Go Fas Racing (doing business asCircle Sport-Go Fas Racing LLC, and often stylized as Go FAS Racing) was an American professional stock car racing team that competed in the NASCAR Cup Series. Founded by long-time crew chief Frank Allen Stoddard as FAS Lane Racing, it came into its current form after merging with Archie St. Hilaire's Go Green Racing in 2014. The team last fielded the No. 32 Ford Mustang GT for Corey LaJoie. They sometimes compete in big late model events around the country with drivers such as Grant Enfinger.[1]
The Go Fas Racing race shop in Mooresville, North Carolina
FAS Lane Racing was established in 2011 when Stoddard's old team, Latitude 43 Motorsports, closed its doors. Stoddard then formed his own team with the remaining crew members, purchasing cars and equipment from Mark Simo and Boris Said's No Fear Racing as well as from Richard Petty Motorsports, Roush Fenway Racing and his old Latitude 43 team.[2] FAS represents Stoddard's initials (Francis Allen Stoddard), and Stoddard chose the number 32 in tribute to his racing mentor Stub Fadden, who was a Busch North Series racer from New England.[2][3]
In 2014, after a few years of struggling with team ownership, Stoddard merged the team with Archie St. Hilaire's Go Green Racing, forming Go Fas Racing. By 2017, the primary team owner was St. Hilaire with Stoddard as the team consultant and Mason St. Hilaire as the general manager.
In 2018, the team partnered with Circle Sport owner Joe Falk to use his charter on the #32, while the charter used on that car for the prior two seasons being sent to Wood Brothers Racing in a partnership with Go FAS.
On October 22, 2020, majority owner Archie St. Hilaire and team manager Mason St. Hilaire announced that they had sold their stake in GFR's charter to an undisclosed buyer, later revealed to be B. J. McLeod and Matt Tifft for Live Fast Motorsports. They also announced that GFR would exit full-time competition at the end of 2020 and run only a handful of Cup races in 2021.[4] However, the team closed up shop soon afterwards, after not securing the sponsorship for more races.
With Stoddard serving as both owner and crew chief, the team began with Cup Champion Terry Labonte at Daytona 500, finishing a solid 15th.[3] Veteran Mike Skinner would run the next two races.[2] After Ken Schrader finished 33rd at Auto Club, the team became locked into the Top 35 in owner points despite failing to make Bristol with Schrader. Schrader also drove the car to a 22nd-place finish at Martinsville. The team also ran the full race at Texas with Big Red and finished 33rd. Talladega saw a change where they brought back Terry Labonte and Texas-based company C&J Energy as the sponsor. They were upfront a couple of laps with J. J. Yeley drafting with them, but the engine let go to a 34th-place finish. The team has had multiple sponsors including VA Mortgage Centers, U.S. Chrome and Big Red. FAS Lane Racing also gave 2 drivers their Sprint Cup debuts this year. Jason White was one. White ran the No. 32 GunBroker.com Ford at Pocono Raceway. He started 41st and finished 33rd. Andrew Ranger was the other. Ranger, the young Canadian from Quebec is a former NASCAR Canadian Tire Series champion. His debut came at Watkins Glen International in the Bully Hill Vineyards Ford where he started and finished 35th. His debut was cut short about 15 laps early with transmission failures. The team finished 34th in owners' points, guaranteeing the team a start in the first five races of 2012; the team later sold the owner's points to Michael Waltrip Racing in 2012 to allow Mark Martin to compete in the Daytona 500, with Labonte taking advantage of the past champion's provisional.
The team had announced in March a 24-race sponsor for 2013, beginning at Bristol with Terry Labonte; this also included the full 2014 and 2015 seasons.[5] However, OXY Water was being investigated by the IRS for intending to deceive their investors by misappropriating over $2 million in invested funds. The company was forced to file bankruptcy, costing investors over $9 million.,[6] and did not appear as a primary sponsor after Indianapolis.
Merger with Go Green Racing (2014–2016)
In December 2013, fellow Ford team Go Green Racing and FAS Lane Racing merged in 2014, thus creating Go Fas Racing.[7] The team continued to operate out of the FAS Lane Racing shop. Terry Labonte ran the 2014 Daytona 500, and the other super speedway events in his final season, with Said running the road courses, and Kvapil running the balance of the schedule.[8]Blake Koch was later placed in the 32 for the Sprint Showdown, the Coca-Cola 600 and Dover.[9]K&N Pro Series East driver Eddie MacDonald was hired to run the No. 32 at Loudon.[10]J. J. Yeley also ran a number of races in the 32. Joey Gase made his debut with the team at Chicagoland.[11]Kyle Fowler made also made his Cup debut with the team, this time at Martinsville.[12]
With Terry Labonte, Go Fas Racing had its best team finish, 11th at the rain-shortened 2014 Coke Zero 400. The same year, Terry announced his retirement from NASCAR. His last race was the 2014 GEICO 500 at Talladega, where the sides of the 32 were painted similar to the Kellogg'sCorn Flakes car he drove to the 1996 championship season, while the roof was painted to replicate the car Labonte debuted in the series in 1978. The 32 originally had the right side painted in the Piedmont Airlines colors he used in his 1984 championship season, but NASCAR would not allow it because the left and right sides must be identical.[13]
For the 2015 season, Terry's brother and 2000 Champion Bobby Labonte ran the four superspeedway events, also with C&J Energy Services, and Boris Said returned for the two road courses, with the remainder of the lineup to be determined. Go Fas planned to use Mike Bliss as the primary driver for the rest of the schedule, although a variety of drivers will run the car like in prior seasons.
At Las Vegas, Bliss would suffer the first DNQ for the team since 2011. He went on to DNQ a few weeks later at Charlotte. His last race for the team was at Michigan in June. His best finish with Go Fas Racing was 31st, twice.
Joey Gase was in the car for four races, failing to make Texas in November, Will Kimmel ran at Kentucky and Kansas, Travis Kvapil returning for the two Pocono races and Eddie MacDonald in Loudon. Josh Wise attempted the race at Indianapolis, but did not qualify. Despite this, and due to a prior association with Go Green Racing in the Xfinity Series, he was brought back for a three-race stretch beginning at Michigan. A few weeks later at Darlington, Wise failed to qualify again. Wise attempted four more races after this, including a DNQ at Charlotte. Jeffrey Earnhardt made his Sprint Cup debut at Richmond, running the full race and finishing 40th, 13 laps behind the leaders. He returned at New Hampshire two weeks later. Fowler would return at Martinsville. The team would finish 42nd in the owner points, down noticeably from their 38th place showing the year before; they were the highest-ranked full-time team to trail the part-time No. 21 by season's end.
For 2016, Earnhardt and Labonte plan to split the ride. Earnhardt will run the majority of the season for Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year honors, while Labonte will run the restrictor-plate races. The team is also one of the 36 "charter" teams, thus unlike in 2015, the team will make every race.
After Labonte and Earnhardt split driving the No. 32 in the first 4 races. Gase returned to the No. 32 for the Good Sam 500.[14] On April 22, the team announced that former CART series competitor and road course ringer, Patrick Carpentier would drive for the team at Sonoma and Indianapolis.[15] In June, the team hired Jeb Burton to drive at Pocono.[16]Eddie MacDonald drove 1 single race at New Hampshire and Boris Said made his first Cup series start for the season at the Cheez-It 355 at The Glen in New York. Dylan Lupton joined the team late to drive the No. 32 at Homestead.
After the season ended, it was announced that Earnhardt, Labonte, Gase, Burton, MacDonald, Carpentier, Lupton, and Said will not return to Go Fas Racing in 2017, with the team planning to have one single driver in the 32 in 2017. The driver was announced to be Matt DiBenedetto on December 15.[17] Go Fas Racing also announced soon afterward that they would loan their charter to Wood Brothers Racing's No. 21 driven by Ryan Blaney, as they had purchased the No. 44 team owned by Richard Petty Motorsports, including the No. 44 charter.
Go Fas Racing picked up their first top ten at the 2017 Daytona 500 with a 9th-place finish by DiBenedetto. This was bettered with an 8th-place finish at the 2017 Brickyard 400, as they were able to avoid being in any of the race's record 14 cautions. DiBenedetto finished a then-career-best 32nd in points while Go Fas went from a bottom 5 team to a mid-pack team while concentrating on one driver the whole year.
In January 2018, it was announced that Go Fas Racing would sell its charter to the Wood Brothers, in exchange for manufacturer support. Under NASCAR rules, Go Fas was still listed as an owner of the charter. At the same time, Go Fas Racing partnered with Circle Sport to field the No. 32 Ford with the No. 33 charter. DiBenedetto and Go Fas renewed and started with crew chief Gene Nead for 2 races before Go Fas Racing and Nead mutually parted ways. Randy Cox is now the crew chief for the 32 team starting at the 2018 Pennzoil 400.[18] On June 24, at the 2018 Toyota/Save Mart 350 DiBenedetto picked up a 17th-place finish for Go Fas Racing making it the team's highest finish ever at a road course. Two weeks later on July 7, at the 2018 Coke Zero Sugar 400 Go Fas Racing bettered their previous best with a 7th-place finish.
On September 7, 2018, DiBenedetto announced his intentions to leave the team concluding the 2018 season, eventually announcing a deal to drive for Leavine Family Racing in 2019.
In December 2018, it was reported that Corey LaJoie would be joining Go Fas Racing in the 2019 season.[19] Finally on December 20, 2018, it was announced that he would be their full-time driver along with new sponsor Schluter Systems. It was also announced that Go Fas Racing would be partnering with Team Penske to use one of their pit crews.[20] It was also announced that longtime sponsor of GFR, Can-Am would also depart the team, thus leaving a bunch of scheduled races unsponsored.
For the 2019 Daytona 500, Go Fas Racing made headlines by placing a picture of LaJoie's face on the No. 32 car as part of Old Spice's sponsorship. LaJoie finished 18th after blowing a right-front tire just 20 laps into the race.[21][22]
Statistically speaking, LaJoie has been Go Fas Racing's greatest driver in the team's history, having picked up numerous top-twenty finishes, top-15 finishes, plus a top-ten, in over 20 starts. On August 21, 2020, it was confirmed that Corey LaJoie would not be returning to the No. 32 car in 2021.
Part-time (2021)
It was announced on October 21, 2020 that the team will be reducing to a part-time schedule starting in 2021, with St. Hilaire anticipating that the team will run in 5-6 races in the upcoming season. St. Hilaire, in defending his decision to move to a part-time schedule, said that his family was expecting a grand-baby, and longtime manager Mason St. Hilaire was moving on to a different industry. St. Hilaire sold his share of the Go Fas Racing charter to B. J. McLeod and Matt Tifft, who would use it in 2021 for a full-time operation with Joe Falk as Live Fast Motorsports.
After not running a single race for the first 35 races of 2021, it was confirmed in an interview with B. J. McLeod that the team has since ceased operations.[23]
Go Fas Racing debuted a new NASCAR Whelen Euro Series team in 2018. With Romain Iannetta in the No. 32 Elite 1, and Florian Venturi in the Elite 2 FordMustang. After scoring 2 wins and a pole in Go Fas' first season in the Euro Series, it was announced they would be coming back with Jacques Villeneuve behind the wheel of the No. 32 Elite 1, while Florian Venturi stays as the team's Elite 2 driver for 2019.[24]
Go Fas Racing Canada is a Canadian racing team in the NASCAR Pinty's Series that debuted in 2016. Founded by venture capitalist Alain Lord Mounir, Go Fas Racing Canada ran under the supervision of Dave Jacombs with the #32 driven by Alex Labbé. After the 2017 season ended, the team closed as Labbé moved to the NASCAR Xfinity Series to drive for DGM Racing.
Robert Allen Labonte is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver and current analyst for NASCAR on Fox. He also currently competes full-time in the Superstar Racing Experience, driving the No. 18 car. Labonte is the 2000 NASCAR Cup Series champion. He and his older brother, Terry Labonte, are one of only two pairs of brothers to have both won the Cup championships. He is also the uncle of former Xfinity Series race winner Justin Labonte.
Terrance Lee Labonte, nicknamed "Texas Terry" or "the Iceman", is an American former stock car driver. He raced from 1978 to 2014 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup and Sprint Cup Series. A two-time Cup Series champion in 1984 and 1996 and the 1989 IROC champion, he is the older brother of 2000 Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte, and the father of former Nationwide Series driver Justin Labonte. He also co-owns a Chevrolet dealership in Greensboro, North Carolina with Rick Hendrick. He appeared on the CBS series The Dukes of Hazzard in 1984, where he played an unnamed pit crew member.
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Bill Davis Racing was a racing team that participated in all three of NASCAR's top divisions until 2009.
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Biagi-DenBeste Racing, originally Biagi Brothers Racing, was an American professional stock car racing team that last competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing. The team was based in Mooresville, North Carolina.
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Stavola Brothers Racing was a NASCAR racing team, owned by Bill and Mickey Stavola, and operating NASCAR Winston Cup team from 1984 through 1998. The team won the 1988 Daytona 500 with Bobby Allison behind the wheel of the No. 12 Miller High Life Buick. Other victories include the 1987 Pepsi 400 with Allison, and the 1986 Talladega 500 with Bobby Hillin Jr.
Francis Allen Stoddard is a NASCAR crew chief and owner from Haverhill, New Hampshire. He is the founder of Go Fas Racing, a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team. He began his career with Dana Patten in the Busch Series. Later, he worked with Jeff Burton and Roush Racing, and won seventeen races together. Late in the 2002 season, he switched to Bill Davis Racing and served as crew chief for Ward Burton. In 2005, he joined MB/Sutton Motorsports as the crew chief for a lifelong friend Boris Said in the No. 36 Chevrolet, making nine starts with one top-five finish.
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Go Green Racing is an American professional stock car racing team that is currently on hiatus in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The team debuted in NASCAR competition in 2009, competing in the Nationwide Series, before adding a part-time Sprint Cup Series team in 2012. The team, which raced with 14 different drivers in the 2011 season, is headquartered in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, but operates from a shop in Mooresville, North Carolina. In 2014, St. Hilaire closed down his Nationwide Series operation to merge the team into Go FAS Racing with Frank Stoddard. In 2018, the team returned to the Xfinity Series with driver Joey Gase, but parted ways with Gase at the end of the year.
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Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) is an American professional auto racing organization that competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded in 1984 as All Star Racing by Rick Hendrick. Hendrick Motorsports has won a NASCAR-record 300 Cup Series races and 14 Cup Series owners and drivers championships to go with three Truck Series owners and drivers titles and one Xfinity Series drivers crown. Additionally, the team has 26 Xfinity Series race wins, 26 Truck Series race wins, and 7 ARCA Menards Series wins. This page documents the statistical results of Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series beginning with the team's debut in 1984.
↑ Albert, Zack (January 26, 2014). "SPRINT CUP TEAM PREVIEW: GO FAS RACING". NASCAR. Retrieved February 17, 2014. The offseason merger of Archie St. Hilaire-owned Go Green Racing with the Frank Stoddard-owned FAS Lane Racing operation yielded a new venture with a suitable amalgam of a name -- Go FAS Racing.
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