Evernham-Gillett deal could be done by Monday..at the latest: Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillett told the [St Petersburg] Times on Thursday there is a "95% chance" his purchase into Evernham Motorsports will be final by today or Monday at the latest. Gillett, 67, who has had stakes or complete control of the Harlem Globetrotters, Miami Dolphins and currently the Liverpool Football Club, would not divulge his percentage of ownership, but Ray Evernham has stated in the past it would be a majority. Gillett, whose net worth was estimated at $250-million in 2006. Gillett also owns a series of organic and natural foods companies, ski resorts and car dealerships. The Wisconsin native said he had been interested in acquiring part of a NASCAR team for three years but was seeking the right partner and "we weren't interested in just coming in and bringing money." He found his partner and a jovial friendship with Evernham, 49, who won three championships and 47 races as Jeff Gordon's crew chief, but had struggled recently to field a competitive team as costs skyrocketed. "We've got some fairly novel ideas that Ray's been developing and we've been developing together," Gillett said. "It's fair to say Ray's primary emphasis and time commitment will be on the racing side."
"My partnership with Gillett is not about needing money," Evernham said. "It's about growing this company."(St Petersburg Times)(8-3-2007)

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Evernham Motorsports is expected to announce George Gillett Jr. as
its new majority owner as early as today. Ray Evernham said Saturday that
the deal is in place. Evernham said he's willing to surrender control of his
operation to bring in Gillett's business acumen. The move will enable
Evernham to refocus his energies on his strength, the competition side of
the industry. Evernham, who currently fields cars for Kasey Kahne, Elliott
Sadler and Scott Riggs, said he expected to make multiple major
announcements this week, fueling speculation that Budweiser could be coming
aboard as a sponsor in 2008. (USA Today)(8-6-2007)

OFFICIAL: Evernham & Gillett Partner to Create Gillett Evernham Motorsports: Today [8/6/2007], Ray Evernham and George N. Gillett, Jr. announced the creation of Gillett Evernham Motorsports (GEM), a partnership combining Evernham Motorsports [#9, #10, #19 teams] and the Gillett family where Evernham will remain a substantial owner and retain the title of Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The strength of Evernham’s championship on-track performance and Gillett’s off-track sports business experience creates a high-performance, high-energy platform to establish GEM’s value and appeal to fans and sponsors, on and off the track. Recognizing that the rate of change off-track has exceeded the change on-track in the past few years, Evernham forged a relationship with Gillett, whose diverse holdings offer unique business-to-business opportunities, sponsorship activation and fulfillment that will revolutionize what sponsors can expect from a NASCAR team. Gillett is the owner of the Montreal Canadiens National Hockey League (NHL) team and a co-owner of the Liverpool Football Club in the English Premier League. Gillett’s other business interests include the Bell Centre, home of the Montreal Canadiens and Gillett Entertainment Group (GEG), producers of some 700 sporting and entertainment events in numerous venues throughout Canada and the United States. GEM will benefit from Gillett’s existing network of sports and entertainment properties, resorts, auto dealerships and auto franchises offering unique access to sponsors and partners and a powerful global connection that no other team can offer.
“It’s very exciting for me to deliver to sponsors and fans the opportunity to align with a worldwide sports leader,” said Evernham, CEO of GEM. “With the business acumen of the Gillett family and its sports brands, we’ve greatly expanded our reach. This will allow me to focus on our racing operations and team performance, while the Gillett family will focus on our business operations. It certainly allows us to capitalize on our strengths and position GEM for long-term success both on and off the track.”
“Racing is in my blood,” said Gillett, chairman of Booth Creek Management Corporation (BCMC). “It’s not often you get to partner with a leader with Ray’s reputation, talent and championship legacy.” The transaction was initiated and negotiated by Matthew Doherty at McLaren Capital Partners in Los Angeles. Wachovia Securities advised BCMC.(Gillett Evernham Motorsports-GEM PR), see past news on this on my #19 Team News and Links page.(8-6-2007)

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Auto racing, bull fighting and mountain climbing are the only real sports... the rest are just games........ Earnest Hemmingway

On October 14, 1999, a partnership was forged between Ray Evernham and Dodge, bringing together one of the sport's premier talents with an auto manufacturer returning to the series for the first time in nearly 23 years.

This historic day was the beginning of an incredible journey which started with the formation of Gillett Evernham Motorsports and a 500-day countdown to the 2001 Daytona 500. Today, that partnership has delivered 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup wins and 24 poles, with trips to victory lane in each of the six full seasons of competition.

Countdown to Green

One of the first steps for Gillett Evernham Motorsports was securing a quality driver. The team accomplished this first feat and announced on March 10, 2000, that legendary driver Bill Elliott would anchor the program as driver of the No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge. Just over two months later, on May 25, Gillett Evernham Motorsports announced that the driver of the No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge would be Casey Atwood.

With 170 days remaining until their Winston Cup debut together, Dodge and Gillett Evernham Motorsports reached another milestone when the Dodge was approved by NASCAR. Approval of the Dodge engine followed 85 days later. On February 11, 2001, history was made again as Elliott captured the pole for the 2001 Daytona 500 – the first Winston Cup pole for Gillett Evernham Motorsports and the first for Dodge in almost 23 years. In addition, Casey Atwood added his name to the record books when he became the youngest pole winner in the modern era at Phoenix in November. The season also ended on a high note as Elliott provided Gillett Evernham Motorsports with its first win at Homestead-Miami in the season's final race.

Accelerating to New Levels of Success

Gillett Evernham Motorsports continued to grow and in 2002 added a new 50,000 square-foot facility to the Statesville headquarters. The new addition included a new base of operations for Dodge's Research & Design Center, which allows the manufacturer's engineers to work side by side with their Sprint Cup teams, sharing appropriate information. Jeremy Mayfield also joined the organization as the driver of the No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge. Mayfield's impressive win in the Winston Open added to an historic year for Gillett Evernham Motorsports as "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville" cemented his name in the bricks of Indy when he won in dominating fashion at the Brickyard 400. The monumental week was preceded by Elliott's exciting win at Pocono.

In 2003, Gillett Evernham Motorsports took the checkered flag in a win by Elliott at "The Rock" while Mayfield took the pole at Talladega and notched two runner-up finishes at Richmond and Dover.

In 2004, Elliott began a new chapter in his career. He scaled his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule back to part-time competition, turning the No. 9 Dodge over to rookie Kasey Kahne. In addition to serving as a coach and mentor to Kahne and Mayfield, Elliott played a pivotal role in the research and development program at Gillett Evernham Motorsports.

Again in the 2004 season, a Gillett Evernham Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge visited victory lane with a Mayfield win at Richmond. Together, the Gillett Evernham Motorsports teams combined for 18 top-fives, 28 top-10s and six poles. Mayfield earned a berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup and finished 10th in the final standings while Kahne captured Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors and finished 13th in total points.

Gillett Evernham Motorsports saw continued success in 2005. The Sprint Cup teams scored two victories (Kahne at Richmond, Mayfield at Michigan), nine top-fives, 17 top-10s and two poles. Mayfield again claimed one of the spots in the Chase for the Sprint Cup and finished ninth in the standings. In its first season, the No. 6 Nationwide team collected a win at Kansas Speedway and poles at Charlotte and Phoenix with Kahne.

In 2006, Gillett Evernham Motorsports continued to expand with five full-time teams in three series, including a third Sprint Cup team with Valvoline Evernham Racing, and a Truck team with developmental driver Erin Crocker behind the wheel. The team also set new records for success, bringing home six wins and eight poles in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, two wins and two poles in the Nationwide Series, and one pole in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. Kasey Kahne secured his first spot in the NASCAR Chase for the Championship, finishing eighth for the season. The 2006 season also brought the addition of Elliott Sadler to the team as the driver for the No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger. In his first outing with Gillett Evernham Motorsports at the August Michigan race, Sadler delivered an outside pole starting position and a10th-place finish, the first top-10 for the No. 19 team during the season.

The No. 10 Valvoline/Stanley Tools Dodge Charger, also proved it had the power to perform, earning two poles and challenging for wins in numerous races. The No. 9 Ultimate Chargers Nationwide team also had a successful season, finishing eighth in the season standings. Erin Crocker continued to gain valuable experience on pavement in the ARCA RE/MAX, Truck and Natioinwide Series. She earned one pole, two top-five and three top-10 finishes for the season.

Challenge for Championship in 2008

The 2008 season should provide even more visits to victory lane and a very competitive challenge for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. With more than 300 employees, a strong technology base and a focus on the fundamentals of racing, Gillett Evernham Motorsports is committed to continuing its tradition of excellence.

The team spent the offseason testing and preparing for 2008, and head to Daytona determined to bring wins and the championship home to Statesville.

Gillett Evernham Motorsports also will campaign the No. 9 Ultimate Chargers Dodge in the Nationwide Series, driven by Kahne and Sadler. In addition, Crocker will compete in the ARCA RE/MAX and Nationwide Series.

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Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
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For first time in his career, owner finds himself jobless

By Dave Rodman, NASCAR.COM
January 15, 2008

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- If you see Ray Evernham around a NASCAR racetrack this season, you better cherish the moment.

Unlike in years past, when Evernham was winning races and championships at Hendrick Motorsports and forging a legacy as one of the sport's best crew chiefs of all time, while working with Jeff Gordon; and later when he left that role to build his own race team as Dodge's flagship team in its re-entry to Cup racing in 2001 -- in 2008 Evernham has no clearly defined role in NASCAR.

And while Evernham says he has no intention of leaving the sport entirely, his involvement will be the least it's been in decades. There's no telling where he'll show up next.

His absence was certainly felt last week when Elliott Sadler's No. 19 Gillett Evernham Dodge team participated in the first Sprint Cup test of Preseason Thunder at Daytona International Speedway -- and Evernham wasn't there.

So it was a pleasant surprise last weekend at Daytona, while Craftsman Truck Series teams participated in their Preseason Thunder test session; that Evernham dropped in to check on the progress of his friend, Erin Crocker, who was testing a Morgan Dollar Motorsports Chevrolet.

And he made no bones about where he stands, even though it seemed painful for him to be having the conversation -- as much as it seemed that way last fall when he discussed changes that were being made to the team in the wake of its majority sale to businessman George Gillett Jr. and his family.

"It's odd and it's going to be odd," Evernham said. "But I'm a percentage owner now. I don't have a job at the shop -- I don't really have a job. I can come and go as I please.

"It's just entering a little bit different part of my life. I've been on the road for 15 years, and a lot of things have passed me in that time. I've got a 16-year-old son [Ray Jr.] that has some challenges in his life that I'm trying to help him with.

"I've got a lot of things to do, so I can try to stand back and help without having the 360 people [GEM employees] counting on me to do a job every day. I've handed off all of my competition responsibilities to Mark McArdle and I'm in the process of handing off a lot of the business stuff.

"It's the first time in probably the last 35 years that I don't have a set job."

It's incomprehensibly hard for someone not on the inside and not inside Evernham's head to know exactly what's there.

Evernham said time would tell if his new role, while presenting its own set of challenges, was a comfort -- or more of a frustration.

"We'll see -- it's early," Evernham said. "I'm still learning. I transitioned from driver to crew chief and crew chief to owner -- then I sold the majority of [Evernham Motorsports] to the Gilletts, and I'm just trying to help them get their feet on the ground, because I believe in those people.

"And in the interim, like I said, there's a lot of other things in my life that have passed me by. I still have a passion for this -- I love racing. I have a passion for it and I always will have a passion for it, but I need to just do it a little bit differently than I've been doing it.

"And this is going to allow me to spend some time to help my son with his life and to enjoy some of the things that I want to enjoy, with a little bit of a relaxed schedule -- but it still will allow me to have the passion."

The team -- including lead driver Kasey Kahne and his crew chief, Kenny Francis -- has seen the change and is comfortable with it, which makes a lot of sense since better performance is all racers ultimately care about; not to say that ever was a question with Evernham.

"I think Ray's going to step back a little this year," Kahne said. "He's always been such a hands-on owner, because of his background and what he's done in the sport, but now he's put Mark McArdle in charge of the car side of things, at the shop and he's going to come to races, do more with sponsors -- act more like the average owner, I guess.

"As far as him and racing and how bad he wants it and him doing whatever it takes to make sure we run good -- that's all still there. But as far as him being in the middle of the set-ups and being in the middle of some of that stuff, I think he's getting away from that and kind of letting other people just put a better team together to do that.

"I think there's already been a difference and everybody I've talked to, at the shop is really impressed and happy with the way things have gone so far."

Francis, who with Kahne won a league-leading six races in 2006 before hitting a winless skid that's now reached 41 races, then picked up the story.

"I think it's a lot more organized and focused on solving the problems that matter, whereas last year, we jumped from one problem to the next, without ever fixing the first problem, and we kept going around in circles," Francis said. "Mark [McArdle] doesn't have as much on his plate as Ray [did]."

But empty plate aside, seeing him at Daytona, it was hard not to think that Evernham was like a man who at best was going to the dentist, and at worst was going in for major surgery -- that his passion and commitment to "his" team, as Kahne acknowledged, wouldn't allow him to fully let go.

"I read somewhere that I'm going to be back in the fab shop, building cars," Evernham said. "It's not like I'm going to be getting my Rainbow Warriors suit [from the Hendrick days] out and jump back on the [pit] box.

"I'm not going to be doing that. Again, it will be pointing out direction, giving an opinion or direction and maybe researching some things. But like I said, I have a passion for the sport, but I just cannot do it the way that I want to do it.

"I want to be a help, to be a mentor -- like I said, I get to help the Gilletts go. And I do want to work with the sponsors a little bit, doing the speeches and the autograph things, but I just don't have to do the negotiations anymore, so instead of the good-cop bad-cop, I get to be the good cop."

In the end, Kahne said he was happy for the man who gave him his first opportunity in Cup racing.

"He's going to do other things on the side, that he enjoys," Kahne said. "He's definitely going to do different things this year than what he's done in the past, and that's good for him. He's built a great organization and he's done a good job with it, so he deserves to be able to step back."

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Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
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