Sponsorship leads Yates to replace Labonte in No. 96

Bobby Labonte is stepping out of the No. 96 car for seven races, as Yates Racing attempts to bridge a sponsorship gap by putting Erik Darnell in its Hall of Fame Racing entry beginning this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Labonte

Darnell, who shares a ride on the Nationwide Series with Roush Racing, will also compete at New Hampshire, Kansas, Talladega, Texas, Phoenix, and Homestead. Academy Sports and Outdoor will be his primary sponsor in the No. 96 at Atlanta, Talladega, and Texas. His car will be backed at New Hampshire and Kansas by Northern Tool and Equipment, which also sponsors his Nationwide entry.

Ask.com, the primary sponsor for the No. 96 for most of this season, committed to 18 of the first 21 races and up to 29 total. Another sponsor, DLP, is filling some of the remaining gap, but not all of it. Yates Racing and Hall of Fame have a one-year agreement for Yates to field the No. 96 car, and it's up to Yates to fill any sponsorship holes.

"We were left with a handful of races that have gone unsponsored to this point," Max Jones, co-owner of Yates Racing, said in a statement. "Northern Tool has been Erik's primary sponsor in both the Nationwide and Truck Series, and they were willing to help Erik and Yates Racing this year. We believe Erik is an extremely talented driver, ready for a shot at racing in the Sprint Cup Series. We are looking forward to seeing Erik progress as a driver and hopefully become a full-time driver in the Cup Series."

Labonte will continue to race the No. 96, with sponsorship from Ask.com or DLP, at Richmond, Dover, California, Charlotte and Martinsville.

Darnell

"This is a move that will be beneficial to Yates Racing surviving this difficult economic time," Labonte said in a statement released by the team. "Of course, I'm disappointed that the sponsorship environment is so challenging right now, but I intend to make the most out of the remaining races that I'm behind the wheel for Ask.com, DLP and Hall of Fame Racing."

Darnell ran three full Camping World Truck Series seasons and scored three poles, two wins, 16 top-five and 32 top-10 finishes. He won rookie of the year honors in 2005. In 11 starts in the Nationwide Series, Darnell has one pole, two top-five finishes, and five top-10 results.

"Racing in the Cup Series is every driver's goal. The Cup Series is where the best of the best compete and I am looking forward to racing against those guys," Darnell said. "I'm excited that Northern Tool and Equipment will be able to make the jump with me, and that Academy Sports & Outdoors has agreed to sponsor me as well. I am confident that this team can give both of these great sponsors' good runs in these upcoming races."