Ford's Doug Yates takes over Hall-of-Fame team

By Mike Mulhern
mikemulhern.net

  
   Doug Yates, whose two Ford teams struggled last season, announced Tuesday he would be taking over operation of the former Toyota team owned by Arizona businessmen Tom Garfinkel and Jeff Moorad.
   The move is being described as "an alignment of their two teams."
   Yates will operate the Garfinkel-Moorad team, also known as Hall of Fame Racing, for the full 2009 tour, with Garfinkel and Moorad continuing as official owners. The team will run out of Yates' Concord shops.
  Bobby Labonte, passing up an opportunity to run for DEI, is taking the job as driver.
  
Max Jones, part-owner with Yates and general manager of Yates Racing, called the move "a great stepping stone for the Yates organization.
   "Through this partnership we are able to continue the expansion of our shop and field another Sprint Cup entry."
   Garfinkel and Moorad struggled themselves during 2008, and the team, as a satellite operation for Toyota leader Joe and J. D. Gibbs, went through a number of significant changes, without much to show for them.
   What role, if any, Garfinkel and Moorad will now play in the sport is unclear.
   "Jeff and I knew it would take time to construct the right model to improve our competitive position in the sport, and we think we've come a long way to achieving that through our association with Yates Racing," Garfinkel said.

Doug Yates adds another team to his Ford stable (Photo: Autostock)