Fans have to wonder what's in Ford's Sprint Cup future as all rests with Rousch/Fenway as Yates Operation is far from even second tier status.
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What could have been? A former champion, Bobby Labonte; a former champion crew chief, Todd Parrott, and a championship ownership group, Yates. When Hall-of-Fame racing joined forces with Yates, switched to Fords, gained Ask.com sponsorship, and brought in Bobby Labonte, former champ for Joe Gibbs Racing who was displaced by the uncertain status of Richard Petty's operation what was there not to like?
Having struggled with inexperienced drivers since Dale Jarrett’s departure, Labonte’s presence had to bring great things. For Bobby Labonte, having worked with an under resourced Richard Petty team, he’d now be travelling with first class equipment and once again have the equipment to rack up top 10’s effortlessly.
The record of futility speaks for itself: The #96 Ford has only one significant finish, fifth position in Las Vegas. Beyond that, the situation is absolutely gruesome with only three top twenty finishes the best of which was 12th in the Coca Cola 600. That puts Bobby Labonte 30th in driver standings, the same mark as owner points for the team.
Roush Camping World Trucks driver, Erik Darnell will drive the #96 entry in the seven races in question bringing with him his truck sponsor, Northern Tool and Equipment, closing the gap for the races not covered by Ask.com.
While this decision surely makes it look like Bobby Labonte is in the twilight of his career, what are Sprint Cup fans to make of the Yates operation? From the ladder days of the Dale Jarrett/Elliot Sadler driver tandem, the operation looked like under performers, but since Dale Jarrett’s departure to help Mike Waltrip get Toyota’s NASCAR program started, drivers like Travis Kvapil, David Gilliland, and Paul Menard have only achieved very limited success. The team has failed miserably finding sponsors a situation that closed up shop for the #28 ride when Travis Kvapil could not make the cut to put the ride in the top 35 after the first four races earlier this year.
With NASCAR’s mandate that no ownership group can race more than four full time rides taking effect next year, the Roush-Fenway operation must shed one team. Hopes were that the #26 car could transfer seamlessly to Yates.
With the Wood Brothers being a nonfactor for years cutting back to part time status this year, Ford’s presence in NASCAR leans almost exclusively on the shoulders of Jack Roush and his drivers Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, and David Ragan. The pressure on the Ford/Roush wedding grows more intense as even Dodge has Penske and Richard Petty racing able to shakedown the Dodge package in separate environments.
We wish Bobby Labonte all the best and thank him for his contributions to NASCAR. We hope he has a legitimate comeback in his future. Meanwhile to Ford and Yates, SHAPE UP! Ford needs a team that competes with operations like Childress, Earnhardt-Ganassi, Michael Waltrip Racing, and Richard Petty Racing as the second tier beneath the Hendricks, Roush, and Gibbs level, the teams that win races but perhaps aren’t quite championship ready. If there’s an operation on this level unhappy with its manufacturer’s support, Ford should be prepared to jump right in and grab a team for its NASCAR stable.
Having struggled with inexperienced drivers since Dale Jarrett’s departure, Labonte’s presence had to bring great things. For Bobby Labonte, having worked with an under resourced Richard Petty team, he’d now be travelling with first class equipment and once again have the equipment to rack up top 10’s effortlessly.
The record of futility speaks for itself: The #96 Ford has only one significant finish, fifth position in Las Vegas. Beyond that, the situation is absolutely gruesome with only three top twenty finishes the best of which was 12th in the Coca Cola 600. That puts Bobby Labonte 30th in driver standings, the same mark as owner points for the team.
Roush Camping World Trucks driver, Erik Darnell will drive the #96 entry in the seven races in question bringing with him his truck sponsor, Northern Tool and Equipment, closing the gap for the races not covered by Ask.com.
While this decision surely makes it look like Bobby Labonte is in the twilight of his career, what are Sprint Cup fans to make of the Yates operation? From the ladder days of the Dale Jarrett/Elliot Sadler driver tandem, the operation looked like under performers, but since Dale Jarrett’s departure to help Mike Waltrip get Toyota’s NASCAR program started, drivers like Travis Kvapil, David Gilliland, and Paul Menard have only achieved very limited success. The team has failed miserably finding sponsors a situation that closed up shop for the #28 ride when Travis Kvapil could not make the cut to put the ride in the top 35 after the first four races earlier this year.
With NASCAR’s mandate that no ownership group can race more than four full time rides taking effect next year, the Roush-Fenway operation must shed one team. Hopes were that the #26 car could transfer seamlessly to Yates.
With the Wood Brothers being a nonfactor for years cutting back to part time status this year, Ford’s presence in NASCAR leans almost exclusively on the shoulders of Jack Roush and his drivers Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, and David Ragan. The pressure on the Ford/Roush wedding grows more intense as even Dodge has Penske and Richard Petty racing able to shakedown the Dodge package in separate environments.
We wish Bobby Labonte all the best and thank him for his contributions to NASCAR. We hope he has a legitimate comeback in his future. Meanwhile to Ford and Yates, SHAPE UP! Ford needs a team that competes with operations like Childress, Earnhardt-Ganassi, Michael Waltrip Racing, and Richard Petty Racing as the second tier beneath the Hendricks, Roush, and Gibbs level, the teams that win races but perhaps aren’t quite championship ready. If there’s an operation on this level unhappy with its manufacturer’s support, Ford should be prepared to jump right in and grab a team for its NASCAR stable.
Has anyone else noticed that since Robert Yates has eased into retirement, Doug Yates and Max Jones just aren't getting the job done?
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