Ford re-signs with Robert Yates Racing for five years

DEARBORN, Mich. -- Ford Racing Technology announced Friday that it has re-signed Robert Yates Racing to a contract that will keep the family-owned team sporting the blue oval for at least the next five years.

"Robert Yates Racing is synonymous with Ford," said Dan Davis, director, Ford Racing Technology. "We've celebrated the joy of winning races and championships with them, in addition to feeling the frustration that this sport can dish out. The main thing is that we've gone through all of those times together as loyal partners. We're thrilled to have this deal behind us and now we can look forward to continuing getting Robert and his team back among the NASCAR elite."

The agreement continues a 19-year relationship that began when Yates became a car owner in 1988. Since then, his teams have won 57 Nextel Cup Series races, including the Daytona 500 three times, and one series championship in 1999.

"I've always been very passionate about Ford, more than ever now, because I want us to run good on Sunday and help them sell a whole bunch of Fords on Monday. I just want to be part of that," said Robert Yates. "For Ford to come up and support us when we're not having our best days is really a great feeling. They're not turning their back on us. They're offering us plenty of help to get this deal turned around, certainly with engineering support, so we appreciate everybody at Ford, everybody that works on them and everybody that buys them. I'm very appreciative of having this deal."

Robert Yates Racing currently fields two cars in the Nextel Cup Series with drivers David Gilliland in the No. 38 Ford Fusion and Ricky Rudd in the No. 88 Ford Fusion. Stephen Leicht pilots the organization's lone Busch Series entry, the No. 90 Ford Fusion.

"We're talking to sponsors and they want to know what product and what kind of support we get from our manufacturer, so this is huge. This deal is important because it plays a big role in what you're doing to improve your operation," Yates said. "We're happy about this being done because there was speculation out there that we didn't have anything or that we were looking elsewhere. It wasn't true, but it's hard to quiet your critics, especially when your competition is trying to shoot you down, so I want to thank Ford for being loyal to us."