When walking into the Robert Yates Racing (RYR) shop in Mooresville, N.C., a fan has a lot to take in, from the trophies on the shelves to the framed uniforms that adorn the walls. Quite impressive are the multi-colored fire suits from each RYR driver including Dale Jarrett, Elliott Sadler, Ricky Rudd, Ernie Irvan and Davey Allison, as well as the enlarged photos from all 57 of RYR's victories.
Fans can mill through the souvenir shop, peer into the show cars in the center of the lobby and watch both the #88 UPS Ford and the #38 M&M'S® Ford being worked on by members of the RYR teams through two large viewing windows along the back wall.
The first thing that goes through the minds of fans may be where to start. Many visitors first set their eyes on the flashy awards that RYR has received over the years. From the 40 Bud Pole Award trophies to the prize for Jarrett's most recent win for RYR in the #88 UPS Ford at Talladega Superspeedway in 2005, a fan could spend hours admiring the numerous trophies that fill Robert Yates Racing's shelves.
Unlike most other race shop museums, the trophies at RYR can be viewed up close, as most of them aren't in cases. One trophy, in particular, stands above the rest, and that glitzy piece is Jarrett's 1999 Winston Cup Championship trophy. The award marks RYR's and Jarrett's first, and only to date, NASCAR Championship.
The largest trophy appears beside the lounging area of the museum, and it is one the team bestowed upon its car owner at the conclusion of the 2001 NASCAR season. It is a five-foot tall trophy bearing Robert Yates' likeness and represents Yates's first 50 wins. The wins range from Davey Allison's victory in the Winston 500 at Talladega on May 7, 1989 to Ricky Rudd's win in Richmond securing the car owner's 50 first wins on September 8, 2001. The team has now surpassed those 50 wins with seven more victories in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series throughout the past five seasons.
After visitors soak in the surroundings and check out the memorabilia throughout the museum, receptionist Teri Moore is close by to answer questions.
"Fans are very curious about what goes on behind the doors at RYR," Moore said. "The question I get asked the most is how often team owner Robert Yates and NASCAR Nextel Cup Series drivers Dale Jarrett and Elliott Sadler visit the shop. Dale Jarrett fans continually ask me when Dale will drive the truck, and Elliott Sadler fans are always dying to know if he'll get his hair cut anytime soon and if he has a girlfriend."
At the conclusion of a trip to RYR, the souvenir shop is a great way to take home a part of the museum. The souvenir shop includes a variety of items sporting the names, numbers and sponsors of RYR drivers including hats, T-shirts, jackets and die casts. Currently, RYR tees and hats are the top sellers. The hats are embroidered with the black, white and red classic RYR logo and feature the car numbers of Jarrett and Sadler on the back. They are the perfect way to support both the UPS and M&M'S racing teams as well as RYR itself.
Jarrett and Sadler aren't typically available for meet and greets at the museum, but many other activities are possible. Taking a snapshot beside each driver's cardboard stand up, seeing their NASCAR Nextel Cup Series cars being prepared for upcoming races, or taking a walk down memory lane by viewing the items that highlight RYR's history in racing gives a race fan a more personal look into what goes on with the RYR NASCAR Nextel Cup Series teams.
The RYR museum is open to fans throughout the year, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Although the shop does not provide tours, RYR welcomes fans to take an up close look at all of the memorabilia accumulated over its 18 years in the motorsports business.
