2007)
Some teams looking to add 4th team: The season is not even half over and several teams say they want to expand for next season. Officials from Dale Earnhardt Inc., Evernham Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing have said they'd like to expand to four cars next year. There have been hints other teams might look add a team. How many actually do will depend on what kind of sponsorship they can find.(Greensboro News and Record)(6-16-2007)
Old Nose for Evernham cars at MIS? UPDATE: hearing that the Evernham Motorsports Dodge Chargers will be running 2006 noses this weekend at Michigan.(6-13-2007)
UPDATE: #9-Kahne is running the 2006 Dodge nose, but #19- Sadler and #10-Riggs are using the current nose.(SPEED's MIS Practice coverage)(6-15-2007)
Borland released by MWR #44 team UPDATE 3 Evernham?: Michael Waltrip Racing and #44-Dale Jarrett's crew chief Matt Borland have parted ways. "Dale Jarrett wasn't happy, UPS wasn't happy, and we had to do something immediately," Waltrip said. "Originally, we had hoped that Matt Borland would take the role as the technical director, but he wasn't ready to come off the road. We need a technical director down the road, but it wasn't going to help us this weekend." Jason Burdett, formerly the co-crew chief of the #88 car at Robert Yates Racing, left Yates on Wednesday and will eventually be the #44 crew chief. Waltrip wanted to give Burdett time to get acclimated to the system at Michael Waltrip Racing before he jumped into that role. Burdett worked with Jarrett last year. This weekend at Richmond, Derrick Finley will be the #44 crew chief. Finley started the season at Bill Davis Racing as the crew chief on Jeremy Mayfield's #36 car. After leaving BDR, he became the crew chief and then lead engineer on Waltrip's #55 car and is already familiar with the operations at MWR.(FoxSports)(5-3-2007)
UPDATE: Michael Waltrip announced today the addition of Jason Burdett to Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR). Effective immediately, Burdett joins MWR to serve as crew chief for the #44 UPS Team. Matt Borland, who had been serving as the crew chief for the #44 UPS Team, was offered the position of technical director – a move scheduled to take place during the course of the next two seasons. However, Borland declined the move. Burdett’s tenure with MWR started on Wednesday and he will be serving as crew chief for the No. 44 UPS Team beginning this weekend at Richmond International Raceway.(MWR site)
AND, hearing Borland could end up at Evernham Motorsports in some capacity.(5-4-2007)
UPDATE 2: SPEED's Bob Dilner reported that Evernham Motorsports officials said they have not talked to Borland at all.(SPEED's practice coverage)(5-4-2007)
UPDATE 3: Evernham Motorsports has an interest in hiring Matt Borland, who was released as the crew chief for Michael Waltrip Racing. Team owner Ray Evernham said on Monday that members of his organization have talked to Borland, who helped Ryan Newman win a series-best eight races in 2003, about a role with the company. Evernham said he needed to find out if Borland wants to remain a crew chief or work strictly as an engineer. Borland turned down an offer to remain the technical director at MWR. Evernham doesn't have a crew chief opening, but he is concerned with the recent performance of the #19 team of driver Elliott Sadler and crew chief Josh Browne. "We've got to change something," Evernham said. "As for Matt, I don't know where he would fit in here. Others are interested in him and I don't want to get into a bidding war for him. Matt's a sharp guy and he would add depth to our organization, which we really need right now. But he's got to want to work here."(ESPN.com)(5-8-2007)
Evernham close to a partner: Montreal Canadiens owner George N. Gillett is close to a partnership arrangement with Evernham Motorsports [#9, #10, #19]. Gillett, who also is the owner of the Liverpool soccer team in the English Premier League, would be the second major sports team owner to join NASCAR this season, following Red Sox owner John Henry's buy-in to what is now Roush Fenway Racing.(Sporting News)(5-7-2007)
NASCAR donates $160,000 to Virginia Tech memorial fund: For the last three weeks, NASCAR's Nextel Cup cars have all displayed a Virginia Tech logo with a black background in a show of support for the victims and families of the massacre that left 33 dead in Blacksburg on April 16. On Saturday night the decals were just a symbol, and the support was something more tangible: money. In prerace introductions, Virginia drivers Jeff and Ward Burton, Elliott Sadler and Denny Hamlin presented Hokies football coach Frank Beamer with a check for $120,000 for the Hokies Spirit Memorial Fund. And Richmond International Raceway president Doug Fritz presented him with a check for $40,000, also for the memorial fund, that he said was given by RIR and some sister tracks also owned by International Speedway Corp.(Associated Press/ESPN)(5-6-2007)
Special scheme for Sadler at the Coca-Cola 600: Elliott Sadler will turn into a super hero for the Coca-Cola 600, running a special Fantastic Four paint scheme on the #19 Dodge Dealers Dodge Charger. In honor of the debut of the “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” movie, produced by Fox Studios and scheduled for release in theaters on June 15th, the #9 Dodge Charger will be transformed into the Dodge Fantasticar. The movie, directed by Tim Story, stars Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis, the same foursome that made the original Fantastic Four such a success. The #19 will feature a stunning paint scheme that showcases the ghost-like Silver Surfer shooting across the hood, while flames explode over the nose and up the fenders of the Fantasticar. The familiar Fantastic Four logo will also adorn both rear quarter panels. “This is by far one of the coolest paint schemes I’ve ever seen, let alone be able to drive,” Sadler said. “This is something every little kid dreams about. Now, not only do I get to drive a race car, but I get to drive a race car with super heroes on it!(Sadler Fanclub site)(5-3-2007)
Special Helmet Scheme for Sadler for month of April: In an effort to promote Autism Awareness Month, #19-Elliott Sadler will be wearing a special autism helmet at the remaining races throughout the month of April. It will then be auctioned online to benefit the Hermie and Elliott Sadler Charitable Foundation. The helmet, which was donated by Impact Racing, will sport the multi-colored puzzle piece logo of the Autism Society. The complex design was painted by Ryan Young of Indocil Art, who handles the majority of helmet paintings for Evernham Motorsports. Sadler will be sporting the new helmet starting with the April 15 race at Texas Motor Speedway, then Phoenix Int’l Raceway and finally at Talladega Superspeedway. On April 30th, Sadler’s 32nd birthday, the helmet will be put up for bid on an online auction site. Fans can look for Sadler on “Trackside” at Talladega on the SPEED Channel where he will announce which website will host the online helmet auction. The Hermie and Elliott Sadler Charitable Foundation is dedicated to raising autism awareness and promoting research for a cure while also supporting initiatives that improve educational opportunities for children and their families.(Clear!Blue PR)(4-15-2007)
NHL Owner meets with Evernham UPDATE; George Gillett Jr., the owner of the Montreal Canadiens National Hockey League team and co-owner of the Liverpool soccer team in England, has talked with NASCAR teams, including Evernham Motorsports, team owner Ray Evernham confirmed Friday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. "I've talked to a lot of people," Evernham said. "George is one of the people I'm talking to. When I said I was looking for a partner [earlier this year], the phone has been ringing and ringing. I met George. He is a really cool guy. But we don't have anything done." Evernham has invited Gillett to come to Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 this weekend.(SceneDaily.com)(3-10-2007)
UPDATE: Ray Evernham may be getting closer to finding a business partner for Evernham Motorsports. George Gillett Jr., the owner of the Montreal Canadiens of the NHL and co-owner of the Liverpool soccer team in England, will be at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday. Gillett also met with Evernham at Las Vegas Motor Speedway two weeks ago. "We're still talking," Evernham said on Friday. "It's a matter of getting the right partner and getting the right timing. It's not about the money. I need the right partner. I want to win a championship." Evernham said he hasn't discussed how much of EMS will be sold. "I just need somebody that's going to come in and bring people that are interested in providing technology and sponsorship to the race team," he said. Evernham would like to find a partner that could take over some of his business duties, such as dealing with sponsors. "I want to work on race cars again," said Evernham, who won three championship as the crew chief for Jeff Gordon at Hendrick Motorsports. "That's what I do, work on the cars with my guys and go fast. I need a partner who can do his side and I can do my side."(ESPN.com)(3-23-2007)
Evernham cancels appeals? UPDATE no, but penalties upheld: hearing that after the penalties for the #9 Dodge of Kasey Kahne were upheld on Monday, Evernham Motorsports withdrew their appeal of the Daytona penalties of the #10 Dodge of Scott Riggs and #19 Dodge of Elliott Sadler.(3-7-2007)
UPDATE: Evernham Motorsports lost its second appeal in as many days Tuesday as the National Stock Car Racing Commission turned down the #19 team's appeal of the 25-point penalty NASCAR handed down for infractions during Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway.(SceneDaily.com), no word on the #10 team and Riggs but supposedly they chose not to appeal, but have heard nothing for sure.(3-7-2007)
Appeals to be heard next week: Penalty appeals for four Nextel Cup teams accused of breaking NASCAR's equipment rules leading up to the Daytona 500 will be heard early next week, NASCAR officials told ESPN.com on Tuesday. The appeals for Kasey Kahne's #9 team and Matt Kenseth's #17 team will be heard on March 5 in North Carolina. Appeals for Scott Riggs' #10 team and Elliott Sadler's #19 team will be heard the following day, also in North Carolina, NASCAR said.(ESPN.com)(2-27-2007)
Evernham Appeals Penalties to all 3 teams: Appeals for the penalties passed out to the Nextel Cup teams of #9-Kasey Kahne, #19-Elliott Sadler and #10-Scott Riggs before the Daytona 500 were filed on Wednesday by owner Ray Evernham. Roush Fenway Racing filed an appeal on the penalties against Matt Kenseth's #17 team on Saturday. Evernham said before Sunday's race he was most concerned about the severity of the penalties, particularly the points deductions, and the damage allegations of cheating have done to the reputation of his organization. "That's been tarnished and it bothers me more than anything," Evernham said. Kenny Francis, Kahne's team director [crew chief], was suspended for four weeks and fined $50,000 after NASCAR inspectors discovered that two layers of duct tape covering an air hole near the rear wheel well came off during qualifying. Officials said the first layer had a razor slice in it that they believe was designed to force both layers of tape off. Kahne was docked 50 championship points and Evernham 50 owners' points for what NASCAR deemed a blatant attempt to create an aerodynamic advantage. Rodney Childers and Josh Browne, the team directors for Riggs and Sadler, were suspended for two races and fined $25,000 each when officials discovered the bolts that attach the rear spoiler to the trunk had holes drilled in them to help create an aerodynamic advantage. Their drivers were docked 25 championship points each. Evernham said the bolts were hollowed out to make them lighter and were used in all four restrictor plate races last season without penalty. NASCAR officials said a date for the appeal, to be heard by the National Stock Car Racing Commission, has not been set.(ESPN.com)(2-21-2007)
Evernham names interim crew chiefs/team directors: Team owner Ray Evernham will sit atop the pit box for Evernham Motorsports' #19 Dodge driven by Elliott Sadler during the Gatorade Duel 150-mile qualifying race Thursday, team officials confirmed Wednesday. Evernham will share responsibilities as team director, Evernham's vernacular for crew chief, with car director Kirk Almquist. Tim Malinovsky and Chad Johnston will serve as Sadler's engineers. Tuesday, NASCAR suspended all three of Evernham's team directors, Kenny Francis (Kasey Kahne's No. 9 team) for four races and Rodney Childers (Scott Riggs' #10) and Josh Browne (#19) for two apiece. Team enginner Keith Rodden will serve as Kahne's team director, with support from car director Rich Hubbs and engineer Nick Hughes. Kevin Kidd will be Riggs' team director, with support from car director Dave Bryant and engineer Mike Wolfe.(SceneDaily.com)(2-15-2007)
EMS will not appeal 4-race suspension, may appeal #10, #19 penalties: Team owner Ray Evernham said he won't appeal the four-race suspension to #9 team director Kenny Francis but is still mulling over whether to appeal the two-race suspensions of #19 team director Josh Browne and #10 team director Rodney Childers. Francis, the crew chief for Kasey Kahne, had his car fail post-qualifying inspection Sunday after tape came off holes in the oil tank and the right rear wheelhouse, where a hose would run during race conditions. Francis also was fined $50,000, and the team and driver were docked 50 points. Kahne also will have to start his 150-mile qualifying race for Sunday's Daytona 500 from the rear of the field. Evernham said that one layer of tape had been slit but another had not. He said the tape was found inside the car. He said no extra holes were drilled in the car. Browne and Childers, the team directors for Elliott Sadler and Scott Riggs, were found to have illegal bolts in their spoiler fasteners prior to qualifying Sunday. They were also fined $25,000, and the team and drivers were docked 25 points. Evernham said those bolts were used in all restrictor-plate races last year and questioned whether it was right for NASCAR to penalize a team for an infraction where the part is presented for inspection prior to an event and found illegal. "I don't know how you find out if something is legal or not until you present it for inspection," Evernham said. "Those parts were used in 2006. The deck lid is sealed up so they cannot be an aerodynamic device. We lighten several bolts on our car." The car owner said he is now "scared to death" wondering if parts that had been raced will be deemed illegal in pre-qualifying inspection and the team will be docked points in the future. "I'm going to be best friends with [NASCAR's] John Darby and Robin Pemberton because I will be at their doorstep, and I will ask every nut, bolt and washer: Is this legal or not legal?" Evernham said. Evernham said he was still deciding exactly how his teams would be organized and who would be interim team directors. He said the teams will use the 150-mile qualifying races as a test to see who will work well in what role.(in part from SceneDaily.com)(2-14-2007)
Penalties Announced by NASCAR; Suspensions, Fines, Points Taken Away: NASCAR has announced that Robby Reiser and Kenny Francis have each been suspended for 4 races and fined $50,000. In addition, the teams of #17-Matt Kenseth and #9-Kasey Kahne have been penalized 50 owner and driver points. Also, the team directors for Evernham drivers #19-Elliott Sadler and #10-Scott Riggs (Rodney Childers and Joshn Browne, respectively) have each been suspended for 2 races and fined $25,000 for violations found prior to qualifying on Sunday. Those team have each lost 25 owners and drivers point. No announcement has been made on #55-Michael Waltrip.(2-13-2007)
Evernham would hire Schumacher: If Michael Schumacher wants a ride in NASCAR, [#9, #10, #19 team owner] Ray Evernham has one waiting for him. Evernham, who works with German company DaimlerChrysler, has issued an open invitation to the seven-time Formula One champion to give stock car racing a try. The German driver retired from racing red Ferraris after the 2006 season. Asked recently about Juan Pablo Montoya leaving F1 to drive in NASCAR, Schumacher told The New York Times: "Personally,
I wouldn't do it. What do you do in NASCAR? What is exciting there? I can't see that, running around on ovals." But Evernham would like him to reconsider. "I'll put him in a red car, a real good car, any time he wants to come over here and try it," he said. "A lot has changed in recent years. These cars are looked on as much more sophisticated than they used to be. I think he'd find them technical enough to keep him happy."(ESPN.com/AP)(2-12-2007)
Elliott teams with Hermie at car dealership: Sadler Auto Center of Franklin, currently owned by NASCAR driver and SPEED broadcaster Hermie Sadler, is getting a new partner and a new look, as it was announced today NASCAR driver #19-Elliott Sadler had joined brother Hermie in the ownership of the dealerships, which would be named Elliott Sadler Ford Mercury
and Elliott Sadler Chrysler Dodge Jeep. Elliott thinks the time is right to get involved in the car business. "I think this is the perfect time to take this step. I drive a car sponsored by the Dodge Dealers, and there are many ways that my involvement in the dealerships will benefit me as well as our customers. Our family has been in the automobile business over 40 years, and I am proud to now be involved." Hermie Sadler, current owner and president, now works for SPEED channel and Direct TV on the weekends covering NASCAR, but has moved his office to Franklin and manages the dealerships during the week. He says the addition of his brother
as a partner will help take the stores to new levels. "His involvement will not only provide more resources for the store, but will also trigger more support from all of the manufacturers we represent, which will enable us to serve our customers better." According to Hermie Sadler, the name on the front of the buildings will not be the only change to the look of the dealerships, as plans call for a replica of Victory Lane from Bristol Motor Speedway, site of Sadler's first career Nextel Cup Series victory, to be built on site for customers to have their picture taken when picking up their new wheels from the dealership. Plans also call for 2 promotions a year that will feature autograph and picture sessions with both brothers and other NASCAR drivers. The name change should take place in about 90 days. "The one thing that will not change, " says Hermie Sadler, "is that we guarantee you that we will save you money when you buy a car. The rest of the stuff you get from us will just be a bonus."(Sadler PR)(2-8-2007)
Evernham Motorsports Promotes four: Evernham Motorsports announced the promotions of four senior team members who, along with Ray Evernham, team owner and CEO of Evernham Motorsports, comprise the leadership of the organization. Rick Russell, who has been with Evernham Motorsports since 2000, was promoted to president in addition to his current responsibilities as general manager and chief financial officer. Dr. Eric Warren was promoted to vice president in addition to his current responsibilities as technical director. A member of Evernham Motorsports since 2002, he leads the company’s engineering operations. Sammy Johns was named vice president in addition to his current responsibilities as competition director. Johns joined Evernham Motorsports as the head of the team’s research and development effort in April 2001, then stepped into the team director role on the #19 Dodge later that season. He went on to become the competition director at the end of the 2003 season. Mark McArdle was promoted to vice president in addition to his responsibilities as managing director of Evernham Engines.(Evernham Motorsports/Clear!Blue PR)(1-30-2007)
Spokesmen named for NASCAR Speedpark: NASCAR SpeedPark, "the official family fun park of NASCAR" announced that #9-Kasey Kahne, #19-Elliott Sadler and #11-Denny Hamlin will be the 2007 official spokesmen for NASCAR* SpeedPark's North American locations in Myrtle Beach, SC, Concord, NC, Sevierville, Tenn., St. Louis, MO and Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. As official NASCAR SpeedPark spokesmen, Kahne, Sadler and Hamlin will make park appearances throughout the year in an effort to enhance the experience of visiting fans by providing autographs and posing for photographs. The 2007 driver appearance schedule will be announced at a later date.(NASCAR Speedpark PR)(1-28-2007)
Robots building race cars at Evernham? Team Owner Ray Evernham disclosed Thursday, is that robots are part of the team’s car-building future. NASCAR’s ultra-strict chassis rules involving its Car of Tomorrow, which will debut in March at Bristol, Tenn., make it possible for robots to perform welding and similar duties in the chassis-building process. That, Evernham said, will free humans up to fine-tune other areas of the car.(Fayetteville Observer)(1-27-2007)
Evernham looking for financial partner: Ray Evernham, owner of Evernham Motorsports [#9,#10,#19] is looking for a financial partner to help keep up with rising costs, and he believes other owners will follow suit if they hope to survive. Some already have. Jack Roush is close to a deal that would sell 25-50 percent of Roush Racing to Boston Red Sox owner John Henry and Fenway Sports Group. Real estate tycoon Bobby Ginn purchased a reported 80 percent of MB2 Motorsports -- now Ginn Racing -- in August.
Richard Childress sold part of Richard Childress Racing to Chartwell Investments a few years go.(ESPN.com)(1-26-2007)
#19 to run Siemens colors at Phoenix in November: Evernham Motorsports announced that Siemens, the global leader in automation and control, will serve as primary sponsor of the #19 Dodge driven by Elliott Sadler in the Nextel Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway on November 11, 2007. Siemens currently serves as an associate sponsor of the #19 Dodge and the #9 Dodge
driven by Kasey Kahne. Siemens also plays a vital role in technology development through its partnership with Evernham Motorsports.(Clear!Blue/Evernham Motorsports PR), see image on the #19 Team Schemes page.(1-25-2007)
Sadler and Hamlin slim down: #11-Denny Hamlin and #19-Elliott Sadler both have new looks for the upcoming NASCAR Nextel Cup season, but it has nothing to do with paint schemes. Hamlin hired a physical trainer in the offseason, and Sadler is hoping to lose weight and return to the size he was in his rookie season. Hamlin, who sported a slight bulge in the midsection of his racing uniform last year, said he already notices a difference. "I feel better than I have ever in just the short amount of time I've been doing it," Hamlin said of his workouts. "To me, it's more about working on those last 100 laps of the race when you need to dig down and get the most out of yourself. I felt like I was kind of slack on it last year." Sadler said he weighed 211 pounds in 1999 and had not been below that until now. Sadler weighs 210 pounds. He says he's lost 10 pounds since last year's season finale at Homestead and wants to lose another 10 pounds before this season begins. "I just want to be prepared mentally and physically the best I can to make sure I pull my weight," Sadler said. He says he is not on a particular workout program other than watching what he eats. "I can eat as much as anybody I think that you've ever met in your life," said the 31-year-old, who finished fourth in last year's Daytona 500. "I ordered two or three Big Macs at a time. I'd eat two or three steaks at a time when I go to a steakhouse."(Roanoke Times)(1-20-2007)
Past 2006 News
Evernham Announces 2007 Paint Schemes: Dodge and Evernham Motorsports announced today new primary paint schemes for the #9 and 19 Dodges of drivers Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler for the 2007 season. The two cars are near mirror images of each other, but both carry the distinctive bold red color of the Dodge brand and signature Ram logo on the hood. Kahne’s racing colors will flip from 2006 to 2007, moving the red from the top side of the Dodge to the bottom and bringing white to the hood and roof areas of the car. The number will again be black on the sides and roof of the Dodge. Sadler’s Dodge will be the reverse of Kahne’s, with red adorning the hood and roof areas of the car and white on the lower portions of the side panels, growing more dominant as it reaches the rear of the car and eventually fully covering the back end from the rear quarter panel.(Clear!Blue PR), see images on my #9 Team Scheme page and #19 Team Scheme page.(12-8-2006)
Evernham expanding in 2007: Evernham Motorsports has won a race in each of its six seasons and qualified for all three editions of the Chase for the Nextel Cup. But success has come with a price. Once able to field cars with $10 million apiece annually and about 60 crewmembers, Evernham has a staff of 330 and says he needs $20 million a car to be competitive. Next year, the team will add a part-time fourth Charger while spending more on the Car of Tomorrow. Evernham estimates his budget will need to grow by $8 million for software, technology and personnel.(USA Today - in part), the team currently fields three Cup teams, one part time Busch team and a Truck Series team.(10-4-2006)
New 'Team Director' [crew chief] for Sadler: Chris Andrews, who started the year as the team director of the #19 Evernham Motorsports Dodge, is no longer being referred to as a co-team director. Andrews had been listed with Josh Browne for several weeks as "co-directors" (the Evernham word for crew chief) for the team, but the listing was changed on the Elliott Sadler team roster this week. Andrews has been reassigned to work on special projects at Evernham. Browne was brought in to help with the transition from Jeremy Mayfield to Sadler when Sadler first joined the team at Michigan in mid-August.(SceneDaily.com)(9-29-2006)
Sadler Fan Club Party Raises $30,000: Elliott, Hermie and the Sadler family hosted 1,000 Sadler fans at the Sadler Barn on Thursday evening prior to the race at Richmond International Raceway. Elliott and Hermie were joined by special guests Blake Shelton and Dale Jarrett. The agenda for the evening included bologna burgers, autographs, photo opportunities, viewing of Elliott's famous hunting dogs and a concert by country music artist Blake Shelton. The Sadler Fan Club Barn Party raised over $30,000 for the Elliott and Hermie Sadler Foundation.(Sadler PR)(9-9-2006)
Evernham to a four car team...in the future: on Speed Channel's NASCAR Raceday, Nextel Cup team owner Ray Evernham said he hope to expand to a four-car team in the future. NASCAR.com has an interview with Evernham by Marty Smith, one quote reports "Do you have plans to add a fourth team? Evernham: Yeah, we're trying to do that. We can't do it next year. We're not going to make next year, but we've got some things that I'm in the middle of putting together right now. The plan really was to go to four teams and we just couldn't get everything together fast enough."(8-26-2006)
Evernham says Sadler talks started in July: Team owner Ray Evernham says that talks with Elliott Sadler began in July, but at that time they centered around a potential fourth Nextel Cup team. Sadler, who drove for Robert Yates Racing through last Sunday's AMD at the Glen, confirmed Wednesday that he would drive Evernham Motorsports' #19 Dodge the remainder of this season. "He was under contract with Yates, and we didn't have a place to put him at that time, so we initially started looking at what we could do in the future with our fourth program," Evernham said in a national teleconference. Evernham pointed out the team's top goal is returning to the top 35 in owner points. Sadler must qualify for the race based on speed this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. Evernham's other two teams, with drivers Kasey Kahne and Scott Riggs, are locked into the field for the GFS Marketplace 400. To help get ready for the event, Sadler and his new team tested together at Kentucky Speedway earlier this week. They're working on the other area that Evernham sees as needing improvement for the team.(SceneDaily.com)(8-18-2006)
Mayfield claims Evernham's absence hurt team [Crocker implication]: Jeremy Mayfield claims in court documents that team owner Ray Evernham's "close personal relationship" with development driver Erin Crocker distracted his team and kept the owner from being an instrumental part of the #19 Nextel Cup team, whose struggles this year eventually led to Mayfield's firing. Mayfield made that allegation in his lawsuit against Evernham Motorsports filed Aug. 9 in North Carolina Superior Court in Iredell County after Evernham Motorsports informed Mayfield Motorsports Inc. on Aug. 7 that Mayfield would not drive the car in the Aug. 13 race at Watkins Glen. Evernham responded in an affidavit that he has worked diligently to make sure that the #19 team had the personnel and resources to be successful. See full report on SceneDaily.com.(8-17-2006)
Sadler to the #19 at MIS OFFICIAL: Elliott Sadler will take over the #19 Dodge at Evernham Motorsports beginning with this weekend's race at Michigan International Speedway, a team official confirmed to The Associated Press. Sadler secured an early release from Robert Yates Racing late Tuesday evening, clearing the way for him to replace Jeremy Mayfield beginning Sunday, according an Evernham official who spoke on condition of anonymity because an official announcement had not yet been made.(Associated Press), plus there is a scheduled announcement by Evernham Motorsports for a brief update from Ray Evernham and the new driver of the #19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger today at 11:30am/et.
OFFICIAL: Evernham Motorsports announced today that it has named Elliott Sadler to drive the #19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger beginning this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. Sadler, who had his first win at Bristol in 2001, has three career wins, seven poles and 16 top fives in 271 starts, brings his hard-charging driving style, fun-loving personality and broad fan appeal to Evernham’s three-car NASCAR Nextel Cup program. He joins Kasey Kahne, driver of the #9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger and Scott Riggs, driver of the #10 Valvoline/Stanley Tools Dodge Charger. The 31-year-old native of Emporia, VA, will start his career at Evernham Motorsports this weekend in the backyard of his new primary sponsors – Dodge and the Dodge Dealers. While the terms of his relationship with Evernham Motorsports were not announced, he does have a long term commitment to the program.
“It’s truly an honor to drive for Dodge and Ray Evernham and to be a part of this team,” said Sadler. “I admired Ray as a crew chief and now as a team owner and business leader. His operation is impressive. When you look at the engineering resources, the talented guys on the team, the marketing programs, the facilities and the way he and his directors run things, you can tell that this is a powerhouse organization that is focused on winning races and championships. I look forward to providing some of those wins and hopefully competing with Kasey and Scott for the championship next year.”
Sadler is also excited about his new relationship with Dodge. “My family’s business has a Dodge dealership in Franklin, VA, so it will great to represent Dodge and all the dealers across the country,” he added. “They have some amazing cars and trucks, and I’ll be trading in my current truck for a Ram SRT-10 right away.” Ray Evernham, president and CEO of Evernham Motorsports, said Sadler brings the right chemistry, personality and driving skills to round out his stable of NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers. “So much of the success of a team depends on having the right blend of chemistry and communications,” said Evernham. “Elliott will be a great fit with our team right away and will bring the competitive drive and the ability to communicate with the team what the Dodge Charger needs to perform at its best. I think he’s the key that will place this team firmly on the path to success.” Sadler will get his first experience in a Dodge Charger on Wednesday when his team goes to Kentucky Speedway to test. “We’re looking forward to having Elliott join the Dodge family,” said Mike Accavitti, director of Dodge SRT and motorsports product planning and marketing. “He’s got great star power, he’s a talented driver and has excellent potential to be a champion. He’s a perfect fit for the Dodge brand.”(Clear!Blue/Evernham Motorsports PR)(8-16-2006)
Kahne Double-Clutches (and confirms) Sadler Rumors: #9-Kasey Kahne may have given Knoxville television stations a scoop tonight. Kahne was visiting East Tennessee and signing autographs at NASCAR Speedpark in Sevier County. Speculation is mounting that Elliott Sadler will join Kahne as a teammate next season– although there’s been no official confirmation from Ray Evernham Motorsports– or Sadler himself. Tonight, asked about the situation– Kahne took things one-step further– saying Sadler may join the team in time for this weekend’s race at Michigan. Here’s his quote: “The 19 (car) hasn’t performed at all this year, and actually has been bad at most of the tracks. They’re out of the top-35 in points, so Ray is changing some things around there. I think Elliott Sadler is gonna be in the car this weekend. I think, maybe (smile). I don’t know for sure. I’m pretty sure he is. It’s gonna be good. I mean, next year he’s gonna be my teammate for sure, whatever happens this year."(Wogan on Sports)(8-16-2006)
Latest on the Mayfield-Evernham legal battle: Jeremy Mayfield's immediate legal challenge to the terms of his firing by Evernham Motorsports has been resolved. Mayfield, who was released Monday, filed the request for an injunction in North Carolina Superior Court in Iredell County. Whether he could have gotten in the #19 car Friday is unclear as Bill Elliott pracaticed and qualified at Watkins Glen International. There was a hearing on the injunction Friday in North Carolina, and the parties had agreed in principle to settle after the hearing, a Dodge spokesman confirmed Friday night. The two sides released a statement Saturday morning: "Jeremy Mayfield, Mayfield Motorsports, Inc., and Evernham Motorsports LLC announced that they have agreed to end their relationship effective immediately. The parties agree that it is in their mutual best interests to go in different directions and wish each other success in the future." Elliott Sadler is expected to take over the #19 car in 2007 but possibly will take over the driving duties soon.(SceneDaily.com), looks like at Michigan next weekend.(8-13-2006)
Mayfield out..totally at Evernham? UPDATE 2 yep: hearing Evernham Motorsports has released #19 driver Jeremy Mayfield from driving duties for the rest of the season, no word if the contract situation has been resolved if he has been released....or if he will drive again this season in the Cup series.(8-10-2006)
UPDATE: Jeremy Mayfield has been released from Evernham Motorsports, team owner Ray Evernham said Friday at Watkins Glen International. "He has been terminated, and I honestly don't want to discuss the terms with that," Evernham said.
Mayfield was replaced for this weekend's race by former Cup champion Bill Elliott on Tuesday. When contacted by NASCAR.COM, Mayfield said he knew nothing of the driver change. Evernham, however, said his team contacted Mayfield Motorsports' agent on Monday and began the discussions. There was no immediate announcement of a full-time driver in the No. 19 Dodge, although it has been speculated that Elliott Sadler will likely move to the car. Whether that will happen before the end of the season is unknown for sure, Evernham said. "The decision to make a change in the 19 had nothing to do with whether [a driver change] could or could not happen," Evernham said. "It would make the most sense if we could do that, for sure."(NASCAR.com)(8-11-2006)
MORE: Jeremy Mayfield, whom Ray Evernham said he terminated on Monday, was hoping to stall the firing by getting a temporary injunction Friday. The hearing was scheduled to begin at 11:30am/et in North Carolina Superior Court in Iredell County.
"Jeremy Mayfield has been terminated,"Evernham said. "We have 2007 plans in place. We hope to be able to announce them soon."
While Mayfield is expected to drive for Bill Davis Racing beginning next year, a source familiar with the situation said that team doesn't have an immediate ride available for the driver. Evernham Motorsports, though, is looking for a driver for the rest of the season and owner Ray Evernham would welcome the chance to get a jump on 2007 if the driver he's signed for next year were to become available sooner. That driver is expected to be Elliott Sadler, who may be available by the Aug. 18-20 Michigan Cup race weekend if Robert Yates Racing grants his release after Watkins Glen. For now, Bill Elliott is in the #19 Evernham Motorsports Dodge and Sadler remains in RYR's #38 Ford. Evernham said the reasoning behind the change was simple from his perspective. "Purely the performance of the car and the team is not where it should be to represent sponsors," he said Friday. "It's out of the top 35 in points now and that was really the big trigger on making a change. We just haven't delivered as a group on what we should be doing, so we needed to make some changes." A wreck at Indy knocked the #19 team out of the top 35, meaning its not guaranteed a starting spot for the AMD at the Glen. "It's one of those where as hard as you try to turn things around if they're not working, sometimes you just have to make a change to get it to work and it's certainly not been because of a lack of effort," Evernham said. Elliott is currently scheduled to attempt two more races for Michael Waltrip Racing and three for Team Red Bull. Evernham is expected to utilize the former champion's talent as often as possible until a more permanent replacement for the #19 team is found. "The decision to make the change in the 19 had nothing to do with whether that could or couldn't happen," Evernham said of Elliott's availability. "It would make the most sense if we could do that, for sure. ... But I can tell you that just having Bill Elliott back in the car is pleasant again." A phone call to Dale Cagle, Mayfield's business agent, was not immediately returned on Friday. RYR co-owner Doug Yates isn't sure what the future holds. While it's not been announced yet, David Gilliland will take over for Sadler, either sometime this year or next. "All that just happened, so we have to look at that and see what works," Yates said of potentially releasing Sadler prior to year's end. "We haven't really talked about that right now, but I'm not saying it's out of the question." If so, would Gilliland run more than seven races, making him ineligible for rookie of the year honors in '07? "David and I have talked about that," Yates said. " ... He feels right now he'd rather be in the car as much as he could, so that's the most important thing."(SceneDaily.com)(8-11-2006)
SRT scheme back for #9 and #19 teams at Watkins Glen: #9-Kasey Kahne and #19-Bill Elliott will be running special Dodge SRT paint schemes this weekend, promoting Dodge’s line of SRT (Street and Racing Technology) vehicles. It is the same scheme that was on the cars at Infineon Raceway in June.(Evernham Motorsports/Clear!Blue PR), see images on my #9 Team Scheme page and #19 Team Scheme page.(8-10-2006)
The Elliott-Mayfield PR UPDATE No Champ Provisional Allowed?: Evernham Motorsports announced Tuesday it will bring back past NASCAR champion and Evernham driver Bill Elliott to pilot the #19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger at Watkins Glen. Elliott drove for Evernham Motorsports full-time from 2001 to 2004, then part time in 2005. Elliott went to victory lane for Evernham Motorsports four times, including winning the prestigious Brickyard 400 in 2002. Jeremy Mayfield, who has been driving the #19 Dodge this season, will not participate in the Watkins Glen event. No decisions have been made regarding his long-term future with the team. The decision was made after efforts to get the struggling #19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger back on the right track have not progressed as quickly as needed. The team is currently 36th in the NASCAR Nextel Cup owners’ points standings, which means it does not have a guaranteed spot in Sunday’s event. Elliott brings a champion’s provisional, which means the #19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger is confirmed in the starting lineup and does not need to qualify solely on speed. “This team has a great deal of potential and we just haven’t met the expectations this year,” said Ray Evernham, president and CEO of Evernham Motorsports. “We will do whatever we need to get this car in the show for Watkins Glen. It’s important to our sponsors and it’s important to this team. Having Bill in the driver’s seat gives us this guarantee. I believe in our system, our process and our people, and am committed to getting this program where it needs to be.”
Evernham noted that the team has finalized its long term plans for 2007 and expects to announce those plans in the coming weeks.(Evernham Motorsports/Clear!Blue PR)
UPDATE - No Champ Provisional Allowed? NASCAR's official entry list Tuesday showed Elliott subbing for Mayfield, and the team later released a statement confirming the switch. It said Mayfield's long-term future with Evernham is undecided - but his name had been removed from the company letterhead. "This team has a great deal of potential and we just haven't met the expectations this year," car owner Ray Evernham said in a statement. "We will do whatever we need to get this car in the show for Watkins Glen. It's important to our sponsors and it's important to this team." That meant putting Elliott in the car because as a former NASCAR champion, he should have been assured a spot in the field. But in a statement released on Wednesday, Evernham Motorsports said, ""Unfortunately the timing was such that NASCAR will not provide us with the provisional."(FoxSports/Associated Press)(8-9-2006)
UPDATE 2: Because Bill Elliott was not on the entry list as Jeremy Mayfield's replacement by the July 31 entry deadline, he is unable to use a past champions provisional this weekend at Watkins Glen, NASCAR confirmed Wednesday. Elliott was named the driver of the #19 Evernham Motorsports car on Tuesday.(SceneDaily.com)(8-10-2006)
Mayfield 'doubts' he will be back at Evernham UPDATE 4 Mayfield out at Watkins Glen, Elliott In: While #19-Jeremy Mayfield told reporters Saturday that he doubts he'll be back with Evernham Motorsports next year, team owner Ray Evernham said no decisions have been reached. Asked following qualifying for the Allstate 400 if Mayfield has inquired about his release, Evernham said they'd discussed a number of things. "But we haven't made any decisions," Evernham said. "The first thing we honestly both said was, 'Let's fix this first, because no matter what we decide to do, we can't leave this thing like it is. We have to prove that we can do it. Jeremy's got options, the same as many other drivers. Why wouldn't he? He's been in the Chase two years in a row. If I was a team owner starting a new team, he'd be one of the guys I'd be looking after, too." Mayfield has struggled this season, working with a new crew after Evernham swapped his teams following the 2005 season. Mayfield is coveted by Michael Waltrip Racing and is believed to be a candidate at Bill Davis Racing as well.
It's widely believed that Elliott Sadler [currently with RYR in #38 and has been granted his release for 2007] will replace Mayfield, once Mayfield's granted his release. Evernham said such a decision isn't entirely his own. "That's not all up to me," Evernham said. "We have all these [sponsorship] partners. That's a decision that would have to be sat down and talked about between a lot of people."(SceneDaily.com)
AND Jeremy Mayfield is close to signing a deal to drive next season for Bill Davis Racing, multiple sources told NASCAR.com on Saturday. Mayfield, who has a year and two option years remaining on his contract with Evernham Motorsports, would not comment on specific plans for 2007. But he admitted a return next season to the No. 19 Dodge, which reportedly already has been offered to Elliott Sadler, was unlikely. "I doubt I'm staying,'' Mayfield said after qualifying 15th for Sunday's Nextel Cup race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. According to sources, Mayfield already has toured the facilities at Bill Davis Racing and agreed in principal to a multi-year deal to drive one of the organization's two Toyotas next season. Team director Tommy Baldwin confirmed on Friday that Dave Blaney would drive the other car.(NASCAR.com)(8-6-2006)
UPDATE 2: It was hard to figure out what was worse for Evernham Motorsports in the Allstate 400 - Kasey Kahne dropping out of the top 10 in points or Jeremy Mayfield's #19 team dropping out of the top 35 in the car owner standings. Mayfield also has had trouble figuring things out all season, and an accident helped relegate him to a 41st-place finish. His team dropped behind #40-David Stremme's in points and he won't be locked in for the Aug. 13 race at Watkins Glen. Evernham was asked after the race if he would consider putting a road-course ace into the car to make sure it qualifies. "I'm going to get together tomorrow with all the other parties and make a decision," Evernham said. "We've just got to sit down and figure it out."(SceneDaily.com)(8-7-2006)
UPDATE 3: Bill Elliott is now listed as the driver of the #19 Evernham Motorsports Dodge for Watkins Glen per nascar.com's entry list, looks like Mayfield will sit the road course race out since the #19 is now out of the top-35 in owners points, Elliott running the #19 guarantee's the team will race at Watkins Glen since Elliott has the past champions provisional to use and none of the other non top-35 teams have a past champ in their cars.(8-8-2006)
UPDATE 4: Jeremy Mayfield may be free to leave Evernham Motorsports for Bill Davis Racing sooner than he expected.
Bill Elliott will be in the #19 Dodge that Mayfield has driven for EMS since 2002 this weekend at Watkins Glen International, according to the Nextel Cup entry list released by NASCAR on Tuesday. Jeremy Mayfield has been driving the #19 Dodge since 2002.
Contractual agreements remain to be settled before it can be decided if Mayfield will be out the remainder of the season. Team owner Ray Evernham could not be immediately reached for comment. Mayfield, who said last weekend at Indianapolis he likely would not be at Evernham Motorsports next season, said he had not been contacted by Evernham about a switch. "It's not professional, that's for sure,'' said Mayfield, who crashed on Lap 82 of Sunday's race and fell out of the top 35 in owners' points that guarantee a spot in the next race. "That's the way everything has worked around here for a while.'' A spokesperson for Evernham Motorsports said discussions with Mayfield Motorsports management began on Monday.(NASCAR.com)(8-8-2006)
Sadler to the #19? Mayfield to Toyota? UPDATE 4 Yes to Sadler..No to M&M's: Elliott Sadler has until Saturday to tell Robert Yates whether he plans to drive the #38 M&M's Ford next year. With Dale Jarrett leaving at the end of the year, Yates might have to fill two seats. Two drivers reportedly on Yates' short list are Ward Burton and Stephen Leicht.(Orlando Sentinel)
UPDATE 1: hearing Elliott Sadler, current driver of the #38 M&M's Ford for RYR, will go to he #19 Evernham Motorsports Dodge with current driver there, Jeremy Mayfield going to one of the three Toyota Teams, most likely Michael Waltrip Racing and the #00 car.
AND Speed Channel's Bob Dillner on NASCAR Live, that rumor has Sadler going to the #19 and COULD be taking the M&M's sponsorship with him.
UPDATE2 : #55-Michael Waltrip, who will graduate to team ownership with Toyota next year, says he has offered a job to driver #19-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 #19 Dodge 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 #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 #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 [#55]. He has hired Jarrett and landed sponsor UPS for the second car [#?], and Mayfield would drive the so-far-vacant third car [#00], 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.(Speed Channel)(7-14-2006)
UPDATE 3:Sadler denied that he's had discussions with Evernham or anybody from Evernham Motorsports about leaving Robert Yates Racing, but admitted there have been discussions with other teams.(NASCAR.com)
AND Sadler insists his overriding commitment is winning for his team and sponsors. The latest speculation has Sadler taking the #19 Dodge of Evernham Motorsports when Jeremy Mayfield leaves to drive a Toyota for Michael Waltrip. At least one Internet site says Sadler must give Yates a “staying or going” statement this weekend. ”I don’t know about any deadline or date or anything like that,” Sadler said after qualifying 18th for Sunday afternoon’s Lenox Industrial Tools 300. “Robert and I talked at Indy [during a recent test]. Our conversation was that we’re not running as well as we’d like; he’s frustrated and I’m frustrated; what do we need to make it better; what direction do we take? We ran a Roush chassis at Chicago [qualified 29th, finished 32nd], but that didn’t seem to be the answer. That was pretty much our 45-minute conversation. So far as a deadline for deciding about next year: I don’t have one; I don’t think Robert has one; M&Ms doesn’t have one. I haven’t made up my mind what I’m going to do. This is the only uniform I’ve had on in four years, so I can see myself driving this 38 Ford again next year."(Ford Racing)(7-15-2006)
UPDATE 4: Though he denies any contact with Ray Evernham, Elliott Sadler will drive the #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)(7-18-2006)
#400 for Mayfield at NHIS: #19-Jeremy Mayfield will make his 400th career Nextel Cup start this weekend at New Hampshire International Raceway. His first start came at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in 1993 (10/10/93).(Clear!Blue/Evernham Motorsports PR)(7-13-2006)
Mayfield Frustrated, comments on Evernham UPDATE Evernham speaks: #19-Jeremy Mayfield isn't happy with the way his team is performing this year. And he doesn't seem to think team owner Ray Evernham is taking enough of a hands-on approach to fixing what's wrong. "I haven't talked to Ray much," Mayfield said Friday morning. "We don't see Ray much. I don't know. He encourages us when he is around but we haven't seen him much lately." Mayfield said he is surprised that Evernham hasn't been at the track. "He used to be on top of stuff like this pretty hot and heavy and he's letting it take its course, I guess," Mayfield said. Mayfield added: "He is here today, isn't he? I don't think he is here today." Evernham wasn't. Reached by cell phone at Kentucky Speedway on Friday evening, where he was overseeing developmental driver Erin Crocker in the ARCA series, Evernham said he and Mayfield already had talked to clear the air. "I don't think he's upset with me," Evernham said. "I'm sure he's frustrated that we're not performing." With high-profile rides available at two new Toyota teams, Michael Waltrip Racing and Red Bull, for next season, Mayfield sounds as though he would entertain the idea of leaving Evernham if he didn't have a long-term contract. "I've got a contract through next year and I've got two years after that, so I can't talk to nobody," Mayfield said. "So I'm sitting here like a sitting duck. What I do know is we've got to get running better." Evernham said Mayfield hasn't said anything about wanting to out of his contract. "Not to my knowledge," Evernham said. "And again, we're good enough friends (that) we can sit down and talk about anything like that."(ESPN.com/AP)
BUT Mayfield said on Speed Channel's Trackside that the comments were taken out of context and while hs is frustrated with how his team has performed but there is no problems between himself and team owner Ray Evernham.(7-8-2006)
UPDATE: 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)(7-10-2006)
Dr. Z back on the #19 Dodge at Chicago: #19-Jeremy Mayfield will run Dodge’s special “Ask Dr. Z” paint scheme that debuted in Daytona again in Chicago.(Clear!Blue PR), see image of the scheme on my #19 Team Schemes page.(7-6-2006)
Dodge partners its F-1, NASCAR teams: DaimlerChrysler CEO Dr. Dieter Zetsche attended Saturday night's Nextel Cup race at Daytona, where his likeness appeared on the hoods of the [#9 and #19 Ask Dr Z] 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." Dennis and Evernham agreed they are in the initial stages of developing their partnership, but both expect it to be fruitful. "It takes time because they're two very different types of motor sports," Dennis said. "It's a learning curve for both of us. But we are blown away by their marketing machine." Evernham acknowledged he has thought about one day being part of a U.S. team effort in F-1 but not until his NASCAR program has produced a championship or two. He is counting on the union with McLaren and Mercedes to help him do that. "It's not just the technology. Take what they're doing with their strategy and their software," he said. "It's great to have a big brother like McLaren. This is what we've been waiting for."(Indianapolis Star)(7-2-2006)
Special paint for Kahne and Mayfield at Daytona UPDATE 2 Challenger: #9-Kasey Kahne and #19-Jermey Mayfield will be running another special paint scheme again this weekend, promoting an advertising campaign for Chrysler that will be announced Saturday, July 1st as Kahne will participate in a major press announcement for Chrysler with Richard Petty.(Evernham Motorsports/ClearBlue PR), see an image of the cars on my #9 Team Schemes page and #19 Team Schemes page, "Ask Dr Z" scheme.(6-30-2006)
UPDATE: Tomorrow [July 1st] it is expected that the Dodge will unveil a new production car as part of its Daytona activities. Fans are invited to attend the event to see Richard Petty and Kasey Kahne showcase the new car.
AND Chrysler also is expected to unveil details an employee-pricing discount plan for consumers in a campaign that will feature DaimlerChrysler Chairman Dieter Zetsche [Dr Z].
UPDATE 2: Chrysler is crashing the muscle-car party with plans to build a production version of the Dodge Challenger coupe that debuted as a retro-styled concept car in January at the Detroit auto show. The automaker plans to herald the return of the Challenger at the Pepsi 400 in Daytona, Fla., on Saturday, according to people familiar with the plans. The Challenger concept, a rear-wheel drive coupe, drew raves from enthusiasts for its old-school looks and growling 425-horsepower V-8 engine.(Detroit News)(6-30-2006)
SRT Paint Schemes for #9 and #19 at Sonoma: Evernham Motorsports teammates #19-Jeremy Mayfield and #9-Kasey Kahne will run special SRT paint schemes on their Dodge Chargers at Infineon Raceway. Dodge SRT vehicles offer the boldest, most powerful performance for the Dodge lineup. Every SRT vehicle showcases five key aspects: Exterior styling that resonates with the brand image; race-inspired interiors; top-notch ride and handling characteristics across a dynamic range; benchmark braking; and standout powertrain. Kahne’s #9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge SRT Charger will carry their signature bold red Dodge color, in addition to white on the rear quarter panels and black striping along the sides. SRT lettering is on the sides and hood of Kahne’s Dodge Charger. Mayfield’s #19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge SRT Charger will take a more bold tact with bright yellow on the hood and the sides, eventually blending to black on the rear quarter panels and back of the car. It will be a distinctive look for the #19 Dodge Charger. Like the #9, red SRT lettering will be on the hood and quarter panels. Another notable change in the schemes is the Dodge Charger’s rear panel, which
displays Dodge’s website with information regarding the SRT program and encourages viewers to visit Dodge’s SRT website, www.driveSRT.com.(Evernham Motorsports/Clear!Blue PR)(6-20-2006)
Mayfield plans on staying at Evernham: #19-Jeremy Mayfield, one of the veterans in the garage, said he’s unfazed by all the Silly Season chatter, even rumors about his status with Evernham Motorsports. “If I was a younger driver and had never been through it, it would be pretty tough, but I’ve been through it before,” he said. “I don’t really pay attention to it anymore. I just do what’s best and do what’s right. I stay focused and do the best we can as a team and get better every week. Whatever happens then happens, and I know I’ve done all I can do. Right now I’ve got a contract with Ray (Evernham) through this year and next year and hopefully two more years after that. That’s what my intentions are, to finish this deal out and do the best we can. I know a lot of stuff is going on right now in the rumors about different drivers but hopefully we’re not one of them.”(Speed Channel)
AND Jeremy Mayfield clarified his contract status, pointing out that he has no plans to move on since he is signed with Evernham Motorsports through 2007. Mayfield, dogged by rumors that he's in the mix for several open NASCAR Nextel Cup rides, has repeatedly stated that he's planning to continue building his team this season. But it wasn't until Friday that he outlined the contract that he plans to honor.(SceneDaily.com)(6-10-2006)
Kyle Busch Fined, Placed on Probation by NASCAR; Mayfield Penalized: NASCAR announced that Kyle Busch, driver of the #5 Kellogg's Chevy for Hendrick Motorsports, has been fined, penalized points and placed on probation because of a rule infraction this past Sunday during the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Busch was in violation of Section 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing) of the NASCAR Rule Book. He disobeyed a directive from a NASCAR official, entered the racing surface without authorization and threw an object at another competitor’s car during the event. He has been fined $50,000, penalized 25 Driver Championship points and placed on probation until Dec. 31. The infraction also resulted in car owner Rick Hendrick being penalized 25 Owner Championship points.
In addition, the #19 Dodge team was found to be in violation of Section 12-4-A, 12-4-Q (car, car parts, components and/or equipment used that do not conform to NASCAR rules) and Section 20-12.8.1A (roof height too low in post-race inspection). That infraction resulted in crew chief Chris Andrews being fined $35,000, driver Jeremy Mayfield losing 25 driver points and car owner Ray Evernham losing 25 owner points.
Also, Don Richardson, crew member on the #5 Chevrolet team, has been fined $5,000 and placed on probation until Dec. 31. He violated 12-4-A, because of improper use of a NASCAR credential.(NASCAR PR)(5-31-2006)
Mayfield's car failed post-race inspection at LMS: Jeremy Mayfield's #19 Dodge failed post-race inspection following the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The roof was one-eighth of an inch too low. There is a quarter-inch tolerance given for settling during the race, but the Evernham Motorsports car was an eighth of an inch below that tolerance, NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Director John Darby said Tuesday. Penalties likely will be announced Wednesday. Being too low typically is a 25-point penalty accompanied by a $25,000-$35,000 fine. "The way we run these cars now, these [front] springs settle and you never know how much," team owner Ray Evernham said. "They were low, no doubt about it." Evernham said there would be no appeal of a penalty. His team members told him that the car was in the "red" - the color on the height sticks that signifies the car is too low - in post-race inspection. "The bottom line: It was low," Evernham said. "We know why it was low. The front springs gave up. The thing settled too much. There's no appeal - you're either right or you're wrong, and there was red showing."(SceneDaily.com)(5-31-2006)
Mayfield to Davis? Waltrip? UPDATE no way: #19-Jeremy Mayfield is also in middle of a lot of Toyota talk, perhaps leaving Ray Evernham to take a Toyota ride next season with [#22/23] Bill Davis, perhaps even taking a third Toyota ride with Waltrip, who indicated last week that he had a third major sponsor in the works.(Winston Salem Journal), but Mayfield re-upped with Evernham last year and is supposedly signed thru 2008.(5-21-2006)
UPDATE: #19-Jeremy Mayfield says he working hard to help his team turn around their 2006 season and denies garage area gossip he's looking for another ride. Mayfield told PRN's Garagepass; "As far as me out looking that's defiantly not true, I haven't been out looking nowhere for nothing. I have a contract with Ray (Evernham) I'm driving for Ray and Dodge. My head has been down working on our own stuff trying to get our own stuff better. Our deal is hard enough as it is let alone start throwing the rumors and all that stuff around."(PRN's Garage Pass Radio Show)(5-24-2006)
Mayfield expects no changes: Despite a disastrous season to date, #19-Jeremy Mayfield said he foresees no major shakeup to his Evernham Motorsports team, which was reorganized late last year. “I don’t expect any changes other than we might add a few people. Chris (team director Andrews) and I have started to come together,” Mayfield said Saturday. “It hasn’t showed up yet, but it’s better than it was a couple of weeks ago as far as him understanding what I like and me understanding how he does things on the car. It’s just like Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Michael Waltrip when they switched up (prior to the start of the 2005 season). You saw what happened on that deal. Dale Jr. couldn’t hit his butt and Michael took off running good. That’s just part of what we’re going through right now.”(Speed Channel)(4-30-2006)
Evernham Motorsports joins effort to find missing woman: Evernham Motorsports president and CEO Ray Evernham announced that the decklid of Jeremy Mayfield’s #19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger will feature a photograph of 24-year-old Jennifer Kesse, missing from the Orlando, Fla., area since Jan. 24, during Sunday’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Kesse was reported missing when she failed to show up for work on Jan. 24. NASCAR team owner Evernham attended high school with Kesse’s mother Joyce, and felt compelled to help when he heard of the disappearance. Since the search for Kesse began, the Orlando Police Department has received more than 1,000 leads, but officers are still hopeful that someone out there has additional information that can lead to a break in the case. There is an $115,000 reward for information leading to her safe return. For more information about Jennifer Kesse, please visit jenniferkesse.com. Anyone with information concerning her disappearance, please call 1-800-423-TIPS (8477).(3-14-2006)
Cup team considering move to Indy? UPDATE Evernham Denies: in a Darrell Waltrip column at FoxSports: "by the way I was in Indy this past week on some business. There's a rumor going around that some big NASCAR team was thinking about moving to Indianapolis, and I was talking to some folks who may have given me an inside track on who it might be. It's a guy that's got three cars and no crew chiefs, if that helps you any."(FoxSports), no crew chiefs? Evernham Motorsports uses Team Directors...not crew chiefs.(1-6-2006)
UPDATE Evernham denies: 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.”(Speed Channel)(3-13-2006)
Special Schemes for #9 and #19 at Vegas: #9-Kasey Kahne and #19-Jeremy Mayfield's Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Chargers will run special paint schemes in Sunday's UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Flames [DW will be happy] will extend down the length of each car and the hoods will feature the race logo for the UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400.(Clear!Blue/Evernham MS PR), ni images to post..yet.(3-8-2006)
Past 2005 News
Knaus leaving Hendrick? UPDATE denied: hearing [or have leaned] that #48 Hendrick Motorsports crew chief, Chad Knaus will leave the team and driver Jimmie Johnson and go back to Evernham Motorsports [was one of Evernham's first hires, until moving to #92 Melling team in 2001], then Hendrick Motorsports in 2002 to crew chief Johnson.
UPDATE: Hendrick Motorsports says Knaus has no plans to leave Hendrick Motorsports and has multiple years remaining
on his contract.(12-2-2005)
Baldwin gone from Evernham? UPDATE New Team Structure at Evernham: hearing #9 crew chief, Tommy Baldwin Jr. has left Evernham Motorsports, no word on where he is headed.
MORE hearing this is true and that there could be some crew swapping between the #9 and #19.
UPDATE 8: 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)(11-15-2005)
#9 and #19 get newe 2006 paint 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.
The #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 #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 #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. Diecast models of the new #9 and #19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Chargers will be available through Action Performance beginning February. To purchase online, visit evernhammotorsports.com.(Clear!Blue PR)(11-15-2005)
Slugger to leave the #19? UPDATE 2: hearing #19 crew chief, Slugger Labbe could leave Evernham Motorsports at the end of the season, possibly going back to Robert Yates Racing, as the crew chief for #38-Elliott Sadler?(10-26-2005)
UPDATE: Statement from Ray Evernham on the Leadership for the #19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger: "We have decided to make a change on the leadership team for the #19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger driven by Jeremy Mayfield. The team, led by Team Director Kenny Francis for the past three years, has shown great promise and potential. We've qualified for the Chase for the Championship for the second year in a row. But, we have high expectations for this team, both for the remainder of the 2005 season and for next year. We still have four races to run this season, all of which are on tracks where we've been successful. We're confident that we can re-energize this team to bring home solid finishes in these last four races and move up in the Chase for the Championship. We are already planning for next year, and we recognize that we need to make several changes to regain the momentum this team had earlier in the year and to ensure we have the right people in the right places to win races and a championship.
As part of this change, Richard "Slugger" Labbe will no longer serve as crew chief for the team. Kenny Francis will continue to lead the team as he has the last three years, and Mike Shiplett, currently the car chief for the team, will share Labbe's duties with Francis. Slugger Labbe made good contributions to this team this year, and we wish him well as he pursues other opportunities."(ClearBlue/Evernham Motorsports PR)(10-27-2005)
UPDATE 2: Richard "Slugger" Labbe said a lack of chemistry with Jeremy Mayfield was behind his departure from Evernham Motorsports this week. Mayfield has one top-20 finish since making the Chase for the Nextel Cup for the second consecutive year. "I just didn't fit in," said Labbe, who declined another position at Evernham. "We got in the Chase, and we've just been mediocre. I want to win and be in the top five every week." Labbe expects to join another team by next week's race at Texas.(Richmond Times Dispatch)(10-29-2005)
Special scheme at Kansas for Mayfield: On October 9th at Kansas Speedway, #19-Jeremy Mayfield will race a special paint scheme featuring Mountain Dew's newest flavor, "Pitch Black". Mountain Dew Pitch Black combines the great taste of Mountain Dew with a blast of black grape flavor.(Action), see an image of the scheme on my #19 Team Schemes page.(8-31-2005)
Evernham Announcement at Indy: #9, #19, #91 [#10 in 2006] team owner Ray Evernham and driver Kasey Kahne are scheduled to announce plans for 2006 and beyond on Saturday morning at Indy.(Clear!Blue PR)(8-4-2005)
Rondeau finds a new home: Pete Rondeau has negotiated his release from Dale Earnhardt Inc. and joined Evernham Motorsports [#9, #19, #91]. Rondeau started the season as #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s crew chief but was removed from that position after 11 points races. He joined Evernham on July 18 as director of research and development.(Sporting News)(8-1-2005)
Former Crew Chief third in fishing tourney: Former NASCAR crew chief Mike Hill was part of a scoring team last weekend in the Midlands Striper Club/Hydro Glow Fish Lights Tournament on Lake Murray. Hill, who lives in Ronda and works at Evernham Motorsports in Statesville, teamed with his brother, Allen, to place third with 341/4 pounds in the night tournament. The Hills had the event's largest single striper, which weighed 15 pounds, 15 ounces. Tournament proceeds help the S.C. Department of Natural Resources' striper stocking program.(Charlotte Observer/Tom Higgins)(7-21-2005)
Bad News Bears scheme for Mayfield at Daytona: At this summer's NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway, Jeremy Mayfield will sport some additional firepower on his #19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge
Charger - that of Billy Bob Thornton, Greg Kinnear and Marcia Gay Harden, stars of the new Paramount Pictures comedy "The Bad News Bears," which opens nationally on July 22. Mayfield, a fan of the original "Bad News Bears" will carry the pin-striped signage for the new movie on the hood of his Dodge Charger to promote the comedy, which was first released in 1976. The #19 Dodge will feature a distinctive red and white paint scheme featuring baseballs and classic pin-stripes. "Bad News Bears" is a fresh take on the irreverent 1976 comedy hit, "Bad News Bears" follows a grizzled former minor league baseball player who is recruited to coach the Bears, a woefully inept Little League team, to a championship against their hated rivals, the Yankees. Richard Linklater is the director and Marcus Viscidi is the executive producer.(Clear!Blue PR), see an image of the scheme on my #19 Team Schemes page.(6-30-2005)
Evernham Motorsports to make 2006 announcement on Friday, July 1st at Daytona International Speedway, announcing news for the 2006 season.