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MakingLaps Home -> MakingLaps.com Forum -> Sprint Cup Gossip -> Martin to #88 in 07? Update: Rudd, W.Burton?
Post Info TOPIC: Martin to #88 in 07? Update: Rudd, W.Burton?
openwheelracer


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Martin to #88 in 07? Update: Rudd, W.Burton?
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From Jayski.com:


UPDATE: #6-Mark Martin's farewell tour will be extended yet another year when he drives the #88 Ford next year for Robert Yates Racing. Martin originally said last year would be his final as a full-time driver in the Nextel Cup Series, but he changed his mind to return to his familiar #6 Ford at Roush Racing this season. Now it appears he will keep going, but for a new team. Three different sources close to Ford Racing said Martin will take over for Dale Jarrett at Yates after Jarrett moves into a new Toyota Camry at Michael Waltrip Racing in 2007, Morris News Service has learned. Martin said Friday he won't drive the #6 Ford at Roush next year - a ride he's had since the 1988 season - and most people believed that meant he finally planned to start his planned retirement. Robby Gordon confirmed this week he attempted to buy half of Robert Yates Racing recently, but the deal apparently fell through in the last couple weeks. Sources close to Yates confirmed Sunday that Martin - apparently with support of Jack Roush - also tried to buy Yates during the summer. Negotiations went so far that Yates had an inventory completed to show the exact worth of his racing operation. Robert Yates Racing said they would make an announcement on a new driver in about a week. They've already hinted it would be a veteran racer.(Athens Banner-Herald)(9-5-2006)



-- Edited by openwheelracer at 09:23, 2006-09-10

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spdracer19


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RE: Martin to #88 in 07?
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That would be cool if Martin bought Yates. He is a class guy and would do well in supporting NASCAR & Ford.

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openwheelracer


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From Jayski.com:


UPDATE 2 - sponsors: hearing McDonald's and Citi-Financial will be the sponsors for Martin and the #88 Ford in 2007, not sure if as co-primaries or some other arrangement.(9-6-2006)



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openwheelracer


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From Jayski.com


UPDATE 3: Benny Ertel, who is Mark Martin's business manager, went Internet surfing Wednesday morning and found some interesting "fiction" on various racing Web sites. The stories indicated Martin would be buying into Robert Yates Racing and the veteran would drive the #88 Ford, which will be abandoned by Dale Jarrett at season's end. "Wishful thinking," Ertel said. "I read that online. There's no truth to it. I can't say Robert wouldn't want Mark in his car. They may come at him hard when we get to Richmond. I don't know. I know we haven't talked to Robert Yates; (or) to my knowledge, nobody at Yates Racing."(Daytona Beach News-Journal)(9-7-2006)
UPDATE 4: Robert Yates Racing co-owner Doug Yates says he hasn't talked with Mark Martin, but he certainly would like to have him in the team's #88 Ford next season. But first he needs to land sponsorship for the team. Yates admitted that courting a driver at this point would be "putting the cart before the horse." He expects to finalize sponsorship plans for the team in the next three to four weeks. Yates was then asked if the #88 would definitely be back next season. "Well, I hope so," he said after a pause. "That's our plan." [Yates] did say, though, that with sponsorship approval he'd be very interested in [Martin]. He also said the team would be interested in Ricky Rudd. Martin says he'd like to compete with a 12-race limited schedule in 2007. Yates said any partial or full-time driver decisions would be made by the future sponsor. Yates added that it makes sense to have a rookie driver with one team and a veteran in the other car.(SceneDaily.com)(9-9-2006)
UPDATE 5: Mark Martin, Ricky Rudd and Ward Burton are the top choices of Robert Yates Racing to drive the #88 Ford opposite rookie David Gilliland in 2007. "We really want a veteran driver to work with David," Doug Yates, the co-owner of RYR, said.(NASCAR.com)(9-9-2006)



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openwheelracer


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RE: Martin to #88 in 07? Update: Rudd, W.Burton?
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From Jayski.com:


UPDATE: Despite recent dire predictions that he may have to shutter his #88 Ford team next year for lack of a sponsor, car owner Robert Yates told SPEEDTV.com on Saturday that he’s close to inking a deal for next season — and he hopes the driver of the #88 in 2007 will be Mark Martin. “From my side, we’re getting pretty optimistic,” Yates said following “Happy Hour” practice for the Sylvania 300 NASCAR Nextel Cup race at New Hampshire International Speedway. “We’re given and getting some good (sponsor) opportunities … I think it’s going to happen, and I’m anxious and I’m happy that we’re getting the cars better. … I think it’s all going to end up on the positive. I think I may have a job for a while longer.” Last week at Richmond, Yates said he might have to close the #88 team down next year, because he didn’t have a sponsor, but events of the last few days have changed his mind about 2007. Asked if things had changed in the last week, Yates said, “Big time,” adding, “I turned upbeat this week.” Asked how close he was to a sponsor deal, Yates said, “It could happen this week. The sooner, the better, but I want to make sure we get our cars right. We’re gaining on that quite a bit. It needs to happen. Right now, I’m very optimistic that we’ll be in good shape and good to go for another season.” The team owner said he wanted a veteran driver and that could mean Mark Martin, who Yates’s son, Doug, has talked to about moving over from Roush Racing. “I know Doug has talked to him … he’s interested,” said Yates. “That’s the feedback I get. I haven’t talked one on one with him.” Martin said Friday he hadn’t talked to Yates but left the door open for options outside of Roush next year.(Speedtv.com)(9-16-2006)



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