Yates Racing on solid footing heading into 2009

Doug Yates, who has years of experience working with his father's team and maintaining the Roush-Yates engine program, admits that it has taken quite a bit of effort to keep his team on the track. Now, with numbers switching around — Menard will drive the No. 98 that has inherited the points from Gilliland's No. 38, while Labonte is in the 96 with points from Kvapil's No. 28 — and other changes the team has undergone, even Yates admits there could be some confusion. But he also sees a team on more solid footing that it enjoyed entering 2008. "There have been some trying times, but there's been a lot of hard work and effort by many people," Yates says. "Max Jones and myself had a vision that we were going to get this team back to where it once was, and some days are tougher than others, but we had some really bright spots last year. Our car finished second at Infineon (Raceway) and sat on the pole at Talladega, and through all that, we had a lot of sponsors. The guys gave me a picture at the end of the year, and I think there was something like 30 different sponsors that were partners with us last year. I want to say thanks to all of those guys. "Travis Kvapil and David Gilliland did a great job, and now we sit here and a lot of things have changed. The 38 is now the 98, and (we have) the 96 and the 28, so I think I need a scorecard, but I'm so excited to have Paul Menard and Menards sponsorship and Ask.com with Bobby Labonte, and to have Travis back. ... (Now) here we are with two fully sponsored cars, and we're ready to try to continue on what my dad built with Robert Yates Racing, and I'm really proud of that." The drivers and owners express excitement about the coming year — as does Kvapil, who once more finds himself needing sponsorship as the year begins. After being in this same spot in the past, though possibly with more confidence that he would run the full year, it's understandable why Kvapil believes this will all work out. "The first part of the season is just to continue our performance and get recognized and create a buzz and try to get some attention to our team," Kvapil says. "I felt like we did a pretty reasonable job last year, and it's discouraging that we are in the same situation and we've got to kind of start over from what we built off last year. I've got a great attitude, I've got a great drive, and I'm just really excited to get to Daytona." Labonte and Menard appear recharged entering the year. Menard, and his family sponsorship from Menards, left Dale Earnhardt Inc. at the end of last season to shift into Fords at Yates. Like the rest of the team, he'll have the benefit of Roush technology and the engines created by an alliance between the two lead Ford teams. Labonte was a late addition to the group. Though he competes for Hall of Fame Racing, his team comes out of the Yates Racing shop, and his cars will be prepared by that group. So he is, essentially, the group's third car. He's ready to get back on track. After announcing plans to part ways with Petty Enterprises during the offseason, Labonte found himself trying to land a solid ride in tough economic times. Sponsorships are hard to come by these days, so he felt both a sense of satisfaction and one of relief in signing with Hall of Fame and sponsor Ask.com. He said he then found that everything in the Yates shop was ready for him, including a partnership with crew chief Todd Parrott once more.

Rea White is a writer for NASCAR Scene, which is published weekly, 50 weeks per year. Visit www.scenedaily.com for more information.