As the 23-race NHRA POWERade tour leaves Atlanta Dragway and heads north up I-75 for next weekend’s event outside St. Louis at Gateway International Raceway, two-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Jim Yates finds himself at a racing crossroads that many drivers have faced before, competing with others for the precious funding that is the lifeblood for any professional racer. But the veteran remains upbeat and optimistic as he prepares his Pontiac GTO for a racetrack where he’s had success in the past, besting Allen Johnson for the win in 1999 as well as finishing runner-up to Warren Johnson both in 1997 and 2001.
“Contrary to some reports, I’m not quitting or retiring, ” Yates said. “I want to race, (son) Jamie wants to race, (wife) Toni wants to race, Grumpy (engine builder Bill Jenkins) wants to race. We love to race and we think we have something good together. Unfortunately, not only do you need half-inch wrenches in your toolbox, you also need money in your toolbox. It’s no secret that to run at the winning level of Pro Stock it takes the proper funding and in the past we have proven that we’ve got the talent to run with the best cars out here.
“We had some very positive opportunities lined up at the end of last year, but, unfortunately they just didn’t work out. As a result, it left our program in a hole financially. We still love what we are doing and we are still the same talented team that has won POWERade championships and national event races in the past. Bill (Jenkins) continues to improve the horsepower in our engines every week and our new Pontiac GTO is working better than ever. We’re really excited about our program and the potential we have and we’d love to have the money to stay out here and race. “
According to Yates, “My plan is not to go home, sell our race cars, sell our tractortrailer and go get a job. But if we don’t have the finances to come out here and race at the level we’re used to, then we’re going to go home, park our stuff and spend seven days a week looking for a sponsor so that we can come out here and once again take our place among the top Pro Stock teams in the country. Unfortunately, you need money to race with the top teams; talent only goes so far.
“We’ve been in a good position with the six-race program we had with Sea Ray Boats and WileyX Eyewear, and we’ve got that extended for a couple more races, which is really good for us, ” says Yates. “Beyond that we’ve got three deals working that could carry us through to the end of the year. I’ve been working really hard on an exciting program for next year, and we’re probably thirty days from finding out if that’s going to happen, but unfortunately, no one has signed on the dotted line yet.
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