Cale Yarborough Still Seeks Funding for 2000

Stricklin to test for Yarborough Motorsports By Marty Smith

FLORENCE, S.C. (Jan. 19, 2000) On the eve of his team's first test session in the NASCAR 2000 campaign, Cale Yarborough continues his quest to find proper funding for his NASCAR Winston Cup Series team, with the option of selling the team he's operated for 13 years still very viable. "We're still not quite sure what's going on," said the legendary racer, who made 83 trips to Victory Lane in his 31-year driving career. "We're still trying to work everything out at this point."

Yarborough, 59, spoke from the office of his new car dealership here the day before his No. 98 team was due to arrive at Daytona International Speedway with its Ford Tauruses and driver Hut Stricklin from Calera, Ala.

Yarborough's response was similar to what it has been over and over again for quite some time now. He tried to sell the team no less than three times in 1999, to three separate entities. In each instance, the deal was all but sealed, but never fully came to fruition. At present, Yarborough continues sales negotiations with potential buyers, but has yet to successfully sell the team.

Thus, he surges on with the team, which is slated to take part in Ford Motor Company's two-day "mandatory" test at Daytona on Thursday and Friday with Stricklin. Whether or not Stricklin will run the car during the season has not yet been determined by the team, which has continued its preparations through all of the uncertainty.

Likewise for sponsor Universal Studios, who signed with the team at midseason last year and saw driver Rick Mast running at the finish of every event on the 34-race schedule -- quite the rare feat in NASCAR Winston Cup Series competition. In fact, Yarborough himself was the last driver to accomplish that in his mid-1970s championship era.

Yarborough wouldn't specify whether or not the team had concrete plans to run the Daytona 500 on Feb. 20, but by attending the test session it would appear that they will at least make an attempt.

"Like I say, we don't know much of anything for sure yet," Yarborough said. "We'll let you know when we get something."

It appeared as if CYM had something in 1997, when driver John Andretti roared to Victory Lane in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona. That remains Yarborough's only win as a car owner.

-nascar.com-