Ryan Newman will be announced as driver of the No. 4 Chevrolets for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009 on Friday says The Charlotte Observer. Sources confirmed Wednesday that Newman would join Tony Stewart in driving for the team next season. Stewart’s representatives announced Wednesday that the team’s second driver would be introduced at a 10:30 a.m. news conference Friday at Michigan International Speedway, the site for this weekend’s Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races. Newman’s decision leaves open his former ride at Penske, Stewart’s current spot at Joe Gibbs Racing and the No. 33 ride, a fourth team being added at Richard Childress Racing. Joey Logano is expected to replace Stewart in the No. 20 at JGR.
Tony Stewart will use childhood hero A.J. Foyt’s No. 14 when he moves to his new team next season, and Office Depot and Old Spice will sponsor the two-time NASCAR champion. Stewart chose beloved Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he picked up his second victory last season on his homestate track, to unveil his new cars at Stewart-Haas Racing. He’s leaving Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of the year to be part-owner of that team.
The Charlotte Observer is reporting that Stewart-Haas Racing is ready to announce the sponsor and number of Tony Stewart’s new Chevrolet for 2009. Stewart will drive the No. 14 Chevrolet in his debut season with his own Sprint Cup Series team and the car will share sponsorship from Office Depot and Old Spice. A formal announcement of Stewart’s car number and sponsorship plans will be made this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Hendrick Motorsports is expected to announce Friday at Daytona International Speedway that Mark Martin will drive its No. 5 Sprint Cup Series Chevrolet next season. Hendrick Motorsports issued a media advisory Tuesday that it would conduct a news conference Friday afternoon at the track to announce who will replace Casey Mears in the No. 5 car. Martin has been talking with Hendrick Motorsports about driving full time or part time for the team next year and will be part of the announcement, sources confirm. Although Martin has said in previous weeks he wanted to continue with a partial schedule, sources indicated he might run a full season for Hendrick.
Yates Racing on Tuesday announced that Experian Consumer Direct, the leading provider of online direct-to-consumer credit reports, scores and monitoring products, will sponsor the No. 38 entry for seven races at the beginning of the 2008 Sprint Cup Series season. David Gilliland will drive the No. 38 FreeCreditReport.com Ford which will feature the company’s Web site. Gilliland has a history with Experian Consumer Direct as a sponsor, racing 19 times in the FreeCreditReport.com Ford during the 2007 Busch Series season.
Yates Racing will resurrect the No. 28 next season with driver Travis Kvapil. The number, which has been driven by 10 of the 40 winningest drivers in NASCAR history for 76 victories, hasn’t been used since Ricky Rudd was behind the wheel at RYR in 2002. “Hopefully, we can do the things we used to do with it,” said Doug Yates, the co-owner of RYR. Among those that have driven the 28 are Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison, Davey Allison, Dale Jarrett and Ernie Irvan. Davey Allison won 19 races with the number between 1987 and his tragic helicopter death in 1993.
Dale Earnhardt Inc. promoted several key industry experts and added a veteran crew chief to its roster. Dave Charpentier, current crew chief of the No. 15 Chevrolet, has been promoted to technical director, and Doug Randolph, current crew chief of the No. 43 Petty Enterprises car driven by Bobby Labonte, will take over as crew chief for Paul Menard and the No. 15. Walter Giles, current race engineer on the No. 1 Chevrolet, was named director of race engineering, and Jason Anderson was named director of design and project engineering. Giles and Anderson will report to Charpentier. In addition, Rex Garrett has been promoted to director of motorsports operations. The nine-year Dale Earnhardt Inc. veteran will oversee the day-to-day activities of the race shop.
Jacques Villeneuve has categorically stated that he has no interest in buying into NASCAR team Bill Davis Racing. The 1997 Formula One world champion has been linked to a purchase of the team he is racing for since his manager Craig Pollock expressed an interest in buying a NASCAR team, but Villeneuve claims that he will not be involved in any takeover bid.
Expect an announcement from Hall of Fame Racing in the next seven to 10 days that it is switching to Toyota for 2008, sources said. HOF is a satellite outfit to Joe Gibbs Racing, which already has confirmed that it will move next year. The team will add a second full-time Spring Cup car in 2009 for 19-year-old phenom Blake Coleman. J.J. Yeley will drive for HOF next season, with Coleman doing as many as seven Cup races in 2008.
Rumors are circulating that a Best Buy sponsorship is a done deal to Gillett Evernham Motorsports No. 19 team and driver Elliott Sadler, who supposedly made a commercial for Best Buy already.