Bill Davis Racing, the reigning Nascar truck series champion and 2002 Daytona 500 winner, agreed to be sold to two North Carolina investors after failing to secure sponsorship for next season.
TRT also acquired Triad Racing Development, a major supplier of engines, chassis and bodies for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Series teams.
“This is an exciting time for us,” said Marty Gaunt, co-owner of TRT. “With the changing economic landscape, we see this as an opportunity to service existing Toyota teams and build the business by providing cost effective engine support and chassis production to all racing teams regardless of manufacturer association.”
Gaunt, with business partner, Michael Held, purchased Triad this week and will begin management of the company immediately.
BDR’s new owners hope to have the No. 22 Cup car on the track in 2009 but likely won’t announce plans for the team for another few weeks.
“As sponsorship revenues shrink, it’ll force race teams to look at what resources they have and what they can do to contract out stuff such as building chassis,” Held said in a phone interview Monday morning. “One of those efficiencies could be getting their chassis made at Triad.
“It’s important for us to be in the Cup garage, it’s our intention to be able to supply a Cup team or two.”
Triad is interested in continuing the truck and Cup teams campaigned by Bill Davis Racing last season. The Bill Davis Racing truck driven by Johnny Benson won the series championship, and its No. 22 Camry, driven by Dave Blaney, finished the season ranked in the top 35 in Sprint Cup owners points, guaranteeing it a spot in the first five races of 2009. The team’s future has been uncertain because of a lack of sponsorship.
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