Yates Racing was an American stock car racing team that competed in NASCAR through the 2009 season, after which it merged into Richard Petty Motorsports. Previously known as Robert Yates Racing, the team was owned by Doug Yates, who officially owned the team since his father Robert's retirement on December 1, 2007. The Yates family owned the team since purchasing it from Harry Ranier and J. T. Lundy in October 1988.
The team was noted for its strong engine program and its success on superspeedways. Throughout most of its history, the team fielded Ford cars numbered 28, 38 and 88, although in its final season it fielded the number 98.
Cup Series
Car No. 28 history
Davey Allison (1989–1993) After purchasing the assets of Ranier-Lundy Racing in October 1988, Robert Yates' first driver was Davey Allison, who had driven for the Ranier-Lundy banner since 1987 (his rookie season), and drove the No. 28 Havoline Ford from Yates' takeover of the team until mid-1993, racking up 15 wins and twice finishing 3rd in points. He was tragically killed in a helicopter crash at Talladega Superspeedway in July 1993.
Ernie Irvan (1993–1994) After Allison's death, Robby Gordon drove at Talladega later in July and Lake Speed drove in the next three races. Ernie Irvan was then brought over from Morgan-McClure Motorsports to become Allison's permanent replacement. Irvan took over on Labor Day weekend at Darlington, winning at Charlotte and Martinsville before the season concluded.
In 1994, tragedy again struck the No. 28 team. After winning three races, Irvan crashed heavily in a practice session at Michigan and suffered life-threatening injuries. He would not race again in 1994 and it was uncertain whether he would ever return to racing. In the meantime, Kenny Wallace was brought in to take over the Havoline Ford for the remainder of the 1994 season.
Dale Jarrett (1995) Needing a full-time driver for the 1995 season due to the uncertainty surrounding Irvan's recovery, Yates signed Dale Jarrett away from Joe Gibbs Racing to replace him for the 1995 season. Jarrett won one race at Pocono Raceway and eventually finished the season 13th in the points standings. Irvan would eventually return for three races driving a second car numbered 88 for Yates.
Ernie Irvan (1996–1997) Irvan returned to the #28 in 1996 and won at New Hampshire. Irvan won at Michigan in June 1997, the same track he almost died on three years earlier. Irvan left at the end of the 1997 season to drive for MB2 Motorsports.
Kenny Irwin Jr. (1998–1999) Kenny Irwin Jr. drove the No. 28 car for Robert Yates in 1998 and 1999. Despite winning Rookie of the Year honors in 1998, Irwin failed to find victory lane in his two seasons.
Ricky Rudd (2000–2002) The next season, Ricky Rudd joined the team after his own Rudd Performance Motorsports team was sold. He would go on to drive three seasons in the Havoline Ford, from 2000 to 2002, and won his first race for the team in 2001 at Pocono in June after going winless since 1998. Rudd drove the No. 28 to Victory Lane two additional times, the September Richmond race in 2001 and his final victory at Infineon in June 2002, and finished in the Top 10 in the standings all three seasons, including 4th in 2001, his second-highest career points finish. Rudd left the team to join Wood Brothers Racing in 2003, while Yates hired the Wood's previous driver, Elliott Sadler and Robert Yates switched from No. 28 to No. 38 along with sponsorship from Mars, Inc.
Travis Kvapil (2008–2009) Robert Yates would resurrect the 28 for the 2008 season, however. Yates made the switch after giving the rights to the No. 88 to Hendrick Motorsports for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Travis Kvapil would take over driving duties after Ricky Rudd's departure at the end of 2007. Before the season started, he, along with his teammate, David Gilliland, did not have full-time sponsorship on either of their Yates Racing Fords. However, for the Daytona 500, K&N Filters sponsored his team. Two weeks later, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, during the UAW-Dodge 400, Kvapil scored an 8th-place finish, giving him his third Top 10 of his career, in an unsponsored ride. Later that week, Zaxby's decided to sponsor the No. 28 team for the next race, which was the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. A couple of races later, in the Aaron's 499, he finished 6th with a one race sponsorship deal from Northern Tool and Equipment, which gave him his career best finish in the Cup Series. Just a few weeks after his career best run, Kvapil picked up another Top 10 finish, this time at Darlington Raceway, during the Dodge Challenger 500. Despite the lack of a full-time sponsorship, Travis Kvapil and the No. 28 had a very respectable season, finishing 23rd in the points standings and a pole at Talladega in October.
For 2009, Kvapil's owner points from 2008 were transferred to the No. 98, given that Paul Menard had signed with the team, therefore bringing with him a full-time Menards sponsorship. The future of the No. 28 team was uncertain without a sponsor, and Yates would only field the car for five races unless sponsorship had been found. Despite failing to qualify for the Shelby 427, Kvapil had two 18th-place finishes in five races, with race by race sponsorship from Golden Corral and Farmers Insurance. Unfortunately, the team still lacked a committed full-time sponsor, and Yates shut down the No. 28 following the Food City 500.
Car No. 28 results Year Driver No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 Pts 1988 Davey Allison 28 Ford DAY RCH CAR ATL DAR BRI NWS MAR TAL CLT DOV RSD POC MCH DAY POC TAL GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR CLT19 NWS11 CAR27 PHO3 ATL2 8th 3631 1989 DAY25 CAR6 ATL40 RCH5 DAR2 BRI4 NWS11 MAR14 TAL1* CLT33 DOV32 SON9 POC16 MCH31 DAY1 POC6 TAL9 GLN4 MCH7 BRI25 DAR18 RCH10 DOV24 MAR21 CLT5 NWS21 CAR26 PHO39 ATL25 11th 3481 1990 DAY20 RCH20 CAR34 ATL13 DAR3 BRI1 NWS9 MAR22 TAL25 CLT7 DOV17 SON24 POC5 MCH36 DAY24 POC5 TAL20 GLN19 MCH6 BRI23 DAR15 RCH16 DOV9 MAR7 NWS26 CLT1 CAR29 PHO11 ATL25 13th 3423 1991 DAY15 RCH12 CAR16 ATL40 DAR2 BRI3 NWS6 MAR8 TAL22 CLT1* DOV16 SON1 POC12 MCH1* DAY3 POC14 TAL9 GLN10 MCH2* BRI24 DAR12 RCH2* DOV31 MAR29 NWS4 CLT2 CAR1 PHO1* ATL17 3rd 4088 1992 DAY1* CAR2 RCH4 ATL4* DAR4* BRI28 NWS1 MAR26 TAL1* CLT4 DOV11 SON28 POC5 MCH1* DAY10 POC33* TAL3 GLN20 MCH5 BRI30 DAR5 RCH19 DOV4 MAR16 NWS11 CLT19 CAR10 PHO1 ATL27 3rd 4015 1993 DAY28 CAR14 RCH1 ATL13 DAR11 BRI5 NWS4 MAR2 TAL7 SON15 CLT30 DOV3 POC6 MCH35 DAY31 NHA3 POC 9th 3845 Robby Gordon TAL42 Lake Speed GLN27 MCH7 BRI16 Ernie Irvan DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR PHO ATL 1994 DAY CAR RCH ATL DAR BRI NWS MAR TAL SON CLT DOV POC MCH DAY NHA30* POC TAL IND GLN MCHWth† 4th 4195 Kenny Wallace BRI13 DAR11 RCH32 DOV20 MAR4 NWS10 CLT14 CAR15 PHO18 ATL25 1995 Dale Jarrett DAY5 CAR5 RCH25 ATL5 DAR38 BRI6 NWS11 MAR7 TAL19 SON23 CLT32 DOV40 POC38 MCH6 DAY42 NHA30 POC1 TAL2 IND3 GLN17 MCH33 BRI3* DAR28 RCH4 DOV30 MAR10 NWS7 CLT5 CAR23 PHO11 ATL31 13th 3584 1996 Ernie Irvan DAY CAR RCH ATL DAR BRI NWS MAR TAL SON CLT DOV POC MCH DAY NHA POC TAL IND GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR PHO ATL 10th 3632 1997 DAY CAR RCH ATL DAR TEX BRI MAR SON TAL CLT13* DOV POC MCH CAL DAY NHA POC IND10* GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH NHA DOV MAR CLT TAL CAR PHO ATL 14th 3534 1998 Kenny Irwin Jr. DAY19 CAR26 LVS36 ATL5* DAR39 BRI43 TEX39 MAR19 TAL40 CAL16 CLTDNQ DOV33 RCH9 MCH13 POC11 SON9 NHA33 POC22 IND38 GLN37 MCH16 BRI15 NHA11 DAR41 RCH10 DOV40 MAR27 CLT20 TAL43 DAY32 PHO40 CAR33 ATL16 28th 2760 1999 DAY3 CAR23 LVS41 ATL23 DAR35 TEX15 BRI11 MAR36 TAL35 CAL13 RCH40 CLT15 DOV10 MCH11 POC18 SON22 DAY14 NHA26 POC43 IND13 GLN26 MCH34 BRI24 DAR31 RCH5 NHA10 DOV10 MAR39 CLT15 TAL10 CAR13 PHO21 HOM33 ATL29 19th 3338 2000 Ricky Rudd DAY15 CAR6 LVS12 ATL11 DAR17 BRI14 TEX10 MAR22 TAL27 CAL4 RCH4 CLT17 DOV5 MCH12 POC3 SON5 DAY5 NHA10 POC38 IND21 GLN11 MCH2 BRI10 DAR8 RCH9 NHA3 DOV3 MAR4 CLT3* TAL11 CAR3 PHO37 HOM6 ATL24 5th 4575 2001 DAY4 CAR39 LVS19 ATL6 DAR8 BRI10 TEX37 MAR2 TAL14 CAL6 RCH5 CLT7 DOV10 MCH2 POC1 SON4 DAY14 CHI3 NHA3 POC11 IND39 GLN4 MCH42 BRI4 DAR7 RCH1 DOV3 KAN3 CLT21 MAR39 TAL26 PHO3 CAR8 HOM21 ATL35 NHA13 4th 4706 2002 DAY38 CAR18 LVS13 ATL20 DAR12 BRI3 TEX4 MAR7 TAL14 CAL3 RCH39 CLT4 DOV19 POC17* MCH8 SON1 DAY15 CHI19 NHA17 POC10 IND18 GLN5 MCH12 BRI39 DAR30 RCH7 NHA12 DOV14 KAN20 TAL3 CLT39 MAR3 ATL32 CAR20 PHO13 HOM19 10th 4323 2008 Travis Kvapil DAY30 CAL36 LVS8 ATL29 BRI27 MAR18 TEX18 PHO22 TAL6 RCH16 DAR8 CLT26 DOV11 POC23 MCH16 SON22 NHA36 DAY31 CHI41 IND36 POC16 GLN36 MCH13 BRI24 CAL28 RCH17 NHA26 DOV23 KAN34 TAL27 CLT42 MAR19 ATL23 TEX32 PHO21 HOM7 23rd 3384 2009 DAY42 CAL18 LVSDNQ ATL42 BRI18 MAR TEX PHO TAL RCH DAR CLT DOV POC MCH SON NHA DAY CHI IND POC GLN MCH BRI ATL RCH NHA DOV KAN CAL CLT MAR TAL TEX PHO HOM 49th 378† - Withdrew after getting injured in practice
Car No. 38 history Elliott Sadler (2003–2006)
Elliott Sadler was hired in 2003, and Yates brought in M&M's as the sponsor, replacing the longtime sponsor Havoline. Yates also changed the car's number from 28 to 38. Sadler collected two victories for the team, and finished a career-best 9th in points in 2004. On August 14, 2006, Sadler left for Evernham Motorsports to drive the No. 19.
David Gilliland (2006–2008) David Gilliland replaced Sadler in the No. 38, beginning with the GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan. He finished out the 2006 season, and continued to drive the No. 38 in 2007, after which M&M's left the team for Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 18 car. Gilliland drove for Yates again in 2008 and on May 9, it was announced that FreeCreditReport.com would sponsor the car for the remainder of the 2008 season. Later in the year, Gilliland would record his best career finish of second at Infineon Raceway, and finished 27th in the points standings.
The No. 38's owner points were sold to Hall of Fame Racing to field the No. 96, but Yates switched the No. 28's owners points to the 98. After the team was unable to find sponsorship, Gilliland was released from his contract. Gilliland later went on to TRG Motorsports for some races in 2009.
Car No. 38 results Year Driver No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 Pts 2003 Elliott Sadler 38 Ford DAY23 CAR9 LVS42 ATL6 DAR7 BRI21 TEX41* TAL3 MAR5 CAL23 RCH37 CLT36 DOV33 POC9 MCH17 SON22 DAY24 CHI9 NHA27 POC14 IND42 GLN15 MCH12 BRI38 DAR9 RCH39 NHA8 DOV19 TAL30 KAN42 CLT43 MAR28 ATL17 PHO20 CAR21 HOM21 22nd 3525 2004 DAY7 CAR18 LVS6 ATL29 DAR5 BRI14 TEX1 MAR12 TAL28 CAL22 RCH12 CLT5 DOV18 POC12 MCH5 SON10 DAY26 CHI21 NHA15 POC10 IND3 GLN15 MCH32 BRI5 CAL1 RCH17 NHA8 DOV20 TAL22 KAN4 CLT7 MAR32 ATL36 PHO38 DAR23 HOM34 9th 6024 2005 DAY11 CAL8 LVS29 ATL10 BRI2 MAR9 TEX28 PHO11 TAL6 DAR20 RCH7 CLT13 DOV10 POC21 MCH8 SON6 DAY21 CHI37 NHA39 POC16 IND32 GLN12 MCH39 BRI13 CAL17 RCH17 NHA30 DOV6 TAL34 KAN12 CLT27* MAR29 ATL10 TEX9 PHO11 HOM23 13th 4084 2006 DAY4 CAL23 LVS14 ATL29 BRI13 MAR6 TEX33 PHO37 TAL16 RCH13 DAR29 CLT30 DOV40 POC20 MCH22 SON8 DAY6 CHI29 NHA25 POC32 IND43 GLN7 25th 3326 David Gilliland MCH38 BRI40 CAL32 RCH36 NHA36 DOV27 KAN22 TAL15 CLT33 MAR28 ATL15 TEX21 PHO16 HOM33 2007 DAY8 CAL25 LVS21 ATL30 BRI41 MAR39 TEX19 PHO35 TAL4 RCH42 DAR30 CLT35 DOV29 POC34 MCH17 SON25 NHA28 DAY11 CHI16 IND17 POC39 GLN33 MCH28 BRI30 CAL25 RCH22 NHA39 DOV24 KAN34 TAL27 CLT25 MAR25 ATL42 TEX28 PHO28 HOM32 28th 2924 2008 DAY28 CAL17 LVS23 ATL32 BRI9 MAR24 TEX15 PHO15 TAL15 RCH41 DAR20 CLT40 DOV16 POC16 MCH27 SON2 NHA28 DAY40 CHI42 IND20 POC34 GLN40 MCH26 BRI22 CAL23 RCH18 NHA41 DOV19 KAN22 TAL40 CLT25 MAR32 ATL27 TEX42 PHO35 HOM27 27th 3064
Car No. 88 history
Ernie Irvan (1995) The No. 88 team began racing for RYR in 1995 with Havoline as the primary sponsor, as Ernie Irvan drove the car in three races following his comeback from injuries.
Dale Jarrett (1996–2006)