THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 10, 1995 TAG: 9509100194
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
If 1994 was the year the owner-driver came to the fore in the NASCAR Winston Cup series with the successes of Ricky Rudd and Geoff Bodine, 1995 is shaping up as the year of the multi-car team.
The success of the Rick Hendrick three-car juggernaut of Jeff Gordon (six wins and the points lead), Terry Labonte (three wins) and Ken Schrader has prompted other top car owners to take the plunge.
In the press room of Richmond International Raceway on Saturday, Jack Roush officially announced that he will expand his operation from two teams to three in 1996, adding driver Jeff Burton and veteran mechanic Buddy Parrott.
At the same time, out in the garage, Robert Yates quietly was confirming that he plans to field two cars in 1996. Yates said he'll have the No. 28 Texaco Havoline Ford Thunderbird for Ernie Irvan and a new Ford with a new sponsor (rumored to be Ford Quality Care) for Dale Jarrett, who has filled in for the injured Irvan this season.
The circumstances with Irvan, and the lingering uncertainty about whether he'll be able to come back successfully, largely dictated Yates's move to a two-car team. He was not certain he wanted to expand, or whether multi-car teams are best for the continued growth and competitiveness of NASCAR racing.
``But we had to tool up for two teams,'' Yates said, ``and probably more than anything, we started to talk to people who said, `I'd like to join you and stay with you.'
``That's when we started to look at this and say maybe we can do it. We certainly had a lot of resumes and a lot of people interested in it. So we're going to give it a shot and see what we can do.''
While there's still a question as to whether Irvan's comeback will be successful, ``there's no Plan B for that,'' Yates said. ``He's back in the 28. We're preparing for that. We're expecting that. He's getting real close now.''
Roush, meanwhile, is expanding in part because he was presented with an opportunity he found difficult to turn down. Exide batteries, Bodine's current sponsor, reportedly came knocking on Roush's door after hearing that the Virginia Beach-based The Family Channel might not return.
But The Family Channel decided to stay on, so Roush decided to build a new team around Burton, Parrott and Exide, and base it in Charlotte.
For Burton, who's been driving the Stavola Brothers Ford, it was not a difficult decision.
``I feel like Troy Aikman when he got drafted by the Cowboys,'' Burton said. ``I don't have to tell you why I'm here.''
For Roush, the move to three teams made sense as a business and racing decision. He'll be able to apply the economies of scale to three teams, and he'll have 21 total test dates instead of 14, among other advantages.
Roush said he often takes ``great solace'' from the fact that his main operation is located in Liberty, N.C., more than an hour from the Charlotte-area shops of most teams. He believes that allows him to keep his people, and his secrets.
``But at other times I wonder whether there are things going on down there we should know about,'' he said. Now he'll know.
Roush said he never considered adding the third team to his Liberty operation because there isn't room there. Also, his top driver, Mark Martin, was opposed to it because he was concerned that it might mess up a good situation.
But this is going to be a different type of Roush team.
``We will rely more on Buddy to run a single car than we're currently relying on other people to run the others,'' he said. ``We're going to really set up Buddy down there and really see what we need to do to help him. We're going to hire a crew chief, but Buddy is going to be responsible.''
Although Roush would not say whether Parrott will be part-owner of the team, he did say that he won't own as much of this team as he does his other two (about 32 percent, compared to 51 percent), and that Parrott ``will be rewarded for his continued involvement'' with the team ``in a tangible way.''
Parrott, meanwhile, said he's got his work cut out for him because he's got to build the team from scratch.
``I usually have walked into operations that were already there and working well,'' he said. ``But this one is a different deal.' ' by CNB