Robby Gordon will drive the Jim Beam colors in 'a number' of races this year. Credit: Autostock

Notes: Elliott, Gordon bottle-up sponsor deals

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Bill Elliott will merge Dodge's "family" approach to racing with a familiar sponsor when he drives a No. 39 Coors Charger entered by Chip Ganassi Racing in the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona.

Elliott unveiled the red and white Coors paint scheme his family-operated Melling Racing team used in 1985, when he won the first of two Daytona 500s, at a news conference Wednesday evening at Daytona International Speedway.

Bill Elliott will drive the No. 39 Coors in the Shootout. Credit: Turner Sports Interactive

"It's kind of a retro paint scheme from the same kind of paint scheme I had in 1985," Elliott said. "I'm looking forward to running it [because] it's an opportunity for me to get more seat time."

Elliott ran a limited schedule of races for Ray Evernham Motorsports in 2004, but never secured the sponsorship for the number of races he and Evernham had hoped.

"I hope to run about 10 or 12 [races] not counting the Bud Shootout," Elliott said of his hoped-for schedule. "I think right now we're up to about seven, and I think we'll start at California.

"We plan on running Atlanta, Texas, the Charlotte [Coca-Cola] 600, one of the Michigan races, Chicago, Texas in the fall and I can't remember the others. It's about one a month."

Elliott said Evernham had no problem with him running the race for a Nextel Cup competitor.

"This was an opportunity for us to come down here [and] for me, it knocks that little bit of rust off the edges.

"I just enjoy running here. If you've got a car that handles well with just a little bit of speed you can beat the rest of the competition."

Gordon gets to halfway on sponsorship

Robby Gordon Motorsports announced the second phase of its multi-part sponsorship program when Jim Beam Brands announced its bourbon label would sponsor the No. 7 Chevrolet for "a number of races" in 2005, including the season opening Daytona 500.

Gordon said Jim Beam's program would be similar to the one that Fruit of the Loom announced Tuesday, which was for nine points races.

"Robby is a driver's driver -- a very talented guy across a lot of different series," said Keith Neumann, marketing director for Jim Beam Brands. "Jim Beam began its Motorsports sponsorship program in 2003 with Andretti Green Racing in the Indy Racing League, and once NASCAR opened itself up to distilled spirits advertising it was a tremendous opportunity for us to extend the reach of that platform."

On Wednesday Gordon was most pleased to excavate himself from the depths of the speed chart at the second round of Preseason Thunder. His lap of 48.570 seconds, 185.300 mph was fourth on the list.

"I think we tried about 100 different pieces on our car [Wednesday], including a new gearbox that we finally put in," Gordon said. "We had been creeping up on it -- and I think everybody's running qualifying set-ups right now."

Roush trio leads IROC lineup

Three Roush Racing drivers headline the NASCAR participants in the 2005 Crown Royal International Race of Champions lineup announced Wednesday.

Defending IROC champion Matt Kenseth, 2004 Nextel Cup Series champion Kurt Busch and four-time IROC champion Mark Martin are Roush's three Nextel Cup representatives.

The other NASCAR drivers in the 12-driver field for the series, which opens during Speedweeks at Daytona, includes Busch Series champion Martin Truex Jr. and Craftsman Truck titlist Bobby Hamilton.

Rounding out the field are Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series co-champions Max Papis and Scott Pruett; Indy car drivers Helio Castroneves, Sebastien Bourdais and Buddy Rice; and Sprint Car drivers Steve Kinser and Danny Lasoski.

The Crown Royal IROC Series kicks off its 29th season Feb. 18 at Daytona, followed by rounds at Texas (April 15), Richmond (Sept. 8) and Atlanta (Oct. 29).