[Bob Tanner]

Boy, these sure aren't "smiley days" for you Yates fans, eh?

a. Jarret defects to Toyota
b. Rumors of UPS jumping ship (A M-A-J-O-R sponsor)
c. NASCAR.com has an article about new car chiefs which confused me enough to believe that the RYR garage is in more-or-less total disarray.
d. Speed Channel reports that Elliott Sadler is most unhappy and looking for a new gig in 2007.

Yates has been a fixture of NASCAR for a long time and I don't want to see them go "Tango Uniform," in the manner of Bud Moore, Travis Carter, et al.

Come on, Yates fans...give The Bobster something to be cheerful about, IRT RYR.

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

Come on, Yates fans...give The Bobster something to be cheerful about, IRT RYR.

He doesn't have the Busch brothers or the Waltrip brothers on his pay roll. Anyone would be happy about that !!!

[WVGrandma4Kasey]

I don't know what has happen to them this year, sure wish they would find out. Elliot is my son's favorite driver.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

He doesn't have the Busch brothers or the Waltrip brothers on his pay roll. Anyone would be happy about that !!!

LOL!!! <I think I just almost had an accident!> Great comeback; that one is definately a keeper.

SUBJECT SWITCH WARNING: I went to your website. I am impressed. I have been fortunate enough to be in Albuquerque (sp?) during the time when the balloonists are in residence. I guess there must be some sights more breathtaking but, offhand, I can't think of any. I see them over the Shenandoah Valley ocassionally when I'm traveling through Virgina. When I was in the Navy, I had the opportunity to hang out one weekend with the Navy's only (maybe the last?) hot air balloon aviator, a gentleman by the name of Butch Engwell. Interesting gentleman.
Do you happen to know a balloonist from Atlanta named Neil Boortz?

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by WVGrandma4Kasey

I don't know what has happen to them this year, sure wish they would find out. Elliot is my son's favorite driver.

I think it is just a cycle that many team go through from time to time. There are many variables to a team and even when one small part of the team isn't quite right it can affect the entire team. Sadly marriages fail everyday and the team situation is much the same. When someone doesn't give 100% or just isn't happy it weakens the union and that causes problems. It can takes weeks, months or even years before the problem can be detected well enough to try and resolve the issue. RYR will return to its greatness. The question is .... when ???

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

SUBJECT SWITCH WARNING:
Do you happen to know a balloonist from Atlanta named Neil Boortz?

Sorry Bob I do not. I have the chance to go to NM this year as a crew member but I probably will pass due to family issues. I've seen tons of photos and video and someday will make it out there.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

I.... Sadly marriages fail everyday and the team situation is much the same. When someone doesn't give 100% or just isn't happy it weakens the union and that causes problems. It can takes weeks, months or even years before the problem can be detected well enough to try and resolve the issue. RYR will return to its greatness. The question is .... when ???

Maybe this softer and kinder, "new and improved" NASCAR will mandate marriage-type counseling for teams in crisis, such as RYR appears to be in at present? I can see it now...

A seemingly interested and sincere psychologist asking Robert, "Tell me Robert, when Dale told you he was going to Toyota next season, how did that make you feel?"

[Dupont4five]

Yates needs the Rudds to drive for them again in the Havalin #28.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by Dupont4five

Yates needs the Rudds to drive for them again in the Havalin #28.

Actually I believe it goes deeper than simply a driver. I think it's a matter of leadership. Here are some things to contemplate:

1999, 2000 and 2001 Todd Parrott is crew chief for Dale Jarrett. Dale wins the title in 1999 and has a good 2000 and 2001. Parrott leaves in 2001 and within six months dale goes into a tailspin.

2004 and 2005 Parrott returns to RYR and is chief wrench for Elliott Sadler. Sadler is in the playoff both years.
2006 Parrott leaves to go to Petty and suddenly Elliott Sadler starts looking like Mikey Waltrip (including the hairdo?)

Gee. Do you think the problem just MIGHT be the leadership Todd Parrott provided? Well, at least it's something to think about.

[TN_Gal]

suddenly Elliott Sadler starts looking like Mikey Waltrip (including the hairdo?)
ROFLMAO

[LSC9901]

My theory exactly Bob. It isn't always the driver who lacks the ability to win. I like DJ. I likes Yates Racing but it is more than just DJ and Robert Yates. Even the guy who is the gas can catcher is important. Probably not as important as the shock guy or the crew chief but teams are more than just two or three key people.

[Quality88]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

Actually I believe it goes deeper than simply a driver. I think it's a matter of leadership. Here are some things to contemplate:

1999, 2000 and 2001 Todd Parrott is crew chief for Dale Jarrett. Dale wins the title in 1999 and has a good 2000 and 2001. Parrott leaves in 2001 and within six months dale goes into a tailspin.

2004 and 2005 Parrott returns to RYR and is chief wrench for Elliott Sadler. Sadler is in the playoff both years.
2006 Parrott leaves to go to Petty and suddenly Elliott Sadler starts looking like Mikey Waltrip (including the hairdo?)

Gee. Do you think the problem just MIGHT be the leadership Todd Parrott provided? Well, at least it's something to think about.

Thank You Bob.... I thought I was the only one to see that. Glad to... I thought I was going insane.

[Team Yates]

Maybe Yates will be better off

by Jeff Owens With Dale Jarrett and Elliott Sadler now both officially leaving Robert Yates Racing, it’s easy for everyone to feel sorry for Robert and Doug Yates.
On the outside, it appears as if their once-proud organization is falling down around them.
But maybe things aren’t quite as bad as they seem.
The natural assumption is that Jarrett and Sadler are both leaving for greener pastures because RYR has sunk so low that it can no longer compete.
But maybe the Yates organization and equipment are not nearly as bad as they seem. Maybe their cars are actually much better than they appear, but their current drivers simply can’t get it done.
Jarrett is a former champion and was once one of the top drivers in the sport. But he’s nearly 50 and has been in a slow decline. He’s won just twice in the past four years and has gradually fallen behind much-younger drivers, just like every other driver his age. Sadler, 31, was considered one of the sport’s up-and-coming drivers when he joined Yates in 2003. He’s shown flashes of potential but has won just twice with the team and has, for the most part, been disappointing.
Has Yates’ equipment and organization been so bad that Jarrett and Sadler simply didn’t have much of a chance? For four years?
Jarrett and Sadler may well succeed with their new teams, and I hope they do. Jarrett deserves to go out a winner, and Sadler is one of the most likable drivers in the sport.
But maybe this is a blessing in disguise for Yates. Maybe what RYR needs is a fresh start, with some fresh, new talent that brings a little excitement and a different perspective.
Maybe Yates takes a gamble on a new, young driver, like the one he could have had when Kasey Kahne got away. Or maybe he takes a big gamble like Chip Ganassi, plucking a big star from the open-wheel ranks.
Either way, a fresh start could be all the organization needs.
This entry was posted on Thursday, July 20th, 2006 at 12:33 pm and is filed under Nextel Cup teams.

[Team Yates]

Yates can ill af-Ford to waitBy Clint Newlin
LastCowboys.com Staff Writer If the silly season was a storm, Robert Yates Racing would be the eye.

There has been so much turbulence over at Robert Yates Racing (RYR) in the past few months that I don’t think anyone even gives a rat’s ass about Toyota anymore. Veteran Dale Jarrett was the first hit, announcing that he would be leaving RYR to drive a Toyota Camry for Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) in 2007, leaving behind a legacy that includes a Winston Cup championship (that’s right….Winston Cup NOT Nextel Cup!), well over two dozen wins and about as many crew chiefs, including those that he took from his teammates. Less than two months later, Jarrett’s sponsor UPS announced that they too would be leaving RYR to join Jarrett at MWR in 2007. Now, Elliott Sadler has officially announced that he too will be leaving RYR after this season. Though Sadler hasn’t officially announced where he will be going, it has been widely speculated that he has already agreed to drive the #19 Dodge Dealers Dodge for Ray Evernham next season, a seat currently occupied by Jeremy Mayfield who is rumored to be going to MWR as a teammate to Sadler’s current teammate Jarrett. Is there any question as to why they call it silly season?!?

Rumors are rampant, but keep in mind that NOTHING official regarding the future of Robert Yates Racing has been announced. Is Stephen Leicht in the #88 with CitiFinancial as the sponsor? Is McDonalds the sponsor? Or will Ward Burton bring a sponsor and be the driver of the #88?

Two things seem certain….

M&Ms will stay at Yates which, even though they should stay since they have a contractual agreement, is admirable. And Yates seems hell bent on putting Stephen Leicht in a Cup car even though he hasn’t even competed for a full season in the Busch Series. Maybe he’ll surprise me and the other doubters out there. But he may also tear up a fleet of Yates’ cars and drive the #88 out of the top-35 in owners points in the process. But that’s not even the half of it. The problems at RYR go beyond just needing a driver to fill a seat. They fired their general manager, their drivers and a sponsor are leaving and their cars aren’t performing. A rookie (especially one who doesn’t know squat about racing a Cup car) cannot provide RYR with the input they need to get their program going in the right direction. If they must put Leicht in one of the cars, then they need to put an experienced veteran in the other car to tutor him and to give RYR the feedback that they need. They need someone who can get in the car and at least do as well as Sadler while they ‘fix’ things.

There aren’t many candidates out there who meet these criteria. Jeremy Mayfield will probably be available, but do we consider him a veteran? Ricky Rudd could possibly be back on the market as a full-time driver, but if it came down to driving for Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing or Robert Yates Racing, do you really think he would go back to the organization that ran him out on a rail? What about Bill Elliott? If Elliott goes anywhere, it would more than likely be Toyota as Brian Vickers’ teammate. Besides, Toyota will pay top dollar for that past champion provisional. There is also Bobby Labonte, but he reacted with a wee bit of anger when asked about leaving Petty or talking to other teams, so we won’t consider him at the moment. What about Ward Burton? He won five Cup races in mediocre equipment. Tommy Baldwin Jr., already the crew chief for the soon to be vacated #38 at RYR was his crew chief for those wins.

Why is it so hard for people, fans, owners, sponsors to get it through their thick, ignorant heads that Burton could be the easy solution? Have doubts? Put him in a freakin’ car and get the proof you need…..feedback, lap times, etc. Things looking good, but you still have doubts? Sign him to a one-year contract at a modest price with a performance bonus and option to renew based on either winning and/or making the Chase.

Listen to me Doug and Robert….

You are going to have to compete with not only the new Toyota teams who are still hunting Cup drivers to fill their seats, but also with better performing teams who are going to be expanding for next season. If a higher caliber driver leaves their teams and is entertaining offers to join another, you are not going to be their first choice. Do what is right. Do what is logical. Put Burton in that damn car and start fixing your program.

P.S. Tell your lame ducks Sadler and Jarrett to hit the road now and get your drivers in those cars now! Don’t wait until this winter to start the rebuilding process or you’ll start falling behind again as soon as you hit the track at Daytona.


Copyright © 2006 LastCowboys.com. All Rights Reserved.

[Quality88]

Of course, how stupid of me.... it's those lame ducks Sadler and Jarrett.... what an a$$hole..... It has nothing to do with lack of leadership of course not, it couldn't possibly be that..... He even talked about that matter with Todd Parrott who helped build the 88 team into a powerhouse, who helped the 38 start becoming a powerhouse. Geez... what a jerk. I agree with bringing Burton in, the rest of the article is BS.