2007 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 - Pre-Race News

Pre-Race News

• Hall of Fame Racing signed J.J. Yeley to drive for the No. 96 team beginning with the 2008 season. Yeley had been unseated from the #18 Interstate Batteries car at Joe Gibbs Racing by Kyle Busch. Additionally, it was announced that they will run Toyota next season.
• The long rumored switch from Chevrolet to Toyota was made official when JGR made the announcement at RIR on September 5. Kyle Busch all but let the cat out of the bag at a press conference in California with that news.
• Ricky Rudd missed this race due to a shoulder injury suffered in an accident during the Sharp AQUOS 500 on Sunday (September 2). Kenny Wallace replaced the native Virgnian in the Yates/Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing Snickers Ford, the first time in Rudd's career that he has missed a race due to injury.
• Bobby Labonte ran in his 500th career Cup race in the Petty Enterprises #43 Dodge Avenger. The younger Labonte was the 2000 Cup Series Champion with Joe Gibbs Racing in the aforementioned #18 car while the series was under the Winston Cup banner. In an interesting sidelight, Labonte's official website gave away free commemorative T-shirts.
• In another worst-kept secret, Mark Martin and Aric Almirola along with their US Army sponsorship will move from the #01 Chevy to the #8 ride being vacated by Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the 2008 season. The current #01 will likely change their number to #14 as Regan Smith is expected to have Coors Light sponsorship as Budweiser is expected to go to GEM and the #9 Dodge of Kasey Kahne.
• A settlement in the "exclusivity lawsuit" between AT&T and NASCAR on the Jeff Burton #31 car for Richard Childress Racing allows the car to carry the AT&T colors for the rest of the 2007 season as well as 2008.
• David Stremme will not be back in the Chip Ganassi Racing #40 Dodge for the 2008 season. Also, sponsor Coors Light will also not return to Ganassi, ending a 14 year relationship with the team. Dario Franchitti, winner of the 2007 Indianapolis 500, has been mentioned as a replacement.
• Robert Yates officially announced his retirement as a team owner at the end of the 2007 season. He will hand over his operation to his son, Doug. The team also announced the end of their partnership with Champ Car World Series team Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. The team will be renamed Yates Racing with NCTS driver Travis Kvapil replacing the retiring Ricky Rudd.