HOF plans 2nd team in 2008: Hall of Fame Racing [#96 Tony Raines] co-owner, Troy Aikman, said Tuesday on ESPN2's NASCAR Now, that the team plans to have a 2nd car in 2008 and that they need the 2nd team to get to the next level. Aikman also said they have been approached by a few sponsors for the 2nd team and that while he would like to talk to Dale Earnhardt Jr. about driving for them, he says that is not realistic and they are not a winning team....yet.(6-6-2007)

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Hall of Fame to Toyota if Gibbs goes; Raines could be back: Hall of Fame Racing managing partner Bill Saunders said the goal of his team remains to finish the season in the top 20 in owner points. The #96 DLP HDTV Chevy is 26th in the standings after driver Tony Raines finished 15th at Pocono last weekend. Saunders denied an Internet report this week that Hall of Fame Racing was talking to Richard Childress Racing about using their engines next season. "We're with Joe Gibbs Racing, and I don't know where any of that came from," he said. Saunders said if Joe Gibbs Racing decides to switch from Chevy to Toyota, Hall of Fame Racing would do the same as a satellite Gibbs team. Saunders also said that it's written into Raines' contract that if he finishes in the top 20 in points, he's guaranteed a spot behind the wheel next season. If he doesn't, Saunders said, the team will assess his performance and make a decision on 2008 after the season.(Dallas Morning News)(8-11-2007)

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19-year-old to race seven Cup races in '08; full time in '09
By Raygan Swan
NASCAR.COM
November 2, 2007
05:09 PM EDT

FORT WORTH, Texas -- While a string of Cup veterans are standing in NASCAR's unemployment line, praying for a ride next season, rookie Brad Coleman has two.

Only a few short weeks after signing for a full-time ride with Brewco Motorsports in the Busch Series, Coleman has turned around and signed another contract to go Cup racing in 2008 with Hall of Fame Racing.

The 19-year-old Texas native has agreed to become a full-time test driver for the team and run at least seven Cup races at the end of the 2008 season; meaning Hall of Fame will add a second car along side the No. 96 piloted by J.J. Yeley.

"I'm just extremely grateful" said Coleman, who is still under contract to run additional Busch Series races with Joe Gibbs Racing until the end of the season. "I know I will be more than prepared to go Cup racing under the excellent program Hall of Fame is putting together for me. I really admire the vision they have for the second car."

Following proper development, Coleman will pilot the Cup ride at Hall of Fame Racing full time in 2009, although a sponsor and number for the entry has yet to be determined.

Team officials at Hall of Fame Racing said they had been scouting Coleman for the past six months. They collected pertinent data about the teenager, on and off the track, that will help determine the future of its second car.

"We saw a lot of raw talent in Brad, and he has the kind of character we want to build a program around and watch grow," said Tom Garfinkel, team owner and executive vice president of the Arizona Diamondbacks. "He is willing to listen, he's respectful and that's the platform you need for a successful team."

In 16 races to date, Coleman has posted three top-fives, five top-10s, seven top-15s and nine top-20s, winning the pole at Talladega and posting the highest finishing average of any non-Cup experienced driver in the series.

For most of the season, he has been one of the youngest drivers on the track racing along side a slew of Nextel Cup stars.

Before transitioning to Hall of Fame, Coleman will finish out his part-time Busch series contract with Joe Gibbs Racing this season. Next season, he will step in to pilot a full-time ride Busch ride for the No. 27 Ford at Brewco Motorsports, a contract signed a couple of weeks before his contract with Hall of Fame Racing.

Signing his Cup contract with Hall of Fame Racing was truly a treat for the young driver, who in September feared he may not have a ride at all.

"It's amazing how God works," Coleman said.

And how Hall of Fame works equally impresses the driver.

Coleman said team representatives made a special trip to Memphis, Tenn., where he was finishing up his most recent Busch race, to sign the contract together.

Both parties met at the airport and Coleman was given a special Diamondbacks jersey and then flown home to Huntersville, N.C. on a private jet.

"They watched my race from the jet at the airport, it was pretty cool," said Coleman, who will watch Sunday's Cup race at the Texas Motor Speedway with his new crew from the Hall of Fame Racing pits.

More than that, Coleman said he admires the camaraderie of the team. On Wednesday, he traveled to the Hall of Fame Racing shop in Charlotte, N.C., to meet the team when he heard live music pouring from the back of the garage.

An avid music lover and guitarist, Coleman went to check it out. Sure enough, a crew guy was on the drums while another was strumming a guitar.

"I thought 'wow, I could really see this becoming my home for a long time,'" he said.

Coleman then picked up an extra guitar and started playing a few beats from Z.Z Top.

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Yeley to debut with the No. 96 DLP® HDTV Team in 2008 Budweiser Shootout

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Hall of Fame Racing has signed J.J. Yeley to drive for the No. 96 team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series beginning in 2008.

Yeley's debut in the No. 96 DLP HDTV car will come in February's Budweiser Shootout at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. His entry into the prestigious event came via his first career pole at Michigan International Speedway this past June.

"In 23 years of being involved in professional sports, I have worked with many great athletes," said Jeff Moorad, owner of Hall of Fame Racing. "J.J Yeley's determination to succeed reminds me of many of the championship athletes that I have been around in my career. He is hungry and determined to win races and championships and to do it with class. We look forward to J.J. being an integral part of Hall of Fame Racing and to winning with him going forward."

Yeley comes to Hall of Fame Racing from Joe Gibbs Racing, the team for which he drove full-time in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series beginning in 2006. Yeley will take over for Tony Raines, current driver of the No. 96 DLP HDTV Chevrolet, following the conclusion of the 2007 season.

"After meeting with Jeff Moorad and Tom Garfinkel it was easy to see why both of them have been so successful with the Arizona Diamondbacks and their other past ventures," said Yeley, whose contract with Hall of Fame Racing runs through the 2010 season. "Both of them are very determined to be successful. They know you can't just come in and throw money at the team and expect to win races. The benefit of this team is that there's already a great history and foundation in place with equipment from Joe Gibbs Racing, which is equal to the best equipment in the sport. All those things added up to make me feel that Hall of Fame Racing and DLP will be the best fit for me."

Yeley brings a strong motorsports pedigree to Hall of Fame Racing. The son of seven-time Arizona Midget Racing Association and two-time World of Outlaws midget champion "Cactus" Jack Yeley, J.J. came to stock cars by way of open-wheel midget and sprint cars in the U.S. Auto Club (USAC), and it was his outstanding 2003 season that put him top-of-mind among Nextel Cup car owners.

The second-generation driver from Phoenix reeled off an amazing 24 USAC wins in 2003, breaking the single-season record set by racing legend A.J. Foyt, who won 19 races during the 1961 season. In addition, Yeley became only the second driver in USAC history to win the "Triple Crown" by capturing the Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown championships in a single season, joining his current Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Tony Stewart as the only other driver to accomplish that feat (1995).

Yeley has two other USAC championships along with an Indianapolis 500 start in 1998. But it's NASCAR that Yeley now calls home, as his 68 career Nextel Cup starts and 110 NASCAR Busch Series starts attest.

"When you leave an organization like Joe Gibbs Racing, one of the top teams in NASCAR, you want to try to make the right step to be more successful," said Yeley, who finished a career-best second in May at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C) Motor Speedway. "I've never had to make a decision this difficult in my life, but I'm confident that Hall of Fame Racing will be competitive week-in and week out and build the future team around me as their driver. The affiliation with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the great people in Phoenix was just an added bonus that makes it the perfect fit for me."

"We are very much looking forward to J.J. representing DLP and our retail partners," said Dave Duncan, sponsorship marketing manager for DLP® Products and Texas Instruments. "We've had a relationship with J.J. the past two seasons as an associate sponsor on the No. 18 car and look forward to working with him in the future."

"It's been great to see DLP come into the sport," Yeley said. "I have a TV in my bonus room that's a 61-inch DLP HDTV that is a favorite of my family. They're just a great sponsor that I've had an affiliation with in the past and I'm looking forward to being a part of this team. I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to take them to victory lane."

Yeley replaces Tony Raines, who has driven for Hall of Fame Racing the past two seasons and will drive the final 11 races in 2007.

"I very much enjoyed working with everyone at Hall of Fame Racing and DLP," Raines said. "I can't thank them enough for everything they did for me and both companies are class organizations. We had some success, especially in the Car of Tomorrow (COT) races and I look forward to running the final 11 races, including the five COT races. We're going to do our best to finish out strong before we go our separate ways. I wish them the best of luck in 2008 and beyond."

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True Speed Communication For Hall Of Fame Racing, Press Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., (Feb. 12, 2008) – Hall of Fame Racing officials announced today the formation of a Board of Advisors to serve as conduits for excellence in business practices and driving more value for sponsors.

Jeff Moorad and Tom Garfinkel own Hall of Fame Racing and field the No. 96 DLP®HDTV Toyota Camry in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for driver J.J. Yeley.

“The concept of an Advisory Board for a race team is something that we believe can help us in the development and execution of our plan for successful growth,” Garfinkel said. “In an effort to add more value to sponsors and operate with transparency about how their investments in our team are deployed, we’ve invited executive leadership from our sponsors to participate on the Board as well.”

“This is a virtual dream team of successful business leaders and entrepreneurs who will assist us in our quest for building a great organization,” Moorad said. “Their vast experience and unparalleled integrity will be invaluable to us and our partners as we move forward.”


The Board of Advisors will consist of: Bob Damon, President of Korn/Ferry International; Tom Davin, CEO of Panda Restaurants Inc.; Mike Gray, most recently President and CEO of Sweet Life Enterprises; Ken Kendrick, Managing General Partner of the Arizona Diamondbacks; Bob Piccinini, Chairman and CEO of Save Mart Supermarkets; Stephen Prough, retired Chairman and CEO of Long Beach Acceptance Corporation; Conrad Wetterau, President and CEO of Quality Beverage Inc., Mark Wetterau, Chairman and CEO of Golden State Foods.


This Press Release and any images that are used,
are used with permission. Do not duplicate or
redistribute in any form without permission or credit.

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