Big changes in store for MB2 Motorsports

CONCORD, N.C. -- MB2 Motorsports began planning for the future Wednesday by preparing to possibly end a relationship with a veteran driver just in time to begin another with an up-and-coming rookie.

KEN SCHRADER • Driver Page • Message Board • Winston Cup Season Stats

Sponsor M&M's recently told MB2 that they would end a six-year relationship at the end of this season with the team's Winston Cup operation. The candy company has scheduled an announcement at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday at which it is expected to announce that Elliott Sadler will drive Robert Yates Racing's M&M' s Ford.

In conjunction with M&M's failure to pick up its sponsorship option with MB2, Schrader has been given the team's blessing to seek other employment. General manager Jay Frye stressed Wednesday that it's not because the team doesn't want to keep him, but because if a replacement sponsor does not materialize, they don't want to hold him back.

"His contract is up at the end of this season," Frye said. "We have two or three things active (but) nothing has been signed (so) we can't offer him anything. He has been a very good friend of ours and the team.

"The sponsors always have a say in who will drive the car (so) when we talk to these prospective sponsors, we list who the potential candidates are, steer them in which way we want to go and hope it's not too late for whoever we want to choose."

Using Schrader's Busch Series operation, MB2 has entered a No. 07 Pontiac for Michael Vergers, a native of Alkmaar, Holland, in Saturday's Cabela's 250 at Michigan International Speedway.

Vergers, after winning three of five Late Model stock car events on the Rockingham oval track in England, relocated to the United States and has excelled in his first eight starts in the ARCA RE/MAX Series.

"It's incredible how quickly this has all come together," Vergers said. "Michigan is a challenge because in the Busch Series the whole field is very competitive, unlike ARCA where there are some very good cars at the front but not through the whole field."

"We have some mutual friends that helped him get into the ARCA series," Frye said. "We have tried to help him that way and in watching how he is performing -- he is performing very well so we wanted to help graduate him to the next level, which is the Busch Series.

"We're excited about the possibilities that we have but we aren't going to rush anything. We are going about this one week at a time. Obviously we have two Winston Cup teams we're concerned about, but with Kenny having his own Busch program, it was easy for us to do it."

Frye said the fact that James Ince, the crew chief on Johnny Benson's No. 10 Valvoline Pontiac in Winston Cup, is going to head Vergers' program indicates how serious the team is about it. Frye said a combination of M&M's and Valvoline crewmen would pit the car on Saturday.

In his eight starts in equipment provided by veteran ARCA owner/driver Bob Schacht, Vergers has started no worse than 18th, including one event in which the lineup was set using points due to a qualifying rainout.

In the Michigan ARCA race in June, he qualified fourth and finished fifth after getting knocked to the rear of the field by a mechanical problem and driving back through the field to as high as third.

Vergers met Ince at a Winston Cup test session last week at Lowe's Motor Speedway and spent the last three days at the MB2/MBV shops. He says the package of an ex-Bill Davis Racing chassis with a Hendrick Motorsports engine; plus his positive experience at Michigan may make the difference between a successful debut and a DNQ.

"We were pretty quick from the word go with the ARCA car so we're not too concerned about getting used to the track," Vergers said. "Our one worry is the weather since we haven't got that many owner points if qualifying is rained out."

"Putting James in charge of this shows the effort we want to put forward," Frye said. "James is one of the best in the business and we want to put him and Michael together to maximize our chance for success.

"The European market is the next horizon of opportunity in our sport and this is something unique and good for our entire company. Under the circumstances we are looking at this as very important for the future of our entire operation."