Labonte to drive No. 96 Ford

[panther55dad]

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.

 

"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."

 

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.