NascarNow reports Yates merging with Newman-Haas!!

[Jonesi]

Can't wait to hear the details on this one!

[harvick#1]

wonder is Sebastien or Graham will get a road course drive

[Jonesi]

wonder is Sebastien or Graham will get a road course drive

Not this year. The Glen Cup race is the same day(time) as the Road America CC race.

[Old3Fan]

Sebastien is saying sayonora and heading to F1. GPa Mario wants Graham in F1 also. Way there is not through Nascar.

[jslone]

Newman Hass to Nascar,why?And were is the link????

[Jonesi]

Announcement Friday pm at IMS. PL Newman will be there, (so I guess hell has frozen over! ;-)
http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/story?seriesId=2&id=2949299

[muggle not]

Paul Newman is a welcome addition to any form of motorsport. I would like to see him in Nascar although he is getting up there in age.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Paul Newman wouldn't be against NASCAR, it is the IRL he has issues with. I think they just have the cash, and Yates need the cash, and PLN and Haas wanted to diversify their racing interests.....

[Lee Roy]

Paul Newman is a welcome addition to any form of motorsport. I would like to see him in Nascar although he is getting up there in age.

I saw him run in a NASCAR modified race on the Daytona Speedway road course in 1974.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Lee Roy..how did he do?
Heck, he was just starting to race then, so I am curious....

[muggle not]

http://www.speedtv.com/articles/nascar/nextel/39037/ (http://www.speedtv.com/articles/nascar/nextel/39037/)

CUP: N/H/L Confirms Its Stake In RYR


Written by: Tom Jensen Indianapolis, Ind. – 7/27/2007
http://www.speedtv.com/_assets/library/img/large/166682_lat2007021191061_pv.jpgGilliland will remain part of the merged operation, but could his teammate come from the other side of the merged operation? (LAT photo)

Less than a month after he pulled out of a potential deal with an investment banking firm, car (http://www.speedtv.com/articles/nascar/nextel/39037/#) owner Robert Yates has finally found an ally to provide the one thing he needed more than money: top-notch engineering help.

Yates has sold an equity position in Robert Yates Racing to longtime Champ Car World Series team Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing and the NASCAR (http://www.speedtv.com/articles/nascar/nextel/39037/#) team was renamed Yates/Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing effective immediately, the team announced Friday.

Neither Yates nor his son, Doug, would disclose how large an equity position N/H/L took in the NASCAR operation, but Doug called it a “true partnership” and said the management company of the structure would change.

“For day-to-day operations, Robert will be running the day-to-day at the shop like he is,” said Doug Yates, “but now he has more people to report to. There will be a board (of directors).” As far as who now owns how much of Yates/Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, he said, “I really can’t disclose that at this time, but it is a true partnership.”

The team likely will continue with two Nextel Cup cars (http://www.speedtv.com/articles/nascar/nextel/39037/#) next year, Doug Yates said. David Gilliland has re-signed with the team for next year and the team is very interested in Sebastien Bourdais, who has won three of the seven Champ Car titles that N/H/L has claimed as a team.

“That is definitely been a discussion that we’ve had,” said Doug Yates of a possible Bourdais move to Nextel Cup. “And I think Sebastien’s very interested in NASCAR. Obviously, with Juan’s (Pablo Montoya) success here, it makes it more attractive for guys like that when open-wheel guys look at NASCAR. And I think it’d be great for NASCAR to have Sebastien here. We don’t go into this from day one saying that that’s our plan, but it’s a possibility.”

It’s expected that Citifinancial will continue to sponsor Stephen Leicht in a Yates/ Newman/Haas/ Lanigan entry in the NASCAR Busch Series (http://www.speedtv.com/articles/nascar/nextel/39037/#) next year, Doug Yates said.

The big benefit for the Yates organization will be the engineering help N/H/L can provide, especially with NASCAR’s Car of Tomorrow, which has extremely closely regulated technical specs. “What we look to do is take their talents and skills and help us with things that we don’t do so well,” Doug Yates said.

“We have always been an engineering driven team,” said Paul Newman, a partner in Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. “We think we have something special to add to the benefit of both. This in no way lessens our commitment to open wheel racing - we want to broaden our horizons.”

Both N/H/L and Yates have longstanding ties to Ford (http://www.speedtv.com/articles/nascar/nextel/39037/#) Motor Co., which played a key role in brokering the deal. “NASCAR Nextel Cup racing is rapidly moving, technology-wise, to engineering areas that Newman/Haas/Lanigan has years of experience with already,” said Dan Davis, director of Ford Racing Technology. “And Robert Yates Racing brings years of engine development and race craft in the sport that is invaluable to this operation. Put that expertise together, along with joint ownership that is clearly committed to winning, and we have a Ford program that will be a contender for years to come.”

[jslone]

Lets see what happens next year when the season starts and how reliable Yates' cars are,I will do the bad guy part on this and say it wont work,but I could be wrong.