Trail Motorsport

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Fitz Motorsports
aka FitzBradshaw Racing, Highline Performance Group, Trail Motorsport
Fitzmotorsports.png
Owner(s) Armando Fitz, Mimi Fitz Terry Bradshaw, Art Shelton, Patrick Shelton
Base Mooresville, North Carolina
Series Winston Cup Series, Nationwide Series
Race drivers Kerry Earnhardt, Tim Fedewa, Casey Atwood, David Stremme, Mike Bliss
Sponsors Supercuts, United States Navy
Manufacturer Dodge, Chevrolet
Opened2001
Closed2009
Career
Drivers' Championships 0
Race victories0

Trail Motorsports (formerly HighLine Performance Group, FitzBradshaw Racing and Fitz Motorsports) was a NASCAR team based in Mooresville, North Carolina, near Charlotte. The team was owned by Armando Fitz and Art Shelton, and was previously co-owned by Fitz's former wife Mimi. The team was known as the HighLine Performance Group until the end of the 2001 season, when they teamed up with Terry Bradshaw and formally created FitzBradshaw Racing. At the end of the 2004 season FBR announced that it was partnering with Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, which gave them access to more technical and engineering support. In addition to that partnership they also switched manufacturers from Chevrolet to Dodge. The team also formed a partnership with Michael Waltrip Racing for the 2006 season. Bradshaw left the organization at the end of the 2006 season. The team changed its name to Trail Motorsports in early 2009 after Shelton came on board. The team fielded the No. 22 Dodge Charger for Johnny Borneman III in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, the No. 32 Chevrolet Silverado for Chase Austin in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and the No. 58 Chevrolet Impala driven by Jarit Johnson, younger brother of seven-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, in the Camping World East Series.

Contents

Sprint Cup Series

While the team was called FitzBradshaw, Trail briefly ran a Cup operation in 2002 with Kerry Earnhardt driving No. 83 RacingUSA.com/Aaron's Chevrolet. [1] [2] [3] The car was fielded with support from Dale Earnhardt, Inc. [2] [4] The team had planned to run full-time in Cup by 2004. [1] [5] Earnhardt failed in each of his attempts, due to rain cancelling qualifying at all three events. [3] [6] Ron Hornaday Jr. qualified for that year's Checker Auto Parts 500, finishing 36th. [7] Earnhardt attempted three more races in 2003 with sponsorship from Aaron's, Supercuts, and Hot Tamales, but also failed to qualify. [3] [8] [9]

Car No. 83 results

YearDriverNo.Make123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536NWCCPts
2002 Kerry Earnhardt 83 Chevy DAY CAR LVS ATL DAR BRI TEX MAR TAL CAL RCH CLT DOV POC MCH SON DAY CHI NHA POC IND GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH NHA DOV KAN TAL
DNQ		 CLT
DNQ		 MAR ATL
DNQ		 CAR 61st109
Ron Hornaday Jr. PHO
36		 HOM
2003 Kerry Earnhardt DAY CAR LVS ATL DAR BRI TEX
DNQ		 TAL MAR CAL
DNQ		 RCH CLT DOV POC MCH SON DAY
DNQ		 CHI NHA POC IND GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH NHA DOV TAL KAN CLT MAR ATL PHO CAR HOM 63rd93

Nationwide Series

The No. 12 (left) and No. 14 cars of FitzBradshaw in 2004. US Navy 040501-N-6501M-015 The Navy No. 14 Chevy Monte Carlo NASCAR roars around turn three.jpg
The No. 12 (left) and No. 14 cars of FitzBradshaw in 2004.

Beginnings

Armando Fitz's team started as a two-car operation during the 2001 season. He and his wife, Mimi, purchased the team from Team SABCO, owned by his father-in-law and current Sprint Cup Series co-owner Felix Sabates at the end of the 2000 season. [10] [11] The team, then known as the HighLine Performance Group ran the No. 8 Chevrolet and No. 11 Chevrolet. Blaise Alexander began the season in the No. 8 car, but after four races, the team cut back to a part-time schedule. Frank Kimmel, Jeff Falk, Michael Dokken, Jason Rudd, Mario Hernandez, Mark Voigt, and Josh Richeson all shared time in the car over the season, with the No. 8 team finishing 42nd in owner's points. Marty Houston drove the newly renumbered No. 11 car at the beginning of the year, [12] his best finish being a 13th at the NAPA Auto Parts 300, but he was replaced by Ron Hornaday Jr. after the Outback Steakhouse 300. Hornaday had two top-tens but was released before the season was over, and was replaced by Todd Bodine who had one top-five in three races at the end of the season. [12] [13] Andy Santerre and Tim Fedewa also ran races in the car. [12] [13] The No. 11 car ended 21st in owner points, with Bodine finishing 29th in points. [12] [13]

Car No. 8 results

YearDriverNo.Make123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233OwnersPts
2001 Blaise Alexander 8 Chevy DAY
30		 CAR
16		 LVS
43		 ATL
12		 DAR BRI TEX 42nd1132
Frank Kimmel NSH
11		 TAL CAL
Jeff Falk RCH
31		 NHA NZH
29		 CLT DOV KEN
DNQ		 MLW GLN CHI GTY BRI
24		 RCH
25
Michael Dokken PPR
41		 IRP MCH DAR
42		 CLT
42		 HOM
DNQ
Jason Rudd DOV
40		 KAN
Mario Hernandez MEM
36
Mark Voigt PHO
43
Josh Richeson CAR
37

Car No. 11 results

YearDriverNo.Make123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233OwnersPts
2001 Marty Houston 11 Chevy DAY
13		 CAR
42		 LVS
36		 ATL
33		 DAR
20		 BRI
14		 TEX
25		 NSH
23		 TAL
37		 CAL
32		 RCH
38		 NHA
30		 NZH
25		 CLT
32		 DOV
17		 KEN
21		21st3282
Ron Hornaday Jr. MLW
8		 GLN
10		 CHI
16		 MCH
14		 BRI
27		 DAR
11		 RCH
11		 DOV
26		 KAN
34
Andy Santerre GTY
16		 PPR
13		 IRP
17
Todd Bodine CLT
15		 PHO
5		 CAR
24		 HOM
15
Tim Fedewa MEM
6

Car No. 12/22 history

Rear Adm. Jeff Fowler, right, looks-on as the new driver of the Busch Series "Life Accelerator," David Stremme, takes questions during a press conference at Memphis Motor Sports Park. Fowler announced that the Navy would extend its partnership with NASCAR and FitzBradshaw for the 2005 season. US Navy 041022-N-5862D-013 Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, Rear Adm. Jeff Fowler, right, looks-on as the new driver of the Busch Series Life Accelerator, David Stremme, takes questions.jpg
Rear Adm. Jeff Fowler, right, looks-on as the new driver of the Busch Series "Life Accelerator," David Stremme, takes questions during a press conference at Memphis Motor Sports Park. Fowler announced that the Navy would extend its partnership with NASCAR and FitzBradshaw for the 2005 season.

In 2002, the newly formed FitzBradshaw Racing signed Supercuts, 10-10-220, Hot Tamales, and Jani-King as sponsors and Kerry Earnhardt as the driver of the team's No. 12 Chevrolet. The team also formed a technical alliance with Dale Earnhardt, Inc., receiving engines and engineering support from DEI. [12] [13] [14] [15] Earnhardt had two top-fives and finished 22nd in points. Earnhardt did not have a top-ten finish in 2003, and was released after the Tropicana Twister 300. [6] [16] [17] [18] Tim Fedewa, who had been Earnhardt's spotter since 2002, and crew chief for a single race, replaced him for the balance of the season. [8] [17] [19] Fedewa finished in the top-20 eight times. Fedewa had five top-tens in 2004, and finished sixteenth in points. Fedewa struggled in 2005, and did not finish in the top-ten, causing him to be released after Pikes Peak. [20] Joel Kauffman, Paul Wolfe, Carlos Contreras, Kertus Davis, Sterling Marlin, and Steadman Marlin all shared the ride for the rest of the season. In 2006, the No. 12 car has seen several different drivers through the first 25 races of the season. Joel Kauffman was slated to run the full schedule for the team this year, however after struggling the team scaled back his schedule. David Reutimann ran the car at Daytona because Kauffman had not received approval for superspeedway racing. Tracy Hines and Mike Skinner drove the car in multiple races. For the 2007 season, Fitz Motorsports switched to the No. 22 and signed David Stremme and Mike Bliss as their principal drivers. Both drivers had great success in the No. 22, with Bliss scoring the team's best finish of second at Memphis. When the team came to Montreal for the inaugural NAPA Auto Parts 200, the team - in a last-second decision - placed Canadian CART regular Patrick Carpentier in the car. Carpentier won the pole position for the race and charged from 6th with less than 2 laps to go to finish second to Kevin Harvick.

Bliss returned in 2008 to drive full-time, but left for Phoenix Racing after six races, and was replaced by various Cup drivers including Robby Gordon and Reed Sorenson. Michael Waltrip Racing development driver Josh Wise became the new driver for thirteen races with one top-five finish. Of note, Fitz switched temporarily to Toyota during Wise's runs with the team. A wide variety of drivers including ex-Champ Car driver Andrew Ranger, 2008 Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman, Jarit Johnson, and Joe Gibbs Racing development driver Marc Davis, took over for the rest of the season. This team shut down in early 2009.

Car No. 12/22 results

YearDriverNo.Make1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435OwnersPts
2002 Kerry Earnhardt 12 Chevy DAY
41		 CAR
28		 LVS
19		 DAR
18		 BRI
28		 TEX
23		 NSH
8		 TAL
18		 CAL
21		 RCH
33		 NHA
18		 NZH
20		 CLT
28		 DOV
16		 NSH
18		 KEN
7		 MLW
27		 DAY
38		 CHI
43		 GTY
12		 PPR
18		 IRP
35		 MCH
21		 BRI
31		 DAR
28		 RCH
27		 DOV
39		 KAN
2		 CLT
31		 MEM
5		 ATL
41		 CAR
31		 PHO
10		 HOM
27		26th3145
2003 DAY
14		 CAR
15		 LVS
14		 DAR
33		 BRI
34		 TEX
31		 TAL
17		 NSH
26		 CAL
40		 RCH
19		 GTY
17		 NZH
14		 CLT
35		 DOV
14		 NSH
30		 KEN
34		 MLW
15		 DAY
33		 CHI
41		18th3170
Tim Fedewa NHA
12		 PPR
13		 IRP
13		 MCH
25		 BRI
24		 DAR
19		 RCH
18		 DOV
17		 KAN
18		 CLT
25		 MEM
20		 ATL
24		 PHO
24		 CAR
24		 HOM
42
2004 DAY
16		 CAR
18		 LVS
7		 DAR
16		 BRI
12		 TEX
15		 NSH
12		 TAL
37		 CAL
31		 GTY
9		 RCH
17		 NZH
15		 CLT
42		 DOV
9		 NSH
11		 KEN
34		 MLW
17		 DAY
10		 CHI
17		 NHA
2		 PPR
25		 IRP
34		 MCH
23		 BRI
16		 CAL
27		 RCH
35		 DOV
13		 KAN
38		 CLT
31		 MEM
23		 ATL
33		 PHO
18		 DAR
14		 HOM
21		20th3480
2005 Dodge DAY
24		 CAL
21		 MXC
21		 LVS
15		 ATL
38		 NSH
26		 BRI
25		 TEX
16		 PHO
41		 TAL
37		 DAR
19		 RCH
41		 CLT
29		 DOV
34		 NSH
21		 KEN
40		 MLW
27		 DAY
24		 CHI
32		 NHA
13		 PPR
18		28th2846
Sterling Marlin GTY
12
Joel Kauffman IRP
25		 BRI
34		 DOV
36		 KAN
23		 MEM
34		 PHO
29		 HOM
22
Paul Wolfe GLN
23		 MCH
32		 RCH
29
Carlos Contreras CAL
33
Steadman Marlin CLT
19
Kertus Davis TEX
40
2006 David Reutimann DAY
29		34th2561
Joel Kauffman CAL
27		 MXC
34		 LVS
43		 ATL
32		 BRI
42		 TEX
35		 NSH
23		 PHO
30		 RCH
DNQ		 DAR
35		 CLT
DNQ		 KEN
27		 MLW
31
Tracy Hines TAL
25		 DAY
29		 CHI
41		 NHA
34
Mike Skinner DOV
25		 NSH
26		 IRP
18		 MCH
29		 BRI
13		 RCH
32		 CLT
10		 TEX
21		 PHO
DNQ		 HOM
24
Carlos Contreras MAR
29		 GLN
32		 CAL
38		 MEM
39
Kevin Hamlin GTY
DNQ
Scott Wimmer DOV
11
Ted Musgrave KAN
30
2007 David Stremme 22 DAY
DNQ		 CAL
12		 LVS
5		 ATL
11		 BRI
33		 TEX
19		 CLT
16		 CHI
25		 MCH
24		8th3381
Carlos Contreras MXC
35
Mike Bliss BRI
10		 NSH
10		 PHO
15		 TAL
14		 RCH
33		 DAR
18		 DOV
9		 NSH
16		 KEN
9		 MLW
25		 NHA
13		 DAY
17		 GTY
33		 BRI
13		 RCH
5		 DOV
4		 KAN
31		 CLT
29		 MEM
2		 TEX
43		 PHO
32		 HOM
23
Josh Wise IRP
19
Patrick Carpentier CGV
2		 GLN
19
Robby Gordon CAL
9
2008 Mike Bliss DAY
17		 CAL
13		 LVS
26		 ATL
7		 BRI
5		 NSH
11		23rd3409
Robby Gordon TEX
20		 PHO
27
Rubén Pardo MXC
18		 DAR
42
Reed Sorenson TAL
29
Johnny Sauter RCH
24
Josh Wise CLT
24		 DOV
19		 NSH
33		 KEN
23		 MLW
33		 NHA
20		 DAY
33		 CHI
25		 GTY
16		 IRP
5		 DOV
13
Andrew Ranger CGV
28		 BRI
19		 RCH
33		 KAN
31		 CLT
20
Ryan Newman GLN
12
Josh Wise Toyota MCH
14		 CAL
22
Jarit Johnson Dodge MEM
32
Marc Davis TEX
30		 PHO
27		 HOM
27

Car No. 36 history

David Stremme pitting the No. 14 during the 2005 Kroger 200. DavidStremmeBusch14.jpg
David Stremme pitting the No. 14 during the 2005 Kroger 200.

The team expanded to two cars in 2003 halfway through the season as the United States Navy came aboard to sponsor the No. 14 for nine races. [5] [21] [22] Casey Atwood debuted the car at Kentucky Speedway, bringing it home in 9th place. Atwood ran 11 races that year, posting four top-ten finishes. Atwood came back in 2004, and had seven top-tens, when he was dismissed after Lowe's. [23] His immediate replacement was Dave Blaney for one race, [23] with Braun Racing's David Stremme named as his permanent replacement. As part of the arrangement to bring Stremme to the team, FitzBradshaw agreed to align themselves with Chip Ganassi Racing, who had him under contract as part of a driver development deal. This would allow the team to finish the season as a Chevrolet team, but beginning the next year both the No. 12 and the No. 14 would switch to Dodge as Ganassi's team was fielding the vehicles at the time.

Stremme ran the No. 14 full-time in 2005, and had ten top-tens, finishing 13th in points, before moving up to compete in the NEXTEL Cup series. Tracy Hines was hired to run in the No. 14 Dodge for the 2006 season, however sponsorship issues forced the team to compete on a limited basis. Steadman Marlin competed for the team in two races and A. J. Foyt IV competed in one race for the team. It was announced in July 2006 that Family Dollar would sponsor the car for nine races and the team would feature Ricky Craven, Carlos Contreras, and Mike Skinner as drivers. Fitz Motorsports changed the car number to No. 44 for 2007 and Rubén Pardo qualified for the team's first race at the Telcel-Motorola México 200, followed up by another start at Nashville Superspeedway. Mike Bliss also drove the No. 44 with Family Dollar sponsorship at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May 2007. For 2008, Kenny Wallace was signed to drive the No. 36 with sponsorship from Shark Energy Drink. Although Wallace missed the season opener at Daytona, he ran all following races until owner Armando Fitz announced on March 17 that the No. 36 team would only run part-time due to a lack of product distribution, and the owner points of the 36 were switched the No. 28 of Wallace's new team. The No. 36 began running part-time with Pardo and Charles Lewandoski driving midway through the season.

Car No. 36 results

YearDriverNo.Make1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435OwnersPts
2003 Casey Atwood 14 Chevy DAY CAR LVS DAR BRI TEX TAL NSH CAL RCH GTY NZH CLT DOV NSH KEN
9		 MLW
19		 DAY
27		 CHI NHA
32		 PPR IRP MCH BRI
18		 DAR
10		 RCH
11		 DOV
25		 KAN CLT
32		 MEM
7		 ATL PHO
8		 CAR HOM
43		42nd1243
2004 DAY
15		 CAR
19		 LVS
36		 DAR
9		 BRI
34		 TEX
21		 NSH
20		 TAL
13		 CAL
29		 GTY
23		 RCH
14		 NZH
6		 CLT
17		 DOV
18		 NSH
7		 KEN
22		 MLW
32		 DAY
24		 CHI
13		 NHA
31		 PPR
9		 IRP
8		 MCH
25		 BRI
10		 CAL
26		 RCH
2		 DOV
24		 KAN
22		 CLT
20		14th3680
Dave Blaney MEM
19
David Stremme ATL
8		 PHO
21		 DAR
31		 HOM
12
2005 Dodge DAY
40		 CAL
8		 MXC
22		 LVS
3		 ATL
13		 NSH
26		 BRI
38		 TEX
17		 PHO
3		 TAL
3		 DAR
6		 RCH
27		 CLT
8		 DOV
33		 NSH
6		 KEN
32		 MLW
5		 DAY
18		 CHI
20		 NHA
22		 PPR
35		 GTY
22		 IRP
5		 GLN
17		 MCH
22		 BRI
26		 CAL
9		 RCH
35		 DOV
19		 KAN
43		 CLT
23		 MEM
11		 TEX
18		 PHO
34		 HOM
32		16th3694
2006 Tracy Hines DAY
20		 CAL
33		 LVS
38		 ATL
41		 BRI
13		 TEX
30		 PHO
43		 TAL 40th1430
Carlos Contreras MXC
11		 HOM
33
Steadman Marlin NSH
31
A. J. Foyt IV RCH
DNQ		 DAR CLT DOV NSH KEN MLW DAY CHI NHA
Ricky Craven MAR
39		 GTY
Ted Musgrave IRP
25		 GLN RCH
21		 DOV KAN CLT
24		 TEX
34
Scott Wimmer MCH
42		 BRI
17		 CAL
Willie Allen MEM
28		 PHO
35
2007 Rubén Pardo 44 DAY CAL MXC
41		 LVS ATL BRI NSH
43		 TEX PHO TAL RCH DAR 73rd80
Mike Bliss CLT
39		 DOV NSH
Carlos Contreras KEN
43		 MLW NHA DAY CHI GTY IRP
Mark Green CGV
40		 GLN MCH BRI CAL RCH DOV KAN CLT MEM TEX PHO HOM
2008 Kenny Wallace 36 DAY
DNQ		 CAL
18		 LVS
13		 ATL
25		 BRI
11		50th505
Rubén Pardo NSH
DNQ		 TEX PHO MXC TAL RCH DAR CLT DOV NSH
42		 KEN MLW
DNQ		 GTY
41
Charles Lewandoski NHA
41		 DAY IRP
DNQ		 CGV GLN MCH BRI CAL RCH DOV KAN CLT MEM TEX PHO HOM
Chad Blount CHI
DNQ

Car No. 40 history

Casey Atwood in the 82 in 2003 US Navy 030523-N-5862D-145 Casey Atwood drives the Fitz-Bradshaw racing team Chevy Monte Carlo, sponsored by the U.S. Navy.jpg
Casey Atwood in the 82 in 2003

The third FitzBradshaw car made its debut in 2003, with Jimmy Spencer driving the No. 82 Jani-King Chevrolet at Texas, finishing sixth. [3] Casey Atwood attempted the Charlotte spring race in the No. 82 NAVY Chevrolet, [21] [22] failing to qualify. Atwood later drove the car at the Tropicana Twister 300 sponsored by Jani-King, finishing 21st. [18] Randy LaJoie drove the car again at Phoenix, finishing 14th. LaJoie continued to run the car part-time in 2004 with sponsorship from Jani-King and Goulds Pumps, his best finish being 13th at Las Vegas. [24] Dave Blaney also ran two races in the car. [23]

In 2005, the team became a driver development team for Chip Ganassi Racing, and switched to Ganassi's No. 40 with sponsorship from Jani-King and Cottman Transmission. [10] [11] [25] Sterling Marlin began the season with the team, with Carlos Contreras and Ganassi development driver Scott Lagasse Jr. filling in. Towards the end of the season, Contreras, Paul Wolfe, and Erin Crocker got majority of the starts in the car. Reed Sorenson ran the Aaron's 312 at Atlanta in March in the car after the transmission on his regular No. 41 Discount Tire car mysteriously locked up during qualifying for the race. [26] For 2006, Michael Waltrip purchased the team's owners points and began a partnership with FBR to run the No. 99 Aaron's Dodge.

Car No. 40 results

YearDriverNo.Make1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435OwnersPts
2003 Jimmy Spencer 82 Chevy DAY CAR LVS DAR BRI TEX
6		 TAL NSH CAL RCH GTY NZH 57th481
Casey Atwood CLT
DNQ		 DOV NSH KEN MLW DAY CHI
21		 NHA PPR IRP MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV KAN CLT MEM ATL
28
Randy LaJoie PHO
14		 CAR HOM
Wth
2004 DAY CAR LVS
13		 DAR BRI TEX
23		 NSH TAL CAL
30		 GTY RCH NZH
25		 CLT DOV NSH KEN MLW DAY
16		 CHI NHA PPR IRP MCH BRI CAL RCH DOV KAN 56th619
Dave Blaney CLT
25		 MEM ATL PHO
42		 DAR HOM
2005 Sterling Marlin 40 Dodge DAY
42		 CAL
15		 LVS
25		 ATL
QL		 NSH
37		 BRI
5		 TEX
19		 TAL
21		 DAR
39		 RCH
10		 CLT
2		 NSH
QL		 KEN
6		 DAY
41		 CHI
35		 MCH
12		 BRI
25		 DOV
17		 CLT
5		 TEX
22		25th2987
Carlos Contreras MXC
36		 GLN
32		 KAN
38		 PHO
30		 HOM
25
Reed Sorenson ATL
18
Scott Lagasse Jr. PHO
40		 DOV
42		 MLW
22		 NHA
40		 PPR
28
Johnny Benson NSH
18
Paul Wolfe GTY
29		 IRP
38
Stanton Barrett CAL
41		 RCH
42
Erin Crocker MEM
29

Other series

In addition to the Busch Series, Fitz Motorsports operated race teams in other series as well. In 2007, they fielded entries in the NASCAR Busch East Series with Ruben Pardo as the team's driver, with Pierre Borque racing on a part-time basis, and the NASCAR Mexico Series, where Carlos Pardo drove the team's FitzContreras Racing entry, along with development driver Maxime Dumarey.

In 2007, the team partnered with Hyper Sport to race in the Grand-Am Road Racing series.

Ruben Pardo raced in 2008 in the East Series for Fitz. For 2009, former Rusty Wallace Racing driver Chase Austin was to drive the No. 32 Chevrolet in the Camping World Truck Series and Jarit Johnson, younger brother of seven time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, was to drive in the Camping World East Series. However, the team shut down before their plans could come to fruition.

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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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teresa Earnhardt</span> American stock car racing team owner

Teresa Diane Earnhardt is an American former NASCAR team owner. She is the third wife and widow of Dale Earnhardt. She is the biological mother of Taylor Nicole Earnhardt and the stepmother of Kerry Earnhardt, Kelley Earnhardt Miller and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JR Motorsports</span> American racecar team

JR Motorsports is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, CARS Tour, and occasionally in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series. The team is based in Mooresville, North Carolina, co-owned by former NASCAR Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., his sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller, Kelley’s husband and former racer L.W. Miller, and the owner of his former Cup Series team, Rick Hendrick. As of 2023, the team fields four full-time entries in the Xfinity Series: the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro SS full-time for Sam Mayer, the No. 7 Camaro full-time for Justin Allgaier, the No. 8 Camaro full-time for Sammy Smith, and the No. 9 Camaro full-time for Brandon Jones. The team also fields the No. 88 Camaro part-time for Bubba Pollard, Carson Kvapil, Connor Mosack, Connor Zilisch, and team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armando Fitz</span>

Armando Fitz was an owner of Fitz Racing, a NASCAR Nationwide Series team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffrey Earnhardt</span> American racing driver (born 1989)

Jeffrey Lynn Earnhardt is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 26 Toyota GR Supra for Sam Hunt Racing, and part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 67 Toyota Tundra for MBM Motorsports. He is the son of Kerry Earnhardt, grandson of Dale Earnhardt, and nephew of Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Braun Motorsports, formerly known as Braun Racing, was an American professional stock car racing team that last competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The team is based in Mooresville, North Carolina. Best known as one of the top independent Xfinity Series teams from 2003 to 2010, the team also made several starts in the Sprint Cup Series. The team was owned by Todd Braun, son of Braun Corporation founder Ralph Braun. The team formerly had alliances with Chip Ganassi Racing and Dale Earnhardt, Inc., and the team's operations also included former entries from ppc Racing and Akins Motorsports.

Specialty Racing, LLC was an auto racing team that competed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Based in Statesville, North Carolina, it was owned by Doug Taylor and Charles Shoffner. In 2011, Specialty Racing planned to field the No. 61 Ford Mustang, but sponsorship was not found, and the team closed.

Turner Scott Motorsports (TSM), formerly Turner Motorsports was an American professional stock car racing team that last competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the Nationwide Series, the Camping World Truck Series, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and the ARCA Racing Series. The team was based in Mooresville, North Carolina co-owned by Texas businessman Steve Turner and North Carolina businessman Harry Scott Jr. The team fielded cars utilizing Hendrick Motorsports engines. Co-owner Scott also owned the unaffiliated Sprint Cup Series team HScott Motorsports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series</span> 35th season of second-tier NASCAR Xfinity Series

The 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series was the 35th season of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the second-tier professional stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in the United States. The season started at Daytona International Speedway on February 20 and ended at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 19. Daniel Suárez of Joe Gibbs Racing won the championship, becoming the first non-American to win a title in NASCAR's top 3 divisions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dale Earnhardt, Inc.</span> Museum and former NASCAR team

Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI) is a museum in Mooresville, North Carolina. Formerly a race team founded by Dale Earnhardt and his wife, Teresa Earnhardt, it competed in the NASCAR Cup Series, the highest level of competition for professional stock car racing in the United States, from 1998 to 2009. Earnhardt was a seven-time Winston Cup champion who died in a crash on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Despite his ownership of the DEI racing team, Earnhardt never drove for his team in the Winston Cup; instead, he raced for his long-time mentor and backer Richard Childress at RCR. In the late-2000s, DEI suffered critical financial difficulties after drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip, and sponsors Anheuser-Busch, National Automotive Parts Association and United States Army left the team; DEI consequently merged with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2009, moving their equipment into the latter's shop, while the former's closed down. Chip Ganassi Racing's NASCAR operations was subsequently purchased by Trackhouse Racing Team in 2021.

The NASCAR operation of Chip Ganassi Racing was established in 1989 by Cuban-American businessman Felix Sabates. The team was known as SABCO Racing, formed after Sabates purchased an R&D team from Hendrick Motorsports. The team was renamed Team SABCO in 1996. In 2001, Ganassi bought 80% of the ownership interest in the then-two-car team to form Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates; the same year the team switched from Chevrolet to full-works Dodge and received a same partnership treatment as Penske Racing, Evernham Motorsports, Bill Davis Racing, Melling Racing and Petty Enterprises teams. In 2009, Ganassi partnered with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. owner Teresa Earnhardt to merge their NASCAR operations into Ganassi's shop and entered under the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates banner, while returning to Chevrolet equipment. The NASCAR team dropped the Earnhardt name in 2014, and Ganassi revealed that Teresa was never truly involved with the team. Rob Kauffman, chairman of the Race Team Alliance, purchased a stake in the team in 2015. The NASCAR program has fielded full-time entries for notable drivers including Kyle Petty, Joe Nemechek, Sterling Marlin, Jimmy Spencer, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jamie McMurray, Kyle Larson, Kurt Busch, and Ross Chastain. After already having his name removed from the team previously, at the end of the 2019 season, Sabates announced his retirement as a co-owner from the team, taking effect after the 2020 season.

References

  1. 1 2 "Sauter A Star In Dega; Earnhardt Lands Cup Ride". Motor Racing Network . Talladega, Alabama. April 18, 2002. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Kerry Earnhardt gets DEI prepped car at Talladega". Crash.net. 2002. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 FitzBradshaw Racing (April 27, 2003). "Busch driver Kerry Earnhardt to race at Texas". Motorsport.com . Mooresville, North Carolina . Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  4. ↑ Korth, Joanne (October 4, 2002). "Another Earnhardt tries Talladega". St. Petersburg Times . Talladega, Alabama . Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Zier, Patrick (May 23, 2003). "K. Earnhardt Going in Reverse". The Ledger . Harrisburg, North Carolina . Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  6. 1 2 "BUSCH: Kerry Earnhardt out at FitzBradshaw Racing". Motorsport.com . Mooresville, North Carolina. July 15, 2003. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  7. ↑ "NASCAR: Happy Hour results – Phoenix". Crash.net. 2002. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  8. 1 2 FitzBradshaw Racing (July 15, 2003). "BUSCH: FitzBradshaw to test Tim Fedewa". Motorsport.com . Mooresville, North Carolina . Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Daytona II: Kerry Earnhardt preview". Motorsport.com . Mooresville, North Carolina. July 2, 2003. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  10. 1 2 Zenor, John (May 12, 2005). "Ex-football stars run rising Busch team". staugustine.com . Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 12, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  11. 1 2 Glick, Shav (September 3, 2005). "Driven to Be Diverse: Team owner Fitz is trying to lead the Latino charge in NASCAR". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "Its Kerrys Turn". Motor Racing Network . New York. November 29, 2001. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "BUSCH: Kerry Earnhardt signs with newly formed FitzBradshaw Racing". Motorsport.com . December 1, 2001. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  14. ↑ Berger, Ken (February 14, 2002). "Changing Lanes / Bradshaw backs Kerry Earnhardt". Newsday . Daytona Beach, Florida . Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Terry Bradshaw, Kerry Earnhardt team up". Autoweek . December 4, 2001. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  16. ↑ Korth, Joanne (June 30, 2002). "Family tradition drives 'other son' forward: Once estranged from his half-brother and late father, Kerry Earnhardt has come full circle". St. Petersburg Times . Daytona Beach, Florida . Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  17. 1 2 Hinton, Ed (July 17, 2003). "Name can't help this Earnhardt". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  18. 1 2 "BUSCH: Kerry Earnhardt and FitzBradshaw terminate contract". Motorsport.com . Mooresville, North Carolina. October 14, 2003. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Earnhardt Gets Cut". Motor Racing Network . Mooresville, North Carolina. July 15, 2003. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  20. ↑ ESPN.com news services (July 25, 2005). "Marlin in, Fedewa out at FitzBradshaw". espn.go.com . Mooresville, North Carolina: ESPN . Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  21. 1 2 FitzBradshaw Racing (May 23, 2003). "BUSCH: FitzBradshaw Racing signs sponsor". Motorsport.com . Charlotte, North Carolina . Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  22. 1 2 "Atwood to run Busch race". ESPN.com . Concord, North Carolina. Associated Press. May 22, 2003. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  23. 1 2 3 "Atwood Out At Fitzbradshaw". Motor Racing Network . October 18, 2004. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  24. ↑ FitzBradshaw Racing (February 27, 2004). "BUSCH: FBR to field three cars in Vegas". Motorsport.com . Mooresville, North Carolina . Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  25. ↑ "New Car Sponsor For Fitzbradshaw". MRN.com . Horsham, Pennsylvania: Motor Racing Network. December 21, 2004. Archived from the original on November 1, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  26. ↑ Margolis, Bob (March 19, 2005). "Sorenson gets assist". Yahoo! Sports . Hampton, Georgia . Retrieved December 5, 2016.
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