Staubach, Aikman take patient approach to racing

FORT WORTH, Texas -- The answer you get from football-icon-turned-NASCAR-team-owner Roger Staubach is the answer you'd expect.

"Our goal is someday to be able to compete at the very top of the sport," Staubach said Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, his new playing field.

Power Rankings: Phoenix

In this week's edition of Power Rankings, Tony Raines finds himself closing in on the Top 20.

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Less than 30 miles to the east, in Texas Stadium, the names of Staubach and Nextel Cup team co-owner Troy Aikman are emblazoned on the Dallas Cowboys' Ring of Honor, the holiest of holies (to the Cowboys' faithful) that circles the stadium high above the field.

Staubach and Aikman are Super Bowl winning quarterbacks -- Staubach twice, Aikman three times. They are both enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

That's the origin of the name Hall of Fame Racing, the team Staubach and Aikman co-own with managing partner Bill Saunders. Hall of Fame Racing fields the No. 96 Chevrolet driven by Tony Raines.

As competitive as Staubach and Aikman were during their respective football careers, in their roles as Nextel Cup owners they are realistic and patient.

"We can definitely be a top-25 team," Staubach says. "It isn't out of the question that, if all the stars lined up, we could possibly get close to the top 20. The top 25 is really a major goal for us this year. We feel we're very capable of doing that.

"We have a great sponsor, and we're putting the resources into this thing. We're not doing anything second-class. It's like anything else.

It's a sport that takes time to be successful at it."

Staubach may be underselling his expectations. With Raines driving 29 races and Terry Labonte seven last year -- when the team made use of the insurance policy of Labonte's past champion's provisionals and road course expertise -- the No. 96 Chevy finished 26th in owner points, the same position Hall of Fame Racing occupies through seven races this season.

Toward the end of the 2006 season, there was speculation the owners might look elsewhere for a driver, but, to their credit, they stuck with Raines, who currently is 25th in the driver standings. They further strengthened their organization last October by promoting crew chief Philippe Lopez to competition director and naming Brandon Thomas the new crew chief. (Continued)