I think this would be good for both Yates and Robby.
By Ryan Smithson, NASCAR.COM
September 2, 2006
07:56 PM EDT (23:56 GMT)
FONTANA, Calif. -- Robert Yates was back to work at California Speedway on Saturday, carefully checking various spark plugs with a loupe. Finding the necessary cash to field two teams in 2007 seemed far from his mind.
Instead, Yates was at work making sure his beloved engines performed well in the 100-degree heat.
One day after Robby Gordon went public with the news that he has been trying to buy a stake in Yates' two-car operation, Yates said he was open to a deal but that it will take some time before he hands over part of the team.
"We have not done it for the reasons that we are looking at all our options and what will strengthen us," Yates said. "We also go to our sponsors before we do a deal. Again, we are open. We have not sold anything, we are 100 percent owned by me."
A Robby Gordon-Robert Yates merger has been in the works for quite some time, and Gordon said on Friday that a potential deal had nearly been secured.
Gordon wanted to merge with Yates to create a three-car Ford team, all of which are likely to secure guaranteed spots in the 2007 Daytona 500. Gordon, who has fielded his own Chevrolets for the past two seasons, was also hoping to secure additional manufacturer resources.
But Gordon also insisted on owning 50 percent of Yates' operation. On Saturday, Yates said that ownership divisibility wasn't an issue, but he said the timing wasn't optimal.
"I will tell you, I am not greedy about being the owner or all of the owner," Yates said. "I am concerned about performance. If Mr. Owner is out there who loves to sit up in the suites, have at it.
"We just want to be a threat to win the Daytona 500, not to just be there."
Robert Yates Racing, which saw both of its longtime drivers (Dale Jarrett, Elliott Sadler) defect to rival manufacturers this season, is still searching for a sponsor and a driver for its No. 88 Ford.
"Yes, we do need a sponsor, but right now we are still a little choosy on who that is," Yates said. "If we can replace UPS with a good, nice company, we can be just as strong with me owning it, but I am not against having to share that with anybody.
"We are looking at several things that look good, but certainly Robby has been one of them, but not to the point where we are ready to sit down and talk to our sponsors yet.
"We have actually turned down a couple of sponsors that we really didn't want to be associated with, maybe not the nicest deals, but we passed on because we feel like if we perform right, we will get the sponsors that will turn us back into where we want to be," Yates said.
But Yates seems intrigued by having Gordon in his camp. Gordon had almost no stock car experience when Yates hired him for one race in 1993 after the death of Davey Allison in a helicopter crash.
"Robby is a super driver and it wouldn't be a bad deal at all to have him in our camp," Yates said.
By Ryan Smithson, NASCAR.COM
September 2, 2006
07:56 PM EDT (23:56 GMT)
FONTANA, Calif. -- Robert Yates was back to work at California Speedway on Saturday, carefully checking various spark plugs with a loupe. Finding the necessary cash to field two teams in 2007 seemed far from his mind.
Instead, Yates was at work making sure his beloved engines performed well in the 100-degree heat.
One day after Robby Gordon went public with the news that he has been trying to buy a stake in Yates' two-car operation, Yates said he was open to a deal but that it will take some time before he hands over part of the team.
"We have not done it for the reasons that we are looking at all our options and what will strengthen us," Yates said. "We also go to our sponsors before we do a deal. Again, we are open. We have not sold anything, we are 100 percent owned by me."
A Robby Gordon-Robert Yates merger has been in the works for quite some time, and Gordon said on Friday that a potential deal had nearly been secured.
Gordon wanted to merge with Yates to create a three-car Ford team, all of which are likely to secure guaranteed spots in the 2007 Daytona 500. Gordon, who has fielded his own Chevrolets for the past two seasons, was also hoping to secure additional manufacturer resources.
But Gordon also insisted on owning 50 percent of Yates' operation. On Saturday, Yates said that ownership divisibility wasn't an issue, but he said the timing wasn't optimal.
"I will tell you, I am not greedy about being the owner or all of the owner," Yates said. "I am concerned about performance. If Mr. Owner is out there who loves to sit up in the suites, have at it.
"We just want to be a threat to win the Daytona 500, not to just be there."
Robert Yates Racing, which saw both of its longtime drivers (Dale Jarrett, Elliott Sadler) defect to rival manufacturers this season, is still searching for a sponsor and a driver for its No. 88 Ford.
"Yes, we do need a sponsor, but right now we are still a little choosy on who that is," Yates said. "If we can replace UPS with a good, nice company, we can be just as strong with me owning it, but I am not against having to share that with anybody.
"We are looking at several things that look good, but certainly Robby has been one of them, but not to the point where we are ready to sit down and talk to our sponsors yet.
"We have actually turned down a couple of sponsors that we really didn't want to be associated with, maybe not the nicest deals, but we passed on because we feel like if we perform right, we will get the sponsors that will turn us back into where we want to be," Yates said.
But Yates seems intrigued by having Gordon in his camp. Gordon had almost no stock car experience when Yates hired him for one race in 1993 after the death of Davey Allison in a helicopter crash.
"Robby is a super driver and it wouldn't be a bad deal at all to have him in our camp," Yates said.