Yates decsion by Homestead; team with DEI?

[BobbyFord]

Robert Yates said Saturday that the fate of his #88 team will be known prior to heading to Homestead, Fla., next week for the Nextel Cup season finale. While Yates would provide no specifics, Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s Steve Hmiel said there have been negotiations between the two entities. The negotiations have centered on DEI's purchasing the team's shop and equipment, as DEI has long been looking for a way to expand its capacity. The team will begin fielding a third full-time Nextel Cup Series team when Paul Menard moves to Cup next season. Hmiel said the negotiations have not involved simply buying the rights to the #88, which would bring with it the owner points earned by Dale Jarrett this season. If, however, DEI bought the shop and equipment, with Yates fielding only the #38 on his own, DEI could acquire the #88's owner points as part of a larger purchase. "If we can have more capacity, the number would be a bonus," Hmiel said at Phoenix International Raceway. "We've heard Team Red Bull has made an offer to buy the number, but we're not looking to buy just the number." A number of obstacles remain, as RYR fields Fords and DEI runs Chevrolets, so it would have to be determined whether the shop was split into two separate entities; or whether RYR ran on its own or struck a deal with another Ford operation, perhaps Wood Brothers Racing. That would leave Robert Yates Racing with just the #38 team next season. RYR has fielded two teams on a full-time basis since 1996, but is losing both driver Dale Jarrett and sponsor UPS from its #88 after the season. Yates systematically danced around the issue on Saturday, saying only that he had four options to consider. Talk in the garage is that a decision by Yates must come by Tuesday. Yates said fielding just one car is an option, especially after crew chief Todd Parrott reminded Yates that he once fielded his two cars out of separate shops. And whether or not a deal is struck with DEI, Yates said he'll still be in the sport next year with the #38 team and driver David Gilliland.(SceneDaily.com)(11-12-2006)

 

[SlowNeasy]

Too bad he and Robby G. couldn't work out a deal. Single car operations don't have much of a chance. It looks like a slow death of RYR.

 

[Bucky Badger]

Too bad he and Robby G. couldn't work out a deal. Single car operations don't have much of a chance. It looks like a slow death of RYR.

I'ts amazing what a couple of years and mismanagement can do.

 

[Magnethead]

robby is going to ford, but we all know robby would want to be the boss, and yates wouldn't hear it, so it'd take a lot of discussions to get that worked out. And Robby will probably end up with the Y/R engine package regardless.

 

[steveluvs3]

DEI not purchasing RYR: Dale Earnhardt Inc. Vice President Richie Gilmore disputed reports that his company could be buying all or part of Robert Yates Racing. During the race weekend at Phoenix International Raceway, DEI Technical Director Steve Hmiel confirmed that the company was in discussions concerning a purchase of at least part of RYR. He said the company could purchase RYR's shop and equipment, but that it could also acquire the #88 team and its owner points. The owner points could be transferred to the third DEI team of Paul Menard. On Tuesday, though, Gilmore said that the story had grown out of proportion. "Stories definitely grow in the sport and maybe it's a slow time of the year with the Chase not being quite as tight as it should be," Gilmore said. "It's one of them stories that grew. I told [DEI team owner] Teresa [Earnhardt], maybe if Teresa was going to go get a cup of coffee at 8 o'clock in the morning, by noontime around here she's going to buy a Starbucks. So I think the story kind of grew that way. It grew legs for sure. When asked if there was anything to the reports that DEI could be considering purchasing all or part of the team, Gilmore's answer was succinct. "No," he said. At Phoenix, when asked about the situation, team owner Robert Yates didn't deny he was in talks with DEI and said he planned to tell the #88 team its fate before this weekend's race at Homestead. The #88 has no driver and no sponsor for 2007 since Dale Jarrett and UPS are moving over to the Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota team.(SceneDaily.com)(11-15-2006)