Robert Yates Racing, later Yates Racing, ran Ford cars for two decades on the strength of its engines, with Dale Jarrett's 1996 Daytona 500 and a 1999 title at its peak.
Yates Racing was a Ford team owned by the Yates family from 1988 until it merged into Richard Petty Motorsports after 2009. Dale Jarrett won the 1999 Cup championship for the team and 29 races.
Yates Racing was an American stock car team that competed in NASCAR until the end of 2009, when it merged into Richard Petty Motorsports. Previously known as Robert Yates Racing, it was built on a strong engine programme and a record of success on superspeedways, with Ford cars numbered 28, 38 and 88 for most of its life.
What was Yates Racing?
The team was owned by the Yates family from October 1988, when they bought the operation from Harry Ranier and J. T. Lundy. Robert Yates led it until his retirement on December 1, 2007, and his son Doug Yates then took over as owner.
The team was noted for its engine work, which supplied power to other teams and built a reputation that stayed with the operation. It also had a strong record on superspeedways, which matched the power focus of its engines.
An engine-led team that lost Davey Allison, won a title with Dale Jarrett and folded into Richard Petty Motorsports in 2009.
How did the team begin under Davey Allison?
Robert Yates' first driver was Davey Allison, who had raced for the Ranier-Lundy banner since his rookie season in 1987. Allison drove the No. 28 Havoline Ford from the takeover until mid-1993, winning 15 races and finishing third in points twice.
Allison was killed in a helicopter crash at Talladega Superspeedway in July 1993. The team then turned to Ernie Irvan, who took over the seat from Morgan-McClure Motorsports and won at Charlotte and Martinsville before the season ended.
What happened after Irvan's 1994 crash?
In 1994 Irvan won three races before a heavy crash in practice at Michigan left him with life-threatening injuries. Kenny Wallace took over the Havoline Ford for the rest of that season, and the team faced a long period of uncertainty about Irvan's return.
Yates signed Dale Jarrett away from Joe Gibbs Racing for 1995. Jarrett won one race at Pocono and finished 13th in points that year. Irvan returned to the No. 28 in 1996 and won at New Hampshire, and he won at Michigan in June 1997 before leaving at the end of that season.
How did Dale Jarrett's time with the team go?
Dale Jarrett drove for the team from 1995 and became its most successful driver. He won the 1996 Daytona 500 in his first race in the No. 88, and went on to win the Coca-Cola 600, the Brickyard 400 and Michigan that season.
In 1997 Jarrett won at Atlanta and Darlington in March, at Pocono in July, Bristol in August, Charlotte in October and Phoenix in November. That run showed how much the team's engines and crew could deliver on a range of tracks.
Jarrett finished third in the 1996 standings behind Terry Labonte and Jeff Gordon. He won the 1999 Cup championship, and over the years he collected 29 victories, the most for any driver the team employed. He also finished in the top ten in points seven straight seasons from 1996 through 2002.
Who drove the team's later cars?
Ricky Rudd joined the team in 2000 after his own team was sold, and he won his first race for the team in 2001 at Pocono. He drove the No. 28 to victory lane twice more and finished 4th in points in 2001, his second-highest career finish.
Elliott Sadler took over the car in 2003 with M&M's sponsorship, and the team changed the number from 28 to 38. Sadler won two races for the team and finished 9th in points in 2004 before leaving for Evernham Motorsports in August 2006.
David Gilliland drove the No. 38 from 2006 and finished second at Infineon Raceway in 2008. Travis Kvapil took over the No. 28 in 2008 with a series of one-race sponsors, finishing sixth at the Aaron's 499 and earning a pole at Talladega in October.
How did the team end in 2009?
Yates shut down the No. 28 after the 2009 Food City 500, because no committed full-time sponsor could be found. The team also lost its Cup No. 88 when it moved to Hendrick Motorsports for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2007.
Paul Menard drove the No. 98 in 2009 with Menards sponsorship and finished 25th in points. The team was then folded into Richard Petty Motorsports for 2010, and the Yates name left the Cup garage.
What partnerships did the team form?
In January 2009 the former Joe Gibbs satellite team Hall of Fame Racing agreed a technical alliance with Yates Racing. The No. 96 switched from Toyota to Ford and was run out of the Yates shop, with Bobby Labonte driving it under Ask.com sponsorship and inheriting the owner points of the defunct No. 38.
That partnership dissolved after the season, when Yates restructured and Labonte was replaced by Erik Darnell, a Roush Fenway developmental driver.
In 2007 Robert Yates announced a technology partnership with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, a Champ Car team, primarily for technical purposes. That deal was cancelled when Robert Yates retired at the end of 2007.
In January 2009 Hall of Fame Racing entered a technical alliance with Yates Racing, moving its No. 96 to Ford. In January 2010 Front Row Motorsports and Doug Yates formed a partnership to help him field Fords for that season.
How did the team's drivers develop after 2000?
Ricky Rudd's arrival showed the team could still attract veteran drivers after the Jarrett years. Travis Kvapil's 2008 season, with no full-time sponsor, still produced an eighth-place finish at Las Vegas and a Darlington top ten, and he finished 23rd in points.
For 2009 Kvapil's owner points moved to the No. 98 when Paul Menard signed with the team and brought full-time Menards sponsorship. The No. 98 finished 2009 with four top tens and a fifth at Texas.
What are the team's key results at a glance?
| Year | Driver | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Davey Allison | Talladega | Killed in a helicopter crash, July 1993 |
| 1993 | Ernie Irvan | Charlotte and Martinsville | Two wins after taking over the No. 28 |
| 1996 | Dale Jarrett | Daytona 500 | Win in his first race in the No. 88 |
| 1999 | Dale Jarrett | Season | Winston Cup championship |
| 2001 | Ricky Rudd | Pocono | First team win for Rudd |
| 2004 | Elliott Sadler | Season | Career-best 9th in points |
| 2008 | Travis Kvapil | Aaron's 499 | Sixth place, career-best Cup finish |
| 2009 | Paul Menard | Season | 25th in points, the team's final season |
Why does Yates Racing matter?
Yates Racing matters because it showed how an engine programme could support a whole team. Its success at superspeedways and its work with Dale Jarrett gave it a lasting record in the Cup garage.
Its later Xfinity Series efforts added to that picture. The No. 90 car, sponsored by Citifinancial, ran part-time in 2005 and was split between Elliott Sadler and Dale Jarrett, and Stephen Leicht took over full-time in 2007 and won his first race at Kentucky Speedway.
The team's merger into Richard Petty Motorsports ended the Yates name in Cup racing, but the engine work and the long run of Ford cars remain part of its legacy.
