Veteran road racing driver Ron Fellows will pilot the No. 96 DLP HDTV Chevrolet in the upcoming NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series road course events at Infineon Raceway (Sonoma, Calif. ) and Watkins Glen (N. Y.) International, Bill Saunders, general and managing partner of Hall of Fame Racing announced June 19.
Fellows will take over for Tony Raines, who has driven the No. 96 car in all Nextel Cup events in 2007.
“Tony has done a great job for Hall of Fame Racing and DLP this year, ” Saunders said. “We’re very happy with what he’s done so far this season and look forward to getting better throughout the summer and the fall. I’ve known Ron for many, many years and he is a tremendous road racer and we’re thrilled to have him drive the DLP car at Infineon and Watkins Glen. We look forward to great things from him.
“We’re also really appreciative of Tony being a true team player. As a former driver I know how hard it is to sit out a race, so for Tony to put the team in front of himself speaks volumes about what kind of a class act he is. ”
Fellows, 47, from Windsor, Ontario, Canada, has a road racing resume second to none. He won 19 races in 95 starts in SCCA Trans-Am competition before becoming the primary development driver for General Motors’ Corvette C5-R program. That association produced victories at the 24 Hours of Daytona (Fla. ), 24 Hours of Le Mans, 12 Hours of Sebring (Fla. ), and virtually every road racing circuit in North America.
“I’m very excited to get the opportunity to drive the No. 96 DLP HDTV Chevrolet for Hall of Fame Racing, ” Fellows said. “They’ve done a tremendous job in just a year and a half of being in Nextel Cup and I hope to give them two great results at Infineon and Watkins Glen. I’ve known Bill (Saunders) for many years and I really appreciate him, DLP and Tony giving me this opportunity. ”
Fellows has competed in all three of NASCAR’s top divisions and has scored two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victories (Watkins Glen – 1997 and 1999) and three NASCAR Busch Series victories (Watkins Glen – 1998, 2000 and 2001). Both his Truck Series victories and his 2000 Busch Series win came from the pole, while his 1998 and 2001 Busch Series wins came from the second starting spot.
In 15 career Nextel Cup starts – with all but one having come at either Infineon or Watkins Glen (New Hampshire, August 1998) – Fellows has finished second twice, in 1999 and 2004, both at Watkins Glen. His 2004 runner-up effort came after starting 43rd. He has two other top-10 finishes, both at Infineon, where he was seventh in 2003 and eighth in 2005. He has had plenty of success at Infineon, as he has scored five wins in American Le Mans Series competition, tying him for the series record for wins at a racetrack.
“I had a chance to test with the DLP team last month at Virginia International Raceway, ” Fellows said. “I got a chance to know Brandon (Thomas, crew chief) and the team. It was my first time in the Car of Tomorrow and it was a pretty good test. Hall of Fame Racing is a solid organization and I’m looking forward to racing with them. ”
The Toyota/Save Mart 350k at Infineon Raceway is scheduled for June 24 and will be broadcast on TNT. The Nextel Cup at the Glen race at Watkins Glen International will be Aug. 12 and broadcast on ESPN. Both event will be broadcast in high-definition.
About Hall of Fame Racing:
Hall of Fame Racing is in its second season as a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series team, and it is owned by Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterbacks Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach, along with general and managing partner Bill Saunders, who competed in the SCCA Trans-Am Series from 1993 through the 1998 season. The team fields the No. 96 DLP HDTV Chevrolet for veteran driver Tony Raines. In 2006, the team’s first season, Raines and two-time NASCAR Cup champion Terry Labonte split the driving duties and finished 26th in owner points.
