Diamond Ridge Motorsports (formerly Diamond-Waltrip Racing, and Pastrana-Waltrip Racing) was a NASCARNationwide Series team that competed in the NASCAR Cup Series and Busch Series from 1990 to 1999, and revived as a Nationwide Series team in 2010. The original Diamond Ridge team was owned and operated by Gary Bechtel. Despite modest success in the Busch Series, the team was never able to maintain a competitive level in the Winston Cup Series. The team was revived as a partnership with Michael Waltrip Racing in 2010 as Diamond-Waltrip Racing, running full-time in the Nationwide Series with Trevor Bayne. For 2011 the team partnered with action star Travis Pastrana and MWR development driver Ryan Truex, though the team shuttered temporarily due to Pastrana's injuries at the 2011 Summer X Games and a lacking sponsor. The team changed its name to Pastrana 199 Racing, a reference to Pastrana's standard number. The team was to field the No. 99 for Pastrana, but the deal was cancelled when Michael Waltrip Racing aligned with RAB Racing to field the No. 99.
Diamond Ridge Motorsports made its NASCAR debut at the 1990Coca-Cola 600 as the No. 68 Country TimePontiac Grand Prix. Bobby Hamilton qualified eighth for the race, but crashed early in the race and finished 39th. Phil Parsons also drove the No. 29 for Diamond Ridge at the Miller Genuine Draft 400, the DieHard 500, and the Heinz Southern 500, his best finish being 22nd. Dale Jarrett was supposed to drive but when Neil Bonnett got hurt Dale drove the Wood Brothers car and Diamond Ridge chose Phil Parsons instead.
After failing to run a race the following year, Diamond Ridge returned in 1992, with John Krebs driving Chevrolets at Sears Point and Phoenix, finishing 31st and 23rd, respectively. Krebs returned to run Sonoma and Pocono the next year as well, but DNF-d in both races. Andy Hillenburg drove one race for the team at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but had a DNF as well. Diamond Ridge ran one more race that year, at Phoenix, with Steve Grissom driving. He finished 29th.
In 1994, Diamond Ridge mounted its first full-time attempt at a Cup championship, hiring Grissom to drive for the team. Despite failing to qualify for the golden races of the Cup schedule (the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400), Grissom posted three top-tens and finished 28th in points, runner-up to Jeff Burton for Rookie of the Year. Krebs returned for a final race with Diamond Ridge, finishing 42nd in the No. 9 Channellock car. He crashed on lap 19 and flipped over in the dirt embankment. He did not suffer any injuries.
Grissom returned in 1995 and got off to a strong start, posting three top-tens in the first seven races of the season, but only finished one spot higher in the points standings. After that season, Meinke left, and Cartoon Network joined the team as Team Wacky Racing. Despite a fifth-place finish at Rockingham Speedway, Grissom was released from the ride after the spring Michigan race. Greg Sacks took over for the next six races, his best finish being a 29th at Pocono. Butch Leitzinger, Chad Little, Robert Pressley, and Jeff Green shared the driving duties in turns for the rest of the year.
In 1997, Diamond Ridge chose Pressley as its driver for the season. Pressley struggled and after the Winston 500, he was released from his ride. Jeff Green returned to take his place. After missing the first ten races of the year, Green had two top-tens and finished 39th in the points. Unfortunately, at the end of the year, Cartoon Network announced it would not return as sponsor. The team attempted a few races with Green as Team Monte Carlo sponsoring, but they only qualified for three races, and Green left the organization. The team ran the No. 92 later in the season for Elliott Sadler in two races. After the year came to a close Diamond Ridge announced it was suspending the operations for its Cup team, and would return to the Busch Series for a planned return to Cup in 2001.
In 2009, Bechtel became a co-owner of Tommy Baldwin Racing, but left the team after several months.
Diamond Ridge's Busch program began running with Grissom in 1994, when they purchased Grissom's Busch operation during the 1994 Busch Series season and release Tom Peck. Channellock and Meineke were sponsors and Grissom won twice during his abbreviated season. He ran eight races in 1996 with WCW sponsoring and had another visit to victory lane, but he was released during the season. Bill Ingle, the team's crew chief, took over driving duties at South Boston Speedway and Loudon, finishing 22nd and 26th respectively. Greg Sacks signed a one race deal to drive at Talladega Superspeedway, and ended up winning the race. Soon afterwards, Bechtel signed driver Elliott Sadler and ran the rest of the year, and had three top-ten finishes.
Geared up for a full run in 1997, Diamond Ridge & Sadler went from unsponsored to receiving backing from Phillips 66. The extra funding made a difference as Sadler captured his first career victory at Nazareth Speedway. He went on to post additional victories at Myrtle Beach and Gateway. He finished fifth in points that year. Diamond Ridge also expanded to a three car operation in 1997, purchasing the No. 1 DeWalt Tools team and fielding a car for Sadler's older brother, Hermie. Hermie had two poles and finished tenth in points in 1997. Diamond Ridge also fielded the No. 8 for Jeff Green, who won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and ran fourteen races before he moved to Cup. In 1998, Elliott's team switched to No. 66 in order to accommodate their sponsor while Hermie moved into the No. 29. Hermie had a season virtually identical to 1997, posting two top-fives and having another tenth-place finish in the championship. Elliott scored three victories and finished eighth in points. Unfortunately, Elliott, who Diamond Ridge hoped would be their future in Cup, signed with Wood Brothers Racing. Still, hope was not lost. In 1999, Bechtel merged his Busch program with Joe Gibbs Racing, to field the No. 4 Lance Snacks Chevy for Jeff Purvis. While Purvis did not win that year, he had twelve top-ten finishes. The team fielded the No. 29 briefly as a second car for Curtis Markham, but sponsorship problems kept that from turning into a full-time ride. During the season, Bechtel eventually lost interest in the team, and sold the whole of the operation to Gibbs. Diamond Ridge Motorsports never returned to Cup as planned. The number 29 later went to Kevin Harvick in his first season in the Cup Series replacing Dale Earnhardt.
In November 2009, Bechtel returned as partner of Michael Waltrip Racing to form Diamond-Waltrip Racing. The team fielded Trevor Bayne for most of the year with sponsorship from Out! Pet Care and Aaron's. Bayne scored three consecutive poles in the summer, but he moved to Roush Fenway Racing at Kansas when Gary Bechtel was unable to come up with a sponsor for 2011. The Truex brothers Martin and Ryan drove the No. 99 and No. 00 Toyotas for the remainder of the season.
It was announced late in 2010 that the team has formed a partnership with Rally driver and motocross star Travis Pastrana for him to race in the Nationwide Series in 2011 and 2012. Pastrana was to run 7 races in 2011 under the banner of Pastrana-Waltrip Racing with sponsorship from Boost Mobile. Pastrana was to debut at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis to promote the 2011 X Games and Pastranathon, but was injured while performing the 'Toilet Paper Roll' at the Staples Center in L.A. on July 28, 2011. He sustained a broken right foot and ankle, which required surgery and forced PWR's withdrawal from competition for the rest of the season. As a result, Ryan moved to Joe Gibbs Racing for the rest of 2011. For 2012, the team changed its name to Pastrana 199 Racing to prevent a conflict with Clint Bowyer's sponsorship from 5-hour Energy due to Pastrana's status as a Red Bull athlete. However, MWR struck a partnership with RAB Racing to run the 99 car.
Elliott William Barnes Sadler is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing. Sadler is one of 36 drivers who have at least one win in each of NASCAR's top three series. A native of Emporia, Virginia, he is the younger brother of former NASCAR driver Hermie Sadler.
The 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series was the 57th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 34th modern-era Cup series. The season began on Saturday, February 12. The ten-race Chase for the Nextel Cup started with the Sylvania 300 on Sunday, September 18, and ended on Sunday, November 20, with the Ford 400.
Herman Marion Sadler III is an American professional stock car racing driver and broadcaster, businessman and politician.
Robert William Pressley is an American former NASCAR driver who previously served as the promoter at Kingsport Speedway in Kingsport, Tennessee. Pressley currently owns the restaurant Celebrity's Hotdogs in Asheville, North Carolina Pressley was also a County Commissioner in Buncombe County, North Carolina, a seat he lost in 2022.
Michael Waltrip Racing Holdings LLC, doing business as Michael Waltrip Racing ("MWR"), was an American professional stock car racing team that last competed full-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The company was as a 50–50 partnership between Robert Kauffman, the founder and managing partner of Fortress Investment Group, and two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip, who first established the team in 1996 in the Busch Series. The team was the first full-time three-car team to field Toyota Camrys when Toyota entered the Sprint Cup racing fold in 2007, before being joined by Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008. MWR was also the last original Toyota team in the Sprint Cup Series to still be in operation, as Bill Davis Racing and Red Bull Racing Team had both ceased operations in the preceding years.
The 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series was the 58th season of professional Stock car racing in the United States and the 35th modern-era NASCAR Cup series season. It was started at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 12 with the Budweiser Shootout and ended on Monday, November 20, with the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Chase for the Nextel Cup began with the Sylvania 300 on Sunday, September 17, at New Hampshire International Speedway. This was the last full-time season with the Gen 4 car.
The 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series was the 56th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 33rd modern-era Cup series season. The season began on Saturday, February 7, and ended on Sunday, November 21. Kurt Busch, who drove a Ford for Roush Racing, was the Nextel Cup champion. It would be the last time until 2012 that the championship would be won by someone other than Tony Stewart or Jimmie Johnson.
The 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 55th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 32nd modern-era Cup Series season. The season began on February 8 at the Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout and ended on November 16 at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford 400. Despite only winning one race throughout the whole season, Matt Kenseth, driving the No.17 Ford for Roush Racing, was strongly consistent following the lone win, and was crowned the Winston Cup champion. His only win came in the third race of the 36 race season. Chevrolet took home the NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship after capturing 19 wins and 264 points over second-place finisher Dodge, who had nine wins and 203 points. Ford finished the year third with seven wins and 200 points, and Pontiac finished fourth with one win and 125 points.
The 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 54th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 31st modern-era Cup Series season. It began on February 10, 2002, at Daytona International Speedway, and ended on November 17, 2002, at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Tony Stewart, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, was declared as the Winston Cup champion. Bill Elliott won the 2002 NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award. He would win it for the 16th and final time in his career. He withdrew from the ballot after receiving the award. The NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship was captured by Ford after winning 14 events and gaining 245 points over second-place finisher Chevrolet, who had 10 wins and 211 points.
Orange County Speedway is a 3⁄8 mile (0.60 km) asphalt oval in Orange County, North Carolina, near Rougemont. It first opened in 1966 as a 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) and a 5⁄8 mile (1.0 km) dirt oval, which operated until 1967 and 1973, respectively. The facility was reopened and paved in 1983. With a slogan of "the fastest 3/8-mile race track in America," the oval features 19-degree banking through the turns and 16 degrees on the straightaways, creating three distinct grooves making for very fast turns. The aluminum grandstands stretch from Turn 4 all the way down the front straightaway to Turn 1. The speedway closed in 2003 but reopened on March 11, 2006.
The 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 52nd season of professional stock car racing in the United States, and was the 29th modern-era Cup series. The season began on February 13 and ended on November 20. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte was crowned champion at season's end. The NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship was won by Ford as they captured 14 wins and 234 points to better Pontiac's 11 wins and 213 points. Chevrolet finished third with nine wins and 199 points.
The 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 49th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 26th modern-era NASCAR Cup series. It began on February 9 and ended on November 16. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports won his second Cup championship at the end of the season.
The 1998 NASCAR Busch Series began on Saturday, February 14 and ended on Sunday, November 15. Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. was crowned champion at season's end.
The 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 53rd season of professional stock car racing in the United States, the 30th modern-era Cup series. It began on February 11, 2001, at Daytona International Speedway and ended on November 23, 2001, at New Hampshire International Speedway. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports was declared as the series champion for the fourth time in seven years.
The 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 47th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 24th modern-era Cup series season. The season began on February 12 in Daytona Beach and concluded on November 12 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports won his first career championship.
Innovative Motorsports (IMI) is a former NASCAR team. It was owned by George DeBidart and began racing in the Busch North Series in the mid-1990s, before moving to the Busch Series in 1998.
The 1997 NASCAR Busch Series began February 15 and ended November 9. Randy LaJoie of BACE Motorsports won the championship.
The 1995 NASCAR Busch Series was held February 18 and ended November 5. Johnny Benson of BACE Motorsports won the championship.
The 1994 NASCAR Busch Series began February 19 and ended October 22. David Green of Labonte Motorsports won the championship.
The 1993 NASCAR Busch Series began February 13, 1993 and ended November 13, 1993, with Steve Grissom of Grissom Racing Enterprises winning the championship.
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