Musgrave to drive for Team SABCO

Musgrave to drive No. 01 SABCO Chevy
By Marty Smith

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (July 17, 2000) In the wake of Kenny Irwin's death, Team SABCO has been faced with several major decisions - one of the most difficult being who to put in the seat of the BellSouth Chevrolet for the remainder of the NASCAR 2000 season. SABCO has named NASCAR Winston Cup Series veteran Ted Musgrave as its driver for at least the next two events. Musgrave began a two-day test Monday at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill., in preparation for the upcoming races at Pocono and Indianapolis.

Musgrave spent nearly five years at Roush Racing before being released in 1998, at which time he jumped from team to team, driving five different cars over the second half of the season. In '99, he piloted Butch Mock's No. 75 Fords. He subbed for Geoffrey Bodine earlier this season in the No. 60 Chevrolets after Bodine was injured in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Daytona.

Now, Musgrave is being summoned to help out a team in need yet again.

"We're in the process of refocusing our efforts and looking towards the 2001 season, but at the same time, the entire team is trying to get through a very difficult time," SABCO co-owner Felix Sabates said. "We are looking for the best available driver in the short term and the best available driver in the long term."

One long-term decision has already been finalized. Out of respect for Irwin, the BellSouth Chevrolets in both the NASCAR Winston Cup and NASCAR Busch Series will no longer don the No. 42. Instead, they will carry the No. 01, effective immediately. The No. 42 was on the SABCO Chevrolets since the team's inception in 1988.

"Kenny was the future of the No. 42 teams," Sabates said. "To put someone else in his seat with his number wouldn't feel right. I spoke with his parents (Reva and Kenny Sr.) and they were very appreciative and supportive of what we wanted to do."

In 87 NASCAR Winston Cup Series starts, Irwin collected four top-5s and 12 top-10s. His best run this season was a fourth-place effort at Talladega.

An announcement concerning Team SABCO's driver for its NASCAR Winston Cup Series entry for the 2001 season and beyond is expected to take place at the end of the season. Additionally, the team is currently evaluating drivers for its NASCAR Busch Series entry with a decision expected prior to the Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

-nascar.com-