Yates, Hall of Fame align; No. 96 to run full season

CONCORD, N.C. -- Yates Racing and Hall of Fame Racing have aligned their teams, with Yates Racing operating the No. 96 entry for the full 2009 Sprint Cup schedule.

Doug Yates and Max Jones will continue as co-owners of Yates Racing, while Tom Garfinkel and Jeff Moorad will continue as co-owners of Hall of Fame Racing.

Labonte

With the recent expansion of the Yates Racing facilities, the No. 96 Ford will operate out of the Yates Racing complex in Concord, N.C. Yates fielded cars last year for Travis Kvapil and David Gilliland, and is adding Paul Menard to its roster this season.

2000 Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte will drive the No. 96 car this season. (read more)

"This partnership with Hall of Fame is a great stepping stone for the Yates organization," Jones said. "Through this partnership, we are able to continue the expansion of our shop and field another Sprint Cup entry. We, along with Ford Racing, welcome Hall of Fame Racing and look forward to a very successful season."

Formerly known as Robert Yates Racing, Doug Yates assumed ownership after his father, Robert Yates, retired following the 2007 season. Last year, Doug partnered with former road racer Max Jones and changed the team name to reflect the new leadership.

Yates' cars have 57 wins, 270 top-five finishes and 433 top-10s, and Dale Jarrett won the 1999 Cup Series championship driving for Yates.

Hall of Fame Racing, which was formed by former NFL quarterbacks Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman, made its NASCAR debut in the 2006 Daytona 500. Moorad and Garfinkel purchased majority interest of the team in August 2007.

"Jeff Moorad and I knew it would take time to construct the right model to improve our competitive position in the sport and we think we've come a long way to achieving that through our association with Yates Racing," said Tom Garfinkel, co-owner of Hall of Fame Racing. "We're proud to be associated with Doug and Max and Ford Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series."

Hall of Fame ended its technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of last season, then laid off most of its work force last month as sponsorship difficulties put its 2009 schedule in doubt. The building that the team leased was also put up for sale.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.