Labbe, Baldwin out at Robert Yates Racing

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Vern Demerest

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Robert Yates Racing told its organization on Monday that its two Nextel Cup crew chiefs, Tommy Baldwin and Slugger Labbe, would no longer be with the team.

Baldwin and Labbe were brought to RYR amid great fanfare by team manager Eddie D'Hondt, but D'Hondt was fired on May 23.

On Monday, Bill Davis Racing announced that it had signed Baldwin to be the competition director, overseeing the team's switch to Toyota for 2007. Baldwin had previously worked at BDR for four seasons (1999-2002).

Labbe's plans are unknown.

Tommy Baldwin
Tommy Baldwin served as Elliott Sadler's crew chief. Credit: Autostock

With Baldwin and Labbe gone, RYR has experienced a complete turnover of its top personnel. Driver Dale Jarrett announced in May that he was leaving the organization after 10 years, and the team's other driver, Elliott Sadler, asked for and was granted his release earlier this month.

Veteran crew chief Butch Hylton, who began working at RYR in June, will be Jarrett's crew chief for this week's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. The team said that Hylton would be Jarrett's crew chief on an interim basis.

Sadler's team will be led by Charles "Cully" Barraclough this weekend at Indianapolis. Barraclough has previously worked as a crew chief in the Busch Series for Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin.

Barraclough's hiring as crew chief could be yet another sign that Busch Series driver David Gilliland is on his way to being named driver of the No. 38 Ford, possibly before the end of the year. Prior to joining RYR, Barraclough was most recently a consultant for Gilliland's Busch team, Clay Andrews Racing.

Hours after Barraclough was named a RYR crew chief, Clay Andrews Racing shut its doors after fielding Busch rides for Gilliland in seven races this year, including the victory in the Meijer 300 at Kentucky on June 17.

Gilliland, 30, will make his RYR debut this weekend in the Kroger 200 Busch Series race at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis.

Stephen Leicht could fill the No. 88 seat next year. Leicht, 19, serves as Yates' Busch Series driver and made his Nextel Cup debut at Pocono two weeks ago, finishing 33rd.
 
Something strange has got to be going on there at RYR. I'm wondering if Slugger and Tommy weren't really fired, or at least not until they might have said something that the owners just didn't like. With everyone leaving, you just have to know that there's something secretive going on that is very controversial. Maybe Robert is thinking about selling his teams???
 
UPDATE: Bill Davis Racing (BDR) announced today that Tommy Baldwin Jr. will join the organization serving as Competition Director for its Nextel Cup Series multi-car efforts, effective August 1, 2006. Baldwin returns to the team after having spent four seasons with the organization from 1999-2002. Included in Baldwin’s responsibilities as competition director will be overseeing Bill Davis Racing’s conversion to Toyota for the 2007 Nextel Cup season. Baldwin will work closely with leaders from Toyota Racing Development, Inc. (TRD) and Triad Racing Development, Inc. (a technical partner to TRD) to ensure a smooth transition and will also work with existing Bill Davis Racing crew chiefs to guarantee an efficient and effective transformation to Toyota.(BDR/NASCAR PR)(7-31-2006)
 
buckaroo said:
Something strange has got to be going on there at RYR. I'm wondering if Slugger and Tommy weren't really fired, or at least not until they might have said something that the owners just didn't like. With everyone leaving, you just have to know that there's something secretive going on that is very controversial. Maybe Robert is thinking about selling his teams???
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I see this as Robert wanting to make a clean sweep of what has been an under-performing operation. He's hot and mad at everyone that contributed to RYR demise. I look for him to gamble and bring in all new and younger talent. It may take a year or two to jell but I'd be surprised if RYR isn't a force again 08. Robert doesn't remind me of someone that quits when hard times come along,

Unfortunately, I don't see Ward Burton being offered a ride in this scenario :(
 
What is really bugging me on this is that RYR used to have top notch motors and especially at the superspeedways. For whatever reason, in my mind, that seems to be where the problems lie. We know for a fact how good of a driver Jarrett is, and though Sadler has never set the world on fire, he's been pretty consistently up front. These days, Jarrett is seldom up front and when Elliott is, something always seems to happen to him to finish not so good. Elliott said that he wanted to move on because he didn't like the direction that RYR was going, and as far as I could see, it was going downhill fast. If Robert does sign Licht (sic) and Gilliland to be the two teams, and I've read where the #38 might go back tot he #28, he will indeed be starting anew. If he can get the sponsorship with those drivers, then he might have a bit of success, but with the way the money is these days, he's going to have to score big and score quickly. That just might be the biggest problem that he faces.
 
According to a rumor I read yesterday, David Gilliland will sighn with RYR and the official announcement will be tomorrow.
 
I said this before and i'll say it one more time, Jack is pulling the strings, he has the final say in what goes on at RYR. I don't think, judging from all i have read the last few months that Yates would let things go this far gone. Jack wants young drivers to come up quickly, there is a severe shortage in Cup, and this is good way for him to accelerate his driver develoment program
 
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