- MB2 Motorsports Changes Name to Ginn Racing: MB2 Motorsports has changed its name to Ginn Racing, effective immediately. The name change is a result of the team's new owner Bobby Ginn, who purchased majority interest in the racing organization in July. Regarding the pronunciation of Ginn -- it is GHIN as in the second syllable of begin. The company's web site address is: www.ginnracing.com. MB2 Motorsports began operations in July 1996.
Ginn Racing will field three full-time Nextel Cup teams in 2007 with drivers Mark Martin/Regan Smith sharing the #01 U.S. Army Chevy ride, Joe Nemechek in the #13 Chevy and Sterling Marlin in the #14 Chevy. The organization will also field a full-time Busch Series team with Smith and Kraig Kinser co-driving a Ginn Racing Chevy. The team's development program includes drivers Jesus Hernandez and Ricky Carmichael. Ginn Racing is based in Mooresville, N.C.(Ginn Racing PR)(11-21-2006)
- Boris and Stoddard to Roush? UPDATE: hearing #36 MB2 Motorsports crew chief, Frank Stoddard has left MC2 Motorsports and gone back to Roush Racing [where is was the crew chief of the #99 and Jeff Burton for years] and that driver Boris Said also signed with Roush Racing. Not sure of the details or specifics yet but hearing the races planned are Infineon Raceway, Pepsi 400 at Daytona, Brickyard 400 and Watkins Glen. Could be in the #06 the Todd Kleuver is supposed to run 6 races in later this year as these four races are not on Kleuver's Cup schedule. Stoddard mentioned this on the radio show, The Morning Buzz, which Stoddard calls in to give NASCAR reports on Tuesday mornings.(4-4-2006)
UPDATE: Boris Said and veteran crew chief Frank Stoddard have formed their own Nextel Cup team, Yahoo! Sports has learned. They are partnering with long-time Said associate and former driver and team owner Mark Simo. The team, which is slated to run four or five races this season, will work with Roush Racing, which has offered to supply the team with cars, engines and technical expertise. Stoddard recently left MB2 Motorsports and speculation was that he was set to rejoin Roush. But Stoddard, who used to be crew chief for Roush's #99 car when Jeff Burton was behind the wheel, instead has been working with Roush officials on forming the new team. Said has been frustrated with his inability to find a regular Cup ride this season after running nine races with MB2 in 2005 with Stoddard as his crew chief. After Simo's No Fear clothing company purchased a building adjacent to Roush Racing headquarters in Concord, N.C., for a planned East Coast distribution center, Said, who has been working as a consultant for Roush's teams, began talking with Roush about possibly starting a team. The current plan is for the new team to run the Dodge/Save Mart 350 at the Infineon Raceway road course in June, the Pepsi 400 at Daytona in July, the Brickyard in August and the Watkins Glen road course, also in August. The team has secured sponsorship for at least four races, with an announcement regarding sponsorship details to come.(Yahoo Sports)(4-5-2006)
- 10-12 Races for Elliott: Bill Elliott is driving the #36 Chevy for MB2 Motorsports in the Daytona 500 and hopes to run 10-12 races with both MB2 and Evernham Motorsports [#91/98] this season.(Richmond Times Dispatch)(2-14-2006)
- Sponsor named for Elliott and #36 MB2 team: MB2 Motorsports announced that Ginn (pronounced Ghin) Clubs & Resorts will be the primary sponsor on Bill Elliott's #36 Chevy during Daytona Speedweeks, including the Feb. 11 Budweiser Shootout and the Feb. 19 Daytona 500. Based in Celebration, Fla., Ginn Clubs & Resorts is a privately held resort development and management firm, specializing in exclusive leisure lifestyle and vacation destination communities in the United States. "This is our first venture into motorsports sponsorship and what a thrilling beginning," said Bobby Ginn, president and CEO of Ginn Clubs & Resorts. "To be associated with MB2 Motorsports and the legendary Bill Elliott in the Daytona 500 is a tremendous opportunity to convey our message to the worldwide network of NASCAR fans. The partnership will also provide a special excitement to our communities at Ginn Clubs & Resorts." Ginn Clubs & Resorts Ginn Clubs & Resorts is a privately held resort development and management firm which specializes in exclusive leisure lifestyle and vacation destination communities across the U.S. More info at
ginnclubsandresorts.com.(MB2 Motorsports PR) see an image of the car on my #36 Team Schemes page.(2-6-2006)
- Boris Said unsure of future Cup plans: Boris Said hasn't heard his phone ring, so he is assuming he has no deal with sponsor Centrix and MB2 Motorsports for this year. The veteran road racer drove in nine races for the team in 2005. He said he was scheduled to run the Daytona 500 before the team was able to land Bill Elliott for that race. "The last I talked to Centrix, they shook my hand and said we're doing the Daytona 500 and haven't returned a phone call since," Said said Jan. 27. "I don't really know. I'm pursuing and looking for sponsors. I have something to offer to do a partial season and a chance to win two races, with a sponsor that maybe wants to get their feet wet. Maybe Centrix will return my calls, but right now, I don't know what to think but it's not good." Said will compete in the two Busch Series road course events with a "really great" team, he said.(NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter)(1-31-2006)
- MB2 Update on sponsorship: MB2 Motorsports CEO Jay Frye said Tuesday that the team right now has sponsorship commitments for only 14 of 36 races this season for Sterling Marlin’s #14 Chevy [12 with Waste Managment, 2 with Centrix]. Frye said he expected to have another partial sponsor signed by week’s end to take 12 additional races and has some good candidates to sponsor the car in the remaining 10 dates. As for the team’s part-time #36 third car, which will be driven at Daytona by Bill Elliott, it only has sponsorship for two races at the moment. Frye said if he can find funding for it, Elliott, Boris Said or both could do some additional races behind the wheel.(Speed Channel)(1-25-2006)
- Elliott wants to run 11-12 Cup races in 2006: Bill Elliott said Jan. 11 that he would like to run 10 to 12 races in 2006, but his only firm commitment is for the Daytona 500 in the #36 car for MB2 Motorsports. He would run the rest of the races for Evernham Motorsports [#91]. The 1988 Winston Cup champion retired from full-time racing after the 2003 season and has run a limited schedule the last two years for Ray Evernham. "My goal would be to run 10 or 12 races, that's what we've always said in the past," Elliott said. "We've kind of fallen short of that with the way things have fallen within Ray's camp. Right now, his main focus is to get his third-car deal with Scott Riggs and all those things in place. For me, this is an opportunity for me to come down and do this and let him to get his program in place and then work toward whatever we do as we continue on down the road."(NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter)(1-11-2006)
- Bill Elliott to run Daytona 500...in a Chevy UPDATE: Longtime Dodge [and longer time Ford] driver Elliott has Chevy ride for Daytona Bill Elliott will get another chance to add to his Daytona win total next month, and the longtime Ford and Dodge driver also will have a chance to size up a Chevy. Elliott, who has four wins at Daytona International Speedway, including two in the prestigious Daytona 500, said Tuesday that he'll be driving the #36 Chevy for MB2 Motorsports in the sport's showcase event. "I wanted to run the 500 again, one more time at least," said Elliott, who has run a part-time schedule for the past two seasons after ending a full-time career that saw him win a Nextel Cup championship, 44 races and 55 poles. "I've always enjoyed running Daytona." It'll mark one of his rare starts in a General Motors car, although he did run Chevys and an Oldsmobile in the late 1970s. "The General Motors stuff has been awfully good on superspeedways," he said. "We'll see what they're all about." He still plans to run some races in a [#91] Dodge for his regular car owner, Ray Evernham, but those starts will come later in the season. Elliott said it's best for Evernham to focus on getting his third full-time team --- the #10 Valvoline Dodge driven by Scott Riggs --- up to speed at the start of the season. "I want Ray to put all his effort into that right now," he said. Elliott's first ride in the #36 will come next week when Daytona holds the first round of preseason test sessions.(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
NOTE: Boris Said usually drives the #36 car for MB2 Motorsports, making 9 starts in 12 2005 attempts. Supposedly Said will again run a limited schedule in 2006, not sure if this move changes that. Elliott also has a past champions provisional available to use unless Terry Labonte needs it [goes to the most recent past champ not making the top 42 spots] for the #96 Hall of Fame Racing team.(1-4-2006)
UPDATE: MB2 Motorsports announced that its #36 entry for the Daytona 500 (Feb. 19) will be driven by Bill Elliott, a two-time
winner of NASCAR's biggest race. Elliott will also drive the MB2-built #36 Chevrolet in the Feb. 11th Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, an invitational race for 2005 pole winners and former Shootout champions. Elliott earned his automatic berth as a result of winning the Shootout in 1987. Frank Stoddard will serve as Elliott's crew chief for both races and also oversee Elliott's Daytona test session next week (Jan. 9-11). "MB2 has a top-notch superspeedway program and I am looking forward to being part of it," said Elliott, who will team with MB2's full-time drivers #14-Sterling Marlin and #01-Joe Nemechek at Daytona. "Both Sterling and Joe are good on the big tracks and having them as teammates gives us added potential." Elliott, the 1988 NASCAR Cup champion, has run a limited schedule the past two years. His last Daytona 500 appearance was in 2003. "We're thrilled that Bill will be joining us, he brings a wealth of superspeedway experience to our MB2 Daytona 500 lineup," said Jay Frye, MB2's CEO and general manager. Frye also said that a sponsor for the #36 Chevy during Daytona Speedweeks will be announced at a later date.(MB2 Motorsports PR)
NOTE II: been told that MB2 Motorsports is currently working on a package to have Boris Said run a limited schedule in the #36 this season.(1-4-2006)
- Kinser wins ARCA Race: Driving the #10 U.S. Army/CENTRIX Financial/Rally's Chevrolet as a member of MB2 Motorsports driver development program, Kraig Kinser started from the pole and led 83 of 113 laps and won the ARCA RE/MAX race on Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway. "This is sweet," said the 20-year-old son of many-time World of Outlaws sprint car champion Steve Kinser. "MB2 gave me a great car and the Hendrick engine was awesome." Kinser, who took the checkered flag 0.168 seconds ahead of Kyle
Krisiloff, didn't have much time to enjoy the Food World 300 victory. Following the customary Victory Lane photos and media interviews, he
boarded a private airplane for Williams Grove, Pa. to compete in Saturday night's World of Outlaws main feature. Kinser was competing in only his second career ARCA race. Along with guidance from crew cheif Doug Randolph and team spotter Roman Pemberton, Kinser also received advice from 75-year-old Hall of Fame driver, Red Farmer, who called Kinser in Victory Lane to congratulate him. Kinser's father, who won an IROC race at Talladega in 1994, was back in Pennsylvania preparing for Saturday night's sprint car race. He was
given a play-by-play of the closing laps via cell phone from his boyhood friend and team pilot Chuck Myers.(MB2 Motorsports PR), see more and results at ARCARacing.com.(10-2-2005)
- MB2 Motorsports New Home almost ready: The NASCAR Nextel Cup teams of MB2 Motorsports are scheduled to move
into their new facility in Mooresville, N.C. the week of Oct. 10. The 144,000-square foot complex will give the multi-team organization
more than three times the space of its current shop in Concord, N.C. "This will be our third shop since MB2 Motorsports was founded in the summer of 1996," said Jay Frye, MB2's CEO and general manager. "Our first shop was in Mooresville, and when we look back at the size of that facility at 8,000 square feet and compare it to what we're about to move into, it really hits home how far we have come in a
relatively short period of time." The state-of-the-art new MB2 headquarters, located in Iredell County east of I 77 at exit 33, will also include a fan-friendly viewing area of the spacious race shop.(MB2 Motorsports PR)(9-28-2005)
- Said to race a Sled: It's official. The number 36 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, which chased the leaders last month at the NASCAR race in Watkins Glen, will have a presence in Lake Placid January 5-9, 2006. Except it will be a bobsled, not a race car. The NASCAR bobsled drivers race, coming to Lake Placid right after New Year's, received its first official entry Friday when Boris Said, a talented road racer who is the son of 1968 and 1972 Olympic bobsled driver Bob Said, committed to participating in the fundraiser being organized by Geoffrey Bodine's Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project, Inc. His sponsor, Whelen Engineering, mirrored that by announcing their participation in
January. The event will be held at the Verizon Sports Complex in Lake Placid. It is hoped that other NASCAR drivers will join Said shortly for this friendly competition that will generate funds to support continuing research and development of equipment for the United States Bobsled Team. These race car drivers will use modified sleds in their team colors on the mile-long track that currently hosts annual World Cup and World Championship events in bobsled, luge and skeleton racing. Bodine, a NASCAR veteran, created the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project in 1992 after watching the Albertville Winter Olympic Games on television and noticing that USA Bobsled athletes competed with European-made sleds. At that time, the team had not won a medal since the 1956 Winter Games in Cortina, Italy. "Whelen Engineering is proud to announce our sponsorship of the first Bo-Dyn bobsled to compete in the Bodine Bobsled Challenge at Lake Placid in January," stated Phil Kurze, Whelen Motorsports Director. "Whelen has supported the efforts of Geoffrey Bodine and Bob Cuneo for the past five years to provide our athletes with equipment that is "Made in America" and I take personal pride in the fact that, also as President of the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project, Inc., I have the support of my company in this worthwhile fund raising endeavor. I issue a challenge to all other companies presently involved with racing or contemplating involvement with racing to come on-board and join us in our support of the United States Bobsled Team." For more information on this event, please log on to www.bodynbobsledproject.com. Tickets for the event go on sale October 1 at the Olympic Center Box Office in Lake Placid.(PR)(9-17-2005)
- Boris to co-host Wind Tunnel: #36-Boris Said, the free-spirited racer out of the MB2 Motorsports stable, will be the guest co-host on SPEED Channel's Wind Tunnel, Sunday (July 3) 9:00-11:00pm/et. Said will join the program's regular host Dave Despain. "This is exciting - it's one of my favorite racing shows," offered Said. "I've always had a good mug for radio, but not for TV. However, I heard they can do wonders with makeup in television."(MB2 Motorsports PR)(7-2-2005)
- MB2 Motorsports Announces Restructuring of Ownership: MB2 Motorsports announced today that Robert E. Sutton has expanded his ownership involvement with the company by joining current and founding owner, Nelson Bowers, as an equal partner with the multicar race team. Sutton was previously a co-owner of MB2's #36 Nextel Cup team. Jay Frye, MB2's general manager and chief executive officer since the formation of the racing organization in 1996, will continue with a minority ownership in the company. Sutton's expanded position will take effect immediately and MB2 Motorsports will become one entity with ownership of all of the company's race teams starting with the 2006 season. The company fields three cars in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series -- the #01 U.S. Army Chevrolet, driven by Joe Nemechek; the #10 Valvoline Chevrolet, driven by Scott Riggs; and the #36 CENTRIX Financial Chevrolet, driven by Boris Said. The racing organization has a developmental program in progress with 20-year-old driver Joe Henderson of Franklin, Tenn. The company also has plans to have Kraig Kinser, the 19-year-old son of legendary sprint car racer Steve Kinser, join the developmental team. MB2 is currently based in Concord, N.C., but will be moving in August to a new shop in Mooresville, N.C. The new 144,000 square-foot complex will be more than three times larger than its current facility.(MB2 Motorsports PR)(6-30-2005)
- More changes at MB2/MBV? Riggs to leave? UPDATE team hopes to keep Riggs: Following closely on this week’s promotion and transfer of top technical personnel, expect some major announcements from the MB Motorsports organization in the next couple of weeks. The team, which campaigns Nextel Cup cars with drivers #01-Joe Nemechek, #10-Scott Riggs and (part-time) #36-Boris Said, soon will announce the signing of a well-known sprint-car driver to an ARCA/Busch/Cup program [known as the ABC program] for 2006, sources close to the team said. This will be the first step in a full-blown driver-development program. That driver is said to be Kraig Kinser. The team has been a cooperation among the MB2 (Nemechek) and MBV (Riggs) teams, with sponsor Valvoline to now owning part of the MBV team. Valvoline apparently intends to sell its part of the operation to MB2 founding owner Nelson Bowers and associates, with Valvoline remaining as associate sponsor on Riggs's #10. Centrix, sponsor of Said's effort, will step up to the top position [primary sponsor of the #10].(Speed Channel Notebook), and hearing Scott Riggs, driver of the #10 MBV team could end up at Evernham, Penske [#2] or the #6 Ford of Roush Racing.(6-12-2005)
UPDATE: Jay Frye, CEO/General Manager of MB2/MBV Motorsports, said on Speed Channel's NASCAR This Morning that the team plans to do everything it can to re-sign Scott Riggs and keep him in the #10 Chevy.(6-12-2005)
- New Crew Chief for Riggs? UPDATE: hearing that car chief Rodney Childers will take over the crew chief job at the #10-Scott Riggs Valvoline team, for Doug Randolph.(6-7-2005)
UPDATE: The following personnel promotions at MB2 Motorsports were announced today. Ryan Pemberton has been promoted to team manager and will oversee the #01 Army and #10 Valvoline teams. He will continue as crew chief on the # 01 Chevrolet driven by Joe Nemechek. Doug Randolph, who has been the crew chief on Scott Riggs' #10 MBV Motorsports entry since 2004, has been promoted to a management position as race coordinator and driver development manager. Rodney Childers, who has been the car chief for the #10 team since the beginning of the 2005 season, has been promoted to crew chief for Riggs' Valvoline Chevrolet. Frank Stoddard has been promoted to research and development manager and will continue as crew chief on Boris Said's #36 CENTRIX Financial Chevrolet for MB/Sutton Motorsports. "By making these promotions with our team personnel, we believe the entire organization will be stronger than ever," said Jay Frye, CEO and general manager of MB2 Motorsports. "We have quality individuals leading the
restructured departments and the changes will only enhance our program going forward as a multicar operation with a one team approach."(MB2 Motorsports PR)(6-8-2005)
- Boris to run the Nextel Open: The NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star weekend
was not on Boris Said's latest schedule of 2005 Cup races. But that slate recently changed after rain cut short last Tuesday's test
session at Lowe's Motor Speedway for the MB/Sutton Motorsports team. Said, whose part-time Cup schedule includes the May 29th Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's, felt he did not have enough time to acclimate himself to the 1.5-mile oval during the rain-shortened test session. "Since we didn't run a full test session, coupled with the top 35 drivers in points are already guaranteed a spot in the (43-car)
field, we felt more seat time was needed to have a realistic shot of qualifying for the Coca-Cola race," offered Said, driver of the #36 CENTRIX Financial Chevrolet. "Our main purpose for this weekend is to take advantage of the practice sessions and use them as a test and tune for next week's race. I need more time and the crew also needs more time to find the best setup for Lowe's. We knew going into this race that it would be difficult to qualify. And not having the full test session last week made it even more difficult." Though Said will be in a test mode this weekend, it doesn't mean he will not be at full throttle when the green flag drops for Saturday night's NEXTEL Open. The winner of the Open will transfer into the main feature -- The NEXTEL All-Star Challenge.(MBSuttom Motorsports)(5-17-2005)
- MB2/MBV Motorsports to move? UPDATE: hearing that the MB2 Motorsports #01 U.S. Army and MBV Motorsports #10 Valvoline teams [and #36 tean of Boris Said] will move the team from their Concord, NC shop to Mooresville, NC in the Eaton building on Rt 115. Per the Mooresville Tribune, the Mooresville Commission voted to extend an economic grant for $16,512 a year for five years to Team Property Partners LLC, a race team relocating from Concord to the Eaton Corp. building on NC 115 in Mooresville (4 miles from where I live).(12-23-2004)
UPDATE: Three more Nextel Cup teams will call Race City USA home when MB2 Motorsports moves into the vacant Eaton-Aeroquip complex in late summer. Vacant since 2003, Eaton’s former automotive complex on N.C. 115 at Timber Road, south of downtown, will now house the teams of drivers #01-Joe Nemechek, #10-Scott Riggs, and #36-Boris Said, MB2 officials said Thursday. MB2 left Mooresville in 2001 for a facility near the Concord Regional Airport. Jay Frye, CEO and general manager of MB2 Motorsports, said the move to Concord wasn’t a long-term decision. “We liked being in Mooresville,” he said. “We found an opportunity to come back there. The town and the county were very gracious and excited for us to be coming back.” The teams will now have a little more room to maneuver, moving from 40,000-square-foot facility to the 144,000 square-foot Eaton building, Frye said. The move is expected to be completed by September, after a building upfit by MAX Construction Services of Mooresville. “This strengthens our motor sports cluster that we have in our community,” said Melanie O’Connell Underwood, executive director of economic development at the Mooresville-South Iredell Chamber of Commerce. “(The teams) have more opportunity to be closer to suppliers that we have here.”
The 40-mile move to Mooresville will also shorten the commute for many of the teams’ 100 employees who kept their homes in town when the company moved five years ago, she said. Fifteen Nextel Cup, 26 Busch Series, and 14 Craftsmen Truck teams will now be based in Mooresville, according to the MSI Chamber.(Mooresville Tribune)(5-7-2005)
- Two races added to Said's 2005 Sched: MB/Sutton Motorsports announced that Boris Said's 2005 Nextel Cup schedule has been expanded from 11 to 13 races with the addition of the Talladega race in May and the Texas race in November. Said, who competed in the Daytona 500, will next race his #36 CENTRIX Financial Chevrolet at the Samsung/RadioShack 500 weekend,
April 15-17 at Texas Motor Speedway.(MB/Sutton Motorsports)(3-30-2005)
- Centrix as primary sponsor: CENTRIX Financial will have a total of four primary sponsorships on MB2/MBV’s #01 Chevrolet driven by Joe Nemechek and #10 Chevrolet driven by Scott Riggs.(MB2/MBV Motorsports site). Atlanta in March will be one race for the #01.(3-15-2005)
- Chevy ticked at Boris: Boris Said is in hot water with General Motors. After finally getting a Chevy deal [#36 Chevy] to run the Cup tour this season, Said, a star road racer, has angered GM execs by jumping in James Finch's Dodge this week. "I got in a lot of trouble," Said said. "Jay Frye, my team manager, was mad. I really tried to get a Chevrolet ride, called and called and called. But they didn't help me. For some reason they've never really wanted to help me. I was trying to be politically correct. But I didn't have a ride. But this is a good car and a good team, and I've known Marc Reno (the crew chief)."(Winston Salem Journal)(3-5-2005)
- Edwards tests at VIR with Said: Carl Edwards, who has no road course experience, tested the #60 Busch Series Ford with accomplished road racer Boris Said at Virginia International Raceway. The tests were in preparation for Sunday's road race in Mexico. Said was thoroughly impressed with Edwards' work ethic and potential. "I told (MB2 G.M.) Jay Frye he should have hired Carl," Said says. "He's one of the nicest kids, the real deal. He was a good listener and great learner. He's got quite a future." Edwards finished sixth in Saturday's Busch race and is third in points; he finished fifth in Sunday's Cup race and is fourth in points.(FoxSports/Sporting News)(2-28-2005)
- Bowers involved in Diversity: Chattanooga [TN] businessman Nelson Bowers, who fields the Nextel Cup cars driven by #01-Joe Nemechek, #10-Scott Riggs and #36-Boris Said, said he'll join NASCAR's diversity effort by hiring Joe Henderson to drive selected Late Model and ARCA races this year. Bowers said Henderson, a teenage African-American driver from Nashville, will start the season at the Nashville Fairgrounds, where he ran last year with the assistance of Craftsman Truck Series champion Bobby Hamilton.(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)(1-26-2005)
- Stoddard Looking Full-time at MB2/MBV? Although #36 Boris Said's deal is for just a minimum of 10 races in 2005, the phone wasn't ringing off the hook with job offers after [crew chief] Frank Stoddard was released from Bill Davis Racing [#22]. Expect Stoddard's trial period at MB/Sutton Motorsports to be just that. My guess is Stoddard has his eye on the #10 Valvoline Chevrolet, which is in need of an overhaul after finishing 29th in points. Scott Riggs is the driver for the #10, with Doug Randolph as the crew chief.(FoxSports/Sporting News)(1-3-2005)
- Stoddard named Said's crew chief:Frank Stoddard has joined MB/Sutton Motorsports as crew chief for the
team's #36 CENTRIX Financial Chevrolet to be driven by Boris Said in a minimum of 10 races during the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup
season. The newly-created team is part of the MB2 Motorsports umbrella. Stoddard, 36, has enjoyed success as a crew chief in
NASCAR's premier division with a career record 14 wins, 64 top fives and 98 top 10s. He started his crew chief career in 1998 with the #99 Roush Racing team and driver Jeff Burton. After nearly five full seasons at Roush Racing, Stoddard became crew chief for the #22 team at Bill Davis Racing (BDR) in the fall of 2002. While at BDR he worked with drivers Ward Burton and Scott Wimmer. He ended his affiliation at BDR near at the end of the 2004 season.(MB/Sutton Motorsports PR)(12-17-2004)
- MB2 forms 3rd team, Said to run minimum of 10 races in 2005: MB2 Motorsports and CENTRIX Financial jointly announced a multi-team sponsorship agreement and the formation of a NASCAR Nextel Cup team that will commence in 2005 with Boris Said as the driver. CENTRIX Financial, a Denver-based financial management and services firm, is the Official Auto Finance Company of NASCAR. Founded in 1990 and purchased by current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robert E. Sutton in 1998, the company specializes in providing unique products and strategies to the auto finance market. The MB2, CENTRIX Financial multi-year agreement includes the following:
* Creation of MB/Sutton Motorsports Team -- The agreement calls for the creation of MB/Sutton Motorsports, which will own the #36 CENTRIX Financial Chevrolet that Said will drive in a minimum of 10 races in 2005. The MB/Sutton Motorsports entry with Said as the driver will kick off the 2005 campaign at the season-opening Daytona 500 in February.
* Four-Race Primary Sponsorship -- CENTRIX will have a total of four primary sponsorships on the MB2/MBV cars of Joe Nemechek’s #01 Chevrolet and Scott Riggs’ #10 Chevrolet.
* Major Associate Sponsor -- Additionally, CENTRIX will carry a major associate sponsorship package with the #01 and #10 teams. The U.S. Army is the main sponsor of the #01 car, and Valvoline is the main sponsor of the #10 car.
The 10 race locations are undecided, but three are set: Daytona 500, Infineon Raceway and Watkings Glen. For Said, the long wait of competing with more regularity on the NASCAR Nextel Cup circuit is now a reality. “This is the big time – competing against the best drivers in the world,” offered Said, whose first Cup race was at Watkins Glen in 1999. “The new deal for next year is a great opportunity for me, and as I have stated many times – I love being on the edge and I welcome the challenge. Everything about this operation is top-shelf – Bob Sutton and CENTRIX Financial, MB2 and the entire crew back at the shop who has always given me excellent racecars. Right now, I’m like a kid in a candy store."
Said, a youthful 42 year-old from Carlsbad, Calif., carved his mark as one of the world’s top road racers, including becoming the first American to win the German 4-hour GT Endurance this year. Though he is known as a hired-gun specialist for NASCAR’s two road races each season, three out of his 12 career NASCAR Nextel Cup races have been on ovals with a fourth oval event scheduled for this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Some of Said’s best performances in NASCAR Nextel Cup races include sixth-place finishes the past two years at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. He also captured the pole at the 2003 Sonoma race and finished 10th in this year’s Bud Shootout at Daytona International Speedway.(MB2 Motorsports PR)(11-16-2004)
- Boris Said to run 12 Cup races in 2005: Boris Said, who has run the Cup road races as well as California Speedway this year for MB2 Motorsports in between his Grand American commitments with the PTG BMW team, says he will run a 12-race schedule in Cup for MB2 in 2005, along with selected Busch Series appearances. “I think a couple weeks they’re going to announce it. Then they’ll announce the sponsor and everything,” Said said. “I can’t keep my mouth shut. I’m so excited about it, finally getting the opportunity to do some of the big races. I just can’t wait to get going. We’ll do the Brickyard, Texas, Daytona, Talladega, most of the bigger tracks right now. Hopefully I can talk them into a Bristol or Martinsville, but we haven’t got that definite yet on the schedule.” Said indicated he would like to continue with BMW, if it can be worked into his schedule. “I’ve been with them for 10 years. I’d like to keep some kind of relationship,” he said. “Every year I do 30 to 40 races a year in all different kinds of things, but with this Nextel Cup opportunity, I’m going to really concentrate on that and cut my racing way back. If i’m not racing, I’m going to go to the Nextel Cup races and sit in the spotter’s stand and learn and try to absorb as much as I can. I’m going to do a couple Busch races next year, the Mexico race, the Watkins Glen road race. Everything I’m going to do now, I’m still going to do the Homestead race at the end of the season this year, so we’re going to go test next week. Everything’s going to be about getting ready for the Daytona 500.(Speed Channel)(10-14-2004)
- Said to run more races; and 10-15 in 2005 UPDATE: MB Motorsports [#'s 01,10,36] general manager Jay Frye is working hard to put together not only more stock car races for Boris Said this season, but also an extended program in 2005. [Said who missed the Cup race at Watkins Glen due to the cancellation of qualifying]. Frye said Said has one planned oval track event coming up in an MB2 Chevrolet sponsored by Centrix Financial, and that the team probably would run at least one other oval track race this fall, as a "make up" to USG, whose Durock brand was on Said's car at the Glen. Frye said Saturday his team was diligently seeking sponsorship to run Said in a "10-15 race program" in Nextel Cup in 2005; and that the prospective deal could also include some races as sponsor of the team's #10 Valvoline Chevrolet driven by Scott Riggs and the #01 U.S. Army Chevy driven by Joe Nemechek. Said will test this Thursday at Kentucky Speedway with Nemechek, prior to the team's travel to Michigan International Speedway for next weekend's GFS Marketplace 400.(NASCAR.com)(8-15-2004)
UPDATE - at California: Centrix Financial, the Official Auto Finance Company of NASCAR, announced it will be making
its second appearance in this year's NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series schedule when it sponsors Boris Said and the #36 Chevrolet of MB2 Motorsports in the Sept. 5 Pop Secret 500 at California Speedway. Centrix, Said and MB2 first came together at Infineon Raceway in June and produced a strong sixth-place result at the Sonoma, Calif. road course. Centrix and MB2 began their relationship in April, shortly after the financial services company announced its position as the Official Auto Finance Company of NASCAR. In addition to the sponsorship of Said's car at Sonoma and Fontana, Centrix serves as an associate sponsor on the #01 U.S. Army Chevrolet of Joe Nemechek and the #10 Valvoline Chevrolet of Scott Riggs.(MB2 Motorsports PR)(8-25-2004)
- Said gets sponsor for Watkins Glen: USG Corporation announced that it will sponsor Boris Said in the Aug. 15 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup road race at Watkins Glen International to help promote its Durock Brand Cement Board, a high-strength ceramic tile backer that provides superior tile adhesion. Said will drive the #36 USG Durock Brand Chevrolet as a third entry for MB2 Motorsports, which fields Joe Nemechek's #01 U.S. Army Chevrolet and Scott Riggs' #10 Valvoline Chevrolet. USG is also an associate sponsor on the #01 and #10 MB2 cars plus a primary sponsor on Nemechek's #01 car at four Nextel Cup races.(MB2 Motorsports PR), plans are also for Said to run the #36 at California Speedway in Sept. with Centrix Financial as the sponsor.(7-26-2004)
