- Contract Status: Sponsor - ?; Driver - ?;
- Andretti to the Busch Series? UPDATE: hearing John Andretti could run a full Busch Series schedule for ppc Racing in the #10 Ford.(11-5-2005)
UPDATE: John Andretti will replace Brent Sherman in the #10 Ford for ppc Racing in the Busch Series. Freedom Roads RV will be the sponsor.(Sporting News)(11-7-2005)
- Rudd to retire? Andretti or Schrader to the #21 for 2006? UPDATE 3? one scenerio I am hearing is that Ricky Rudd, driver of the #21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford, could retire at the end of 2005 with no fanfare. John Andretti would drive the #21 for a year, with Jon Wood staying in the #47 Busch Series Ford and moving up to Cup in 2007.(10-9-2005)
UPDATE: now hearing Ken Schrader, driver of the #49 Schwan's Home Service, could replace Rudd in the #21, 'if' Rudd does retire, and possibly may bring the sponsor along with him. BAM Racing and Schrader have said in the past that they expected to be together in 2006 and Schrader said it was his last full-time season in 2006.(10-11-2005)
UPDATE 2; RacingOne reports: Ken Schrader will run one more full NEXTEL Cup season in 2006 for BAM Motorsports. Schrader will shift to the Craftsman Truck Series in 2007 joining Mark Martin as two more former NEXTEL Cup regulars finding homes on the truck circuit.(RacingOne)(10-12-2005)
UPDATE 3: been told that Andretti in not a candidate for the #21 ride.(10-13-2005)
- Andretti in Readers Digest: His Nextel Cup career might be on hold due to lack of sponsorship, but John Andretti is managing to get some exposure via a feature article in the July, 2005 edition of Reader's Digest. Reader's Digest used Andretti, who began this season in ppc Racing's #14 Ford until the team pulled out of the series, to explain car care and avoidance of passenger car problems in its latest issue. The segment has a photo of Andretti. "It's kind of neat, especially with a magazine I first saw when I was a kid because my grandmother subscribed to it," Andretti said. "My first thought was, 'I'll be in dentists' offices all over the country.'"(NASCAR.com)(6-23-2005)
- No Comments: when asked for an update on the #14 ppc Racing Ford team, John Andretti and sponsorhip, a team spokesperson declined, saying the team had nothing to announce or tell anyone.(6-22-2005)
- What is Andretti doing in Texas? John Andretti will be in the television booth during Friday night's Chex 400 at the
1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway, serving as an analyst for SPEED's national broadcast of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race.
"Usually I am sitting behind the steering wheel so I guess this will be a little further away than usual," said Andretti, "but I am really looking forward to it. I've worked some with SPEED on its television programs in the past and I am a regular contributor to WIBC Radio (Indianapolis) but this will be my first shot as a color analyst for a live race broadcast." He has also worked on FOX Sports Net's Totally NASCAR show as a regular contributor, and the Brickyard 400 broadcast last year as color analyst for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network. Andretti, who has two NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race wins, has not driven in the Truck series but follows it closely.
"I'd love to try it sometime because it is great racing," Andretti said. "I love the side-by-side stuff and the close finishes. I can't think of a racer anywhere who wouldn't want to try the Truck series."(Williams Company), no word on Andretti's plans with ppc Racing and the #14 Cup team.(6-9-2005)
- #14 Closing down? AND: hearing that ppc Racing is closing down it's Nextel Cup team and will not run the #14 team again in 2005. John Andretti was slated to run 5-7 more races in 2005.(6-1-2005)
AND John Andretti was in the Nextel Cup garage at Lowe's Motor Speedway last week, but there was no sign of the #14 Ford he had driven earlier this season. Many wonder if his team will return to the circuit on a limited basis, as had been reported earlier.(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)(6-3-2005)
- #14 and Andretti coming back in June, for 5-7 races: It was reported on Speed Channel's NASCAR Nations show Thursday night that the #14 ppc Racing Ford and John Andretti would return to the track to run 5-7 races in 2005, with the first being at Michigan in June. Plans call for the team to run 15 to 17 races in 2006 and then full-time in 2007. No word on a crew chief for the team as it was reported last week that crew chief Dave Charpentier left and went back to DEI.(5-6-2005)
- #14 Team done? Charpentier goes back to DEI: The #14 ppc Racing Cup team is being dismantled, and it's not surprising that crew chief Dave Charpentier has returned to Dale Earnhardt Inc. The #14 team was in existence for just a few months, so don't expect Charpentier to take any of Ford's secrets to Chevrolet.(Sporting News)(5-2-2005)
- Victory Brand to be bought, could the #14 be back on the track? Legend Investment Inc. announced that it has entered into a letter of intent to acquire 100% of Victory Brand, LLC. Based in Coldwater, Michigan, Victory Brand is privately held developer and marketer of valued priced, premium cigarettes. Victory Brand started the production and the provisioning of product in December of 2004, and currently is distributed nationally by three of the top ten national distributors in addition to approximately twenty-five regional and local distributors. VB "Made In the USA" products are currently marketed in thousands of convenience stores including 5,800 Sunoco and A Plus outlets. The company projects revenue of $77,800,000 for the next twelve months.
"We are thrilled at the opportunity to acquire Victory Brand. They have an outstanding product with a marketing and branding strategy using NASCAR racing that is a proven success. It is even more exciting that this is local," said Peter Klamka, President of Michigan-based Legend Investment Corp. Victory Brand, LLC is the primary sponsor of the #14, Nextel Cup Ford driven by John Andretti. Victory Brand is currently the only cigarette sponsor associated with NASCAR Nextel Cup racing. The #14 car is owned by ppc Racing of Mooresville, NC, and backed by the Ford Motor Company. John Andretti (driver of the #14 VB/ A Plus at Sunoco Nextel Cup Series Car) stated: "I work in an ultra competitive environment (NASCAR), and Victory Brand is in a very similar place, being that of the tobacco Industry. To be able to work together towards our collective goals is very exciting. We plan to grow both into being a force within our respective industries. The acquisition of Victory Brand LLC by Legend Investment Inc. will only accelerate this process." Steve Swick, CEO of Victory Brand, stated, "We are excited about the acquisition. Taking Victory Brand LLC into a public venue allows our current membership and venture partners, along with many of the 75 million loyal NASCAR fans, who have expressed an interest in shareholder participation, to share the spoils of future growth and profitability. We receive calls, almost daily, from racing fans inquiring as to how they can become investors and buy the stock. As a result of this acquisition ownership has become a viable option for all interested parties."(Yahoo Biz)(4-13-2005)
- #14 team in trouble? The new team John Andretti has been driving [#14 ppc Racing] for this season may be in more trouble than anticipated. Last week the team announced it was cutting back to a limited schedule of Cup events, indicating sponsorship issues, and about a dozen men were reported let go. Now the team has been hit with a second round of crew cuts.(Winston Salem Journal)(4-11-2005)
- #14 team scales down number of races it'll run: ppc Racing officials announced today its #14 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series program with driver John Andretti will cut back its full-time operations to a part-time schedule effective immediately. The team made five starts last year with Andretti and the first three races in the 2005 season, including the Daytona 500. Car Owner, Greg Pollex, talked about today's announcement: "We started our cup program last year with the #14 car with the intent of being competitive and we want to continue that initiative in 2005," said Pollex. "We did not anticipate the major shift in the qualifying rules which force a non-locked-in team to qualify for a race or to go home, as it happened to us in Atlanta. The combination of the new qualifying rules and the fact that most events are impound races is a combination that does not work when you are forced to use a qualifying setup just to make the field. A qualifying set up will not race competitively. We have decided to turn our efforts to improving down force on our bodies to assist in the qualifying effort. This will also allow our primary cup sponsor to regroup their sponsorship package for the remainder of the year. In the near future we will announce a part-time schedule for this year and return stronger than ever full time in 2006."
In addition, Pollex noted ppc Racing's NASCAR Busch and Craftsman Truck Series programs will continue in their championship form in 2005 with no direct affect from today's announcement.(ppc Racing), the team has withdrawn from Bristol, no schedule of races was mentioned.(3-30-2005)
- Bear Creek Soups To Step Up Sponsorship at ppc Racing: ppc Racing officials announced associate sponsor Bear Creek Soups will return with an expanded 2005 motorsports marketing program. Under the sponsorship agreement, Bear Creek Soups
will be the "Official Soup Product" at ppc Racing and have a strong presence on all four race teams with drivers #14-John Andretti [Cup], #22-Kenny Wallace [Busch], #10-Michel Jourdain Jr.[Busch] and #10-Terry Cook [Trucks]. Bear Creek Soups has
sponsored ppc Racing since 2001 and was a primary sponsor with the team's NASCAR Busch Series efforts last year at select events. The Bear Creek Soups logos will be displayed in various locations on all four of ppc Racing's race vehicles; the #14 VB / APlus at Sunoco Ford Taurus in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series with driver John Andretti; the #22 Stacker 2 Ford Taurus in the NASCAR Busch Series with driver Kenny Wallace; the #10 ppc Racing Ford Taurus with driver Michel Jourdain Jr.; and the #10 Ford Power Stroke Diesel by International race truck in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with driver Terry Cook. For more information, please visit www.bearcreekfoods.com.(ppc Racing PR)(2-8-2005)
- Airplus Footcare Returns Comfort with ppc Racing in 2005: ppc Racing officials announced the return of Airplus Footcare as associate sponsor with driver #14-John Andretti. Entering its second year of sponsorship with ppc Racing, the Implus Footcare logo will be featured on the deck lid of the #14 VB / APlus at Sunoco Ford Taurus in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. At the track and at the shop, the ppc Racing team uses the Airplus insoles to keep members comfortable on their feet. The Airplus insoles provide the team with the latest in technological and help reduce the stress on team members feet, knees and back. For more information, visit www.airplusfootcare.com.(ppc Racing PR)(1-29-2005)
- Hung Jury? John Andretti and #14 ppc Racing were supposed to take part in the first Speedweek '05 Nextel Cup practice at Daytona starting this Tuesday. They have, however, had to swap with another team [not sure which team] that was scheduled for the second Cup session, which gets underway on January 18th. The reason...Andretti has jury duty.(PRN's Garage Pass Radio Show)(1-7-2005)
- Andretti to visit Middle East: John Andretti, driver of the #14 VB/APlus at Sunoco Ford, will embark on a trip to the Middle East, departing the morning of Saturday, Dec. 4. Andretti will spend seven days overseas before returning to the United States next Friday. With an invitation from the Naval Branch of America’s Armed Forces, Andretti will fly into the country of Bahrain. Andretti will then meet and greet with sailors on several different Navy Vessels throughout the Middle East. The importance of this trip during the Holiday season is not lost on Andretti. “I feel obligated to try and do something for our military,” said Andretti. “The Navy contacted me and has been very accommodating. This is a great opportunity for me. I’m looking forward to visiting with the sailors. I feel it will be a better experience for me than it will be for them.” The trip will be Andrettt’s first since the start of battle in the Middle East. Throughout his week-long travels Andretti is planning on distributing different racing memorabilia to those serving our country. “I’m not in the military, and I don’t know if those guys want me, but the least I can do is go over and support them,” Andretti added. “I can bring some things over to our brave men and women and hopefully make their stay better. I’m pretty excited and looking forward to the experience.”(Williams Company PR)(12-3-2004)
- #14 Racing to bridge the hunger gap: As this year's Nextel Cup Series concludes with the November 21 race at Homestead Raceway in Miami, ppc Racing and team driver John Andretti will be aligning themselves with a national nonprofit hunger-relief organization. ppc Racing, a well established result-oriented NASCAR Truck, Busch and Nextel Cup operation, has generously offered the Society of St. Andrew a desirable location on Car #14 for their "Endhunger.org" logo. The Society of St. Andrew, a non-denominational hunger-relief organization, has been bridging the hunger gap in this country for 25 years. They have engaged nearly 260,000 volunteers to save 465 million pounds of fresh, nutritious food that would have gone to waste and used it instead to feed hungry Americans. All that food, which was left behind after harvests and would have been plowed under, was donated and provided 1.4 Billion servings to the hungry. Almost anywhere you find NASCAR fans the Society of St. Andrew has helped feed the hungry. With national headquarters in Virginia and gleaning operations in 21 states coast to coast, the society delivers food to the 48 contiguous states. "I feel honored to help in any effort to feed the hungry or those in need," said Greg Pollex. "We all must remember our fellow man this holiday season and every day of the year. During our busy schedules, we so often forget those in need. It is our duty as Christians to help others. We encourage NASCAR fans to donate to this worthy cause." For more information about the Society of St. Andrew and it's hunger-relief programs call toll free 800-333-4597 and online www.endhunger.org.(11-18-2004)
- Andretti, A.J. Foyt and the #14? looks like he new #14 ppc Racing team is listed as being owned by A.J. Foyt, who ran the #14 for a few races in 2004 after running it fulltime for a few years. Driver John Andretti asked Foyt, his Godfather, if the team could use the number and got permission as Foyt had no plans to run any more races in 2004. So Andretti can use a provisional, but the #14 is 52nd in Owners Points standings and with 59 teams/drivers/cars in the Atlanta Entry list, it is unlikely the provisionals will fall that far down the list.(10-29-2004)
- Airplus Insoles to Be An Associate Sponsor with ppc Racing: Airplus Insoles announces its entrance into the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series with driver John Andretti and #14 ppc Racing with its first race at next weekend's event at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Airplus Insoles is currently an associate sponsor with drivers Jason Keller and Terry Cook in the NASCAR Busch and Craftsman Truck Series, its first year of sponsorship with ppc Racing. Airplus Insoles will be an associate sponsor on the #14 VB Ford Taurus, giving a full presence with ppc Racing. "Adding Airplus Insoles to our cup efforts is another tremendous boost
to our racing programs," said Keith Barnwell, co-owner and general manager at ppc Racing.(ppc Racing PR)(10-12-2004)
- So why can ppc have a tobacco as a sponsor? The VB sponsorship is interesting, being the first tobacco brand the set up a full-time effort in Cup after the departure of R.J. Reynolds as series sponsor after last season. Cigarette brands had been tacitly prohibited from advertising in NASCAR due to the primacy of RJR, although so-called "smokeless" modes were allowed. Moreover, VB is one of the smaller producers not covered by the 1997 Tobacco Settlement Agreement with state attorneys general. The TSA prohibited the top tobacco companies, such as RJR and Phillip Morris, from all sports advertising as of 2007 and required payment over time of a settlement in the hundreds of billions of dollars. The TSA hastened RJR's exit from NASCAR. Smaller companies, however, are not included in the settlement, and various regional producers such as Bailey's and Tucson have appeared at times as car sponsors.(Ben Blake Speed Channel)(10-6-2004)
- Sunoco to sponsor ppc? UPDATE - official: PPC Racing is set to announce the formation of a NEXTEL Cup series team on Tuesday, Oct 6th at a press conference at Lowe's Motor Speedway. PPC will run a Cup car with driver John Andretti, Sunoco is one of the primary sponsors. The car will make its debut at Lowe's Motor Speedway this October.(Motorsport.com).
Jayski NOTE Andretti tested at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Tuesday and Wednesday, the team is running the #14 and Ford's with Yates power.(10-1-2004)
UPDATE: John Andretti and ppc Racing have aligned themselves with a forward-thinking corporate sponsor to participate in a full-time, long-term venture at the top level of stock car racing. Andretti will drive the #14 VB/APlus at Sunoco Ford for ppc Racing beginning with the UAW/GM 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup race at the 1.5-mile Lowe’s Motor Speedway Saturday night, Oct. 16. The team will run the remaining 2004 schedule, with the exception of Martinsville, and a full schedule every season beginning with the 2005 Daytona 500.
“A lot of people have been working hard to put this program together,” said Andretti, a two-time winner in NASCAR Nextel Cup racing. “It’s pretty exciting to have everything set and ready to go, and to know we are going to be a very competitive race team.”
Greg Pollex owns ppc Racing, one of the winningest teams in the NASCAR Busch Series. ppc Racing won the 2000 national championship, has finished second four times in the title battle, and won the 2002 rookie of the year award.
“This is the next step for ppc Racing. It’s a big step but one we are prepared, and excited, to take,” Pollex said. “The backing of VB, Sunoco, APlus and Ford Motor Company allows us the support level we need to be competitive. We’ve brought in some very talented people to partner with one of the most experienced drivers in the sport.”
Said Steve Swick, CEO, Victory Brand LLC, “For years stock car racing was pretty well closed to cigarette manufacturers but we jumped when we saw this opportunity. We joined the sport not only because there was an opening but because there was an opportunity to be part of a brand new exciting race team,” Swick said. “The sport fits our demographic with the huge numbers of adults who follow it, and with the large numbers of highly brand loyal smokers who are fans. We believe they will see our support for NASCAR racing and will try the VB brand. And, frankly, we are race fans. We love racing, we love NASCAR racing and the excitement it brings,” he added. “We’re excited to be a part of our favorite sport.”
Swick, whose company will be the second cigarette company to sponsor a car full time in the history of stock car racing, emphasized Victory Brand LLC was working diligently to target adult smokers of legal age, and would continue to proactively avoid marketing aimed towards minors. “We are a very age-sensitive company. Our corporate policy expressly forbids marketing aimed at anyone other than smokers of legal age,” Swick said. “That is an area both Victory Brand LLC and ppc Racing have discussed in full, and neither of us wants to sway from that. Our message is simple – if you are of legal age and you are a smoker, please try the VB brand cigarette. We think race fans will like the quality and we’re confident they will switch.”
“APlus is excited about entering into a marketing alliance with Victory Brands, as well as partnering with Ford and ppc Racing on the #14 car,” said Jeff Hassman, manager of channel marketing for APlus convenience stores. “John Andretti’s talent and popularity with NASCAR fans adds another dynamic element to the Nextel Cup Series, and will help us grow brand awareness of APlus as the c-store associated with Sunoco. In addition, we hope that those adult NASCAR fans choosing to buy tobacco products will show their support by purchasing Victory Brands at APlus, the Official Pit Stop of NASCAR.”
"We're very happy to have John Andretti and ppc Racing joining our Nextel Cup effort," said Greg Specht, Performance Operations Manager, Ford Racing Technology. "Obviously, we've enjoyed our long-term and successful relationship with ppc Racing in both the Busch Series and now Craftsman Truck, so we know the capabilities are there to put together a winning program. And we're very pleased to be working with John Andretti again, who has always been a friend of Ford. People should remember that John's first Cup win came in a Ford, and we hope there will be more to come. I think John's and ppc Racing's new program will certainly add solid depth to our Nextel Cup efforts, and we're excited to have them start." Victory Brand LLC, headquartered in Coldwater, Mich., produces VB Made In The USA, a premium high-quality blend value price cigarette, with scheduled national distribution beginning in October. APlus, the Official Pit Stop of NASCAR, is a convenience store chain with over 700 franchise and Sunoco company-owned locations in the Eastern half of the U.S.A. APlus is the exclusive home of Gulliver’s premium brand of coffee, Tobacco Zone, City Deli and Parlor Pizza. Sunoco is headquartered in Philadelphia, PA and is the Official Fuel of NASCAR.(John Andretti Site/Williams Company PR), see an image of the car on my 2004 Paint Scheme page.(10-5-2004)
- Andretti and ppc Racing team up? UPDATE: John Andretti could be in a Cup car as early as October's Charlotte race. Although officials from ppc Racing would not "confirm or deny" that a deal has been signed, garage sources say Andretti will race a ppc Ford. Dave Charpentier, who was replaced as Ricky Craven's crew chief in July, signed on with ppc last week and likely will work with Andretti.(FoxSports/Sporting News)
AND hearing the team will run five Cup races in 2004 and a full season in 2005 and has a sponsor signed [haven't heard who...yet](9-6-2004)
