The No. 12 Dodge will become the No. 22 Dodge, which was a Ford, in 2007. Credit: Autostock

Fitz takes number from ppc Racing, not points

2006 Fitz-Bradshaw No. 12 now No. 22, but 34th in owner standings

Fitz Motorsports will field a No. 22 Dodge full time in the Busch Series in 2007 after acquiring the number from ppc Racing, team owner Armando Fitz said Thursday.

The team obtained the number, but not the owner points that come with it, Fitz said. Such a move would have given Fitz Motorsports a guaranteed spot in the Busch Series in 2007, because the No. 22 finished 14th in owner points in 2006.

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"I don't need the points, I just needed the number," said Fitz, who wore the No. 22 when he played football for Vanderbilt in the 1980s. "We are going to use the 12's points."

Fitz ran the No. 12 Dodge in recent years while partnered with Terry Bradshaw, who wore the No. 12 as a quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bradshaw and Fitz ended their partnership late in 2006.

Fitz's newly numbered Dodge will be driven by David Stremme on a limited basis, and Fitz said he will hire additional drivers -- likely veterans -- to fill the remainder of the schedule. He also plans on running a second car on a limited basis, as he did in 2006.

The notion of buying a car number's points was illustrated in 2006, when team owner Michael Waltrip purchased the points from Penske Racing's defunct third car. In the Nextel Cup Series, the top 35 teams in owner points are guaranteed a spot in the field every week.

In the Busch Series, the top 30 teams in owner points are guaranteed a spot in the field every week. Fitz's No. 12 Dodge finished 34th in owner points last season, but Fitz said that he wasn't worried about missing any races, mainly because several Busch teams are in limbo for 2007 due to sponsorship concerns.

"We figure by the second race or the third race, we will be in no matter what," Fitz said.