Rasner Sponsors Ned Combs No 9

February 6, 1999

USENET Newsgroups Sponsor NASCAR Goody's Dash Team in 1999

The Rasner Sponsorship Program is pleased to announce sponsorship of the Goody's Dash Series number 9 CC Motorsports Ford, driven by Ned Combs, for the 1999 season. The season kicks off with the Discount Auto Parts 200, which will be broadcast live from Daytona at 11 a.m. EST Friday, February 12, on ESPN.

The Newton, NC, based CC Motorsports team finished in 7th place in the series in 1997 and Combs was voted Most Popular Driver. He finished 14th in 1998 and looks forward to a strong year in 1999. "With the new Fords and our experience, we believe we have a good shot at winning some races and finishing in the top five in points," he says. "I always enjoy starting the season at Daytona. I started racing there in the '70's and really like it."

The Rasner Sponsorship Program began in 1995 with small disbursements to various teams across the country. Funding is provided via pledges made by participants in the internet newsgroups news:rec.autos.sport.nascar and news:rec.autos.sport.nascar.moderated and several related e-mail discussion lists. Collectively these participants are known as "rasners" from the acronym of the original group, r.a.s.n.

The pledges are an opportunity for fans to use their imaginations while rooting for or against various teams of their choosing. Examples of current pledges include dollars paid for a win and/or pole by their favorite driver/owner, or a DNF by their least favorite driver/owner. Later this year, a cookbook filled with recipes submitted by newsgroup participants will be sold to benefit the sponsorship fund. Organizers plan to sponsor other teams throughout the season as funding grows. Detailed information on how to participate in the program can be found at http://rasnm.carracing.com/rasners/sponsor.html.

The CC Motorsports team is a natural fit for the cyberspace program, with its own website at http://www.hickory.net/combs/ "My son [Robbie] has moved our team ahead, probably farther than any other Dash team, as far as technology is concerned," says Combs. "We use computer programs for most aspects of the car, including setup. We keep track of computer dyno sheets on our engine, shocks, and even our springs. We were the first Goody's Dash team to have an internet website. So r.a.s.n. just fits our team."