November 19, 2006 - What can only be described as a tumultuous year has finally come to a close for Robert Yates Racing (RYR) with the conclusion of the 2006 NASCAR season in Homestead, Fla. The Yates-owned organization experienced five seasons worth of ups and downs during the course of one NASCAR season, making headlines in the sports pages, Internet sites and television shows.DJ at Texas
The start of the Dickies 500 was delayed by nearly one hour due to rain showers that had fallen over the speedway during the mid-morning hours on Sunday. Once the event started, it appeared that it was going to be a tough day for Team UPS, which was racing for the Toys for Tots program with the specially painted #88 The UPS Store®/Toys for Tots Ford Fusion.
Yates's Nextel Cup Series teams worked diligently throughout the 10-month season despite all the turmoil that resulted from being in the headlines, but the rumors took their toll as the season waned. The result was a 23rd-place finish in the point standings for Dale Jarrett and the #88 UPS Racing Team - only the second time in the team's 11-year history that it has finished outside the top 15.
Probably the biggest news of the season came in May, when driver Dale Jarrett announced he would leave RYR at the conclusion of the 2006 season to join Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) with support from new manufacturer Toyota. The decision was a difficult one for Jarrett, who has called RYR "home" since 1995.
"That was a decision that was a tough one but it was the best decision for me personally, as well as my family," Jarrett said. "It's a new challenge for me and there's not a lot of people in sports that get to do something totally new and take a big chance like I am when you're 50 years old. I like the challenge it presents and the opportunity to get in on the ground floor with a new team, and with a new manufacturer coming in. To have a hand in developing their entire program is a challenge I look forward to."
Jarrett's announcement was the first in a string of announcements that would follow, among them the dismissal of general manager Eddie D'Hondt, the release of both RYR Nextel Cup crew chiefs Tommy Baldwin and Slugger Labbe, as well as the departure of Elliott Sadler from the #38 M&M'S Ford. At Chicago in July, UPS announced that it would also leave RYR at the end of the 2006 season to sponsor Jarrett at MWR beginning in 2007.
Despite all the turmoil, RYR made some good news during the year, particularly with the announcement that they had successfully secured the driving services of up-and-coming driver David Gilliland, who caught the attention of the NASCAR community when he won the NASCAR Busch Series race at Kentucky Speedway in just his eighth start. Doug Yates announced the acquisition of Gilliland's services for the #38 M&M'S Ford Fusion at Michigan International Speedway in August, as well as the return of Todd Parrott to the organization he had helped to make so successful. The announcement was a highlight for the organization in 2006.
"I started watching David (Gilliland) early on and every practice session he'd be at the top of the sheet," Yates explained. "Every race he competed in, he was very competitive in, with, really, just hand-built equipment and not as part of a big organization. The true test of drivers is when they can get in average equipment and make it look better than average. That's a good driver right there. After the Kentucky race, when he won, I called my dad up and said, 'We just got our new driver.'"
In addition to the acquisition of Gilliland, RYR assembled a new team of crew chiefs, with Parrott taking the lead role. Veteran NASCAR mechanic Butch Hylton joined RYR in July to work on research and development projects, but was promoted to crew chief of the UPS Team when Labbe was released in early August. Hylton, who made his first start as UPS Team crew chief in Indianapolis, relied on his vast NASCAR experience and infused that with input of various UPS Team members to make the most of the remaining races. Under Hylton's guidance the team flourished and started running in the top 20 on a more consistent basis, scoring finishes of 10th place at California Speedway in September and fourth place at Kansas Speedway in October, with the latter finish being the highlight of the 2006 season for the team.
Throughout the difficult times this season, both Robert and Doug Yates remained complimentary of the drivers who will no longer compete under the RYR banner, and remain optimistic about the future of their organization.
"We wish Elliott and Dale both well," said Doug Yates. "Elliott Sadler is a good person. Dale Jarrett is a good person and 10 years from now we're going to be sitting around laughing about and talking about the good things we did together."
While Robert Yates Racing's immediate future is uncertain, one thing is certain - its accomplishments will live on in the NASCAR history pages for years to come.
