#73 Rabbe Team News and Links Page
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#73 Rabbe Team Past News and Rumors
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- #73 Team back to the track? Edward Raabe won't say yet who his race car driver will be, but [#73] Raabe Racing Enterprises is speeding ahead with an $8 million Nextel Cup race team in Daytona Beach. The team is based out of a 6,000 square-foot facility at 1870 Mason Ave., formerly home to a plastics manufacturing company. The building has been refitted with everything from fabrication equipment for sheet metal and heavy steel, to a chassis dynamometer for engine tuning, to tooling needed for engine modifying. The facility also is home to a graphics operation that can wrap a race car or an 18-wheeler with race-team logos. Raabe Enterprises has a lease with the option to buy the building "but everything else is debt free. We have $8 million invested. It takes in the neighborhood of $10 million to $15 million a year to operate," the owner said.
The local team started the season at this year's opening race at Daytona International Speedway with [#73] Chevys bought from the established Morgan-McClure Motorsports team (headquartered in Abingdon, Va.). They also borrowed a driver, Eric McClure. In Daytona Beach, the team ran the Gatorade Twin 125s on Feb. 17, but did not qualify for the Daytona 500. The team competed in the second race of the season, the Auto Club 500 at California on Feb. 27. By the third race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the team finished 32nd in a field of 43 at the UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400. After three races on the season's schedule, McClure told Raabe he chose not to make the Atlanta race, the fourth race in the 36-race season.
That put the team out of racing so far this season, but Raabe said he hopes to finish out three or four races at the end of the season with an experienced driver, but he's not ready to say who. Meanwhile, the shop has continued to operate with about 14 employees, as support services to the local dirt, asphalt and drag race car drivers.
The new Raabe venture, he said, is well financed by himself, with John Baiamonte, an entrepreneur from Florida's West Coast. The team's only major sponsor now is Raabe's daughter's and son-in-law's company, ARC (Aquatic Re-lease Conservation) Dehooker (www.dehooker4arc.com), which makes fishing industry-related products in Port Orange. He is looking for an additional sponsor. Raabe said the ARC Dehooker company eventually will be moving to Daytona Beach -- and that 23,000 square feet of the racing enterprise building also will house ARC Dehooker. "We will possibly expand with a new building, but that is two years down the road at least," he said. When that occurs, Raabe said ARC Dehooker expects to hire about 75 employees.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(9-12-2005)
AND hearing one driver talking to the team is John Andretti, who is looking for a ride after the #14 ppc Racing team suspended operations and has been driving races here-and-there for #4 Morgan-McClure in Nextel Cup and #15 Billy Ballew truck series team.(9-12-2005)
- Pardus in the #73 at Daytona: Dan Pardus has been entered in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway by Ed Rabbe, owner of the #73 ARC Dehooker Chevrolet. The #73 team has been dorment since driver Eric McClure left the team in March.(Entry List)(6-30-2005)
- More on McClure's departure from the #73: Eric McClure, driver of the #73 Arc Dehooker Chevrolet, drove his first and last race for Raabe Racing Enterprises this past weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. After failing to qualify for the season's first two events and having continuous problems during this past weekend's UAW Daimler Chrysler 400, the Abingdon, Virginia native felt it necessary to resign as driver of the #73 Arc Dehooker Monte Carlo. "I just want to thank Mr. Raabe and all of the Arc Dehooker team for giving me the opportunity to drive their race car during this past weekend's Nextel Cup event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. However, after much consideration, I feel the need to pursue other driving opportunities that will better my career in the long run." Although McClure no longer has a ride in the Nextel Cup Series and will no longer be a contender for the Rookie of the Year title, he remains optimistic about his future in NASCAR racing and is excited about some of the opportunities that have come his way in such a short period of time. "We are fortunate enough to have a couple of deals in the works right now and hopefully something will come out of them. I just want to race! Whether it be in Truck, Busch, or Cup, it doesn't matter to me." As of now, the 26-year-old Emory and Henry College graduate plans to run the Sharpie Professional 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway in April for Morgan-McClure Motorsports.(PR)(3-18-2005)
- McClure and #73 part ways? UPDATE: hearing that driver Eric McClure and the #73 Raabe Racing Enterprises have parted ways, the team is not listed on Atlanta entry list. No word on plans for the team or McClure....if true.(3-15-2005)
UPDATE: Larry McClure, President and Team Manager of Morgan-McClure Motorsports, Inc. announced today that effective immediately, the organization and driver Eric McClure have parted ways with Raabe Racing Enterprises. "With two consecutive top 25 finishes the #4 car is running well and we are working together as a team. Accordingly, all of our effort is focused on finishing in the top 25 for the season points championship," said Larry McClure. "Eric will serve as a test driver and we will continue to look for marketing partners to launch our driver development program in the NASCAR Busch Series or the Craftsman Truck Series."(Morgan-McClure Motorsports)(3-16-2005)
- McClure makes first race of 2005, 2nd career: For rookie Eric McClure of Abingdon, Va., driver of the #73 ARC Dehooker/Recreational Fishing Alliance Chevrolet, it has been a big weekend in Las Vegas. "Making the Cup race was big, obviously. That's an area where we've been right on the verge in the first two races but this new qualifying system hasn't particularly worked in our favor," said McClure, who, through unofficial estimates, would have run in the season-opening Daytona 500 and had practice times capable of making the California Speedway field under the previous qualifying system. "The biggest thing? I walked into the sports book at the Stratosphere (hotel and casino) to see how the basketball games were going, and they had my name up on the odds board," McClure said. For a driver making the second NASCAR Nextel Cup start of his career Sunday, the 26-year-old was thoroughly delighted. Even at being 300-1? "Hey, if my last name was 'field,' I would have been on the board before. There are a lot of guys who aren't up there at all, so I'm pretty pumped," he said. Will he lay a wager on himself? "Probably not for the win," he laughed. "Not yet, anyway."(Williams Company PR)(3-12-2005)
- So...who is Eric McClure...the untalked about Rookie of the Year candidate: Raybestos Rookie Contender Eric McClure plans a full NEXTEL Cup season for Raabe Racing. The team is owned by Ed Raabe and is based in Daytona Beach, FL.
ERIC MCCLURE, No. 73 ARC DEHOOKER CHEVROLET: "The cars that we're using now we purchased from Morgan McClure Motorsports while we're getting our new cars and everything ready. It's exciting. We tested very well preseason and we feel like we can get in these shows and do well. Now, conventional wisdom says we're not going to come out and be successful and success to a lot of people is defined as winning races and top-fives. Now granted, we're not going to come out of the box running top-five right off the bat but like anything we firmly believe if we're dedicated and focused and we do this the correct way, over time we're going to get a lot better and I'm going to get a lot better. I'm a new driver and they're a new team so there's nowhere to go but up. We're real excited about that and we feel like we're going to make some noise and we have goals that we've set. We feel like Raabe Racing is going to be a force to be reckoned with over the coming months. Granted that might be top-20s, that might be top-15s, but if we do that we can get in races and we can run mid-pack or better, then we've accomplished a whole lot. It's definitely an uphill battle but we feel like we can overcome it."
HOW DIFFICULT IS IT GOING TO BE TO QUALIFY FOR THE DAYTONA 500? "It will be difficult. The rule package is definitely
interesting but then again the teams that make it are going to say that it's a great package. The teams that don't will say that
it's not. The way that we tested, we should not have any problem making it under the old rules, but at the same time I feel like
we're good enough to make it under the new rules. You definitely come into the race knowing what you have to do to get in and that
makes it a little easier so we feel pretty good about it. It's definitely going to be difficult but any race at the top level is difficult to make. We found that out last year in the Busch Series. These guys put their pants on the same way we do. We'll go out
and give it 100 percent and see where we stack up."
WHAT IS YOUR SPONSORSHIP SITUATION? "Sponsorship situation is good right now. We're running for Raabe Racing Enterprises and we have sponsorship from Arc Dehooker and the Recreational Fishing Alliance. We're really excited about that.
Arc Dehooker is a mandated device in all the fisheries in the world. We're set there. We could always use extra sponsorship if it
ever presents itself, anybody can. We're excited that we're going to be able to run the entire season. It's going to be a first for
me and a first for them so we're really excited about it. We're going to go full blown at it and see where we stack up and progress
from there."
TIM BREWER IS WORKING WITH YOUR TEAM. "We have Tim Brewer working with us right now and he brings a wealth of knowledge and it' s exciting for me to work with somebody that has a lot of knowledge. He's from the old school but he's also kept up to date on what you need to do to be successful and he has a history of working well with drivers. I couldn't be more excited about this. This is a great opportunity."(Camp and Assoc/Raybestos PR)(2-13-2005)
- Sacks/Rabbe split: Greg Sacks and Ed Raabe Jr. joined forces last summer to form [#13] Daytona Racing Inc.. with primary sponsorship from Arc Dehooker, a product that safely removes a hook from fish and other wildlife. Sacks competed in a handful of races in the #13 Daytona Racing Dodge, some nice, hand-me-down cars from the Evernham Motorsports stable. Last week in the second round of Nextel Cup testing, Sacks rolled into Daytona International Speedway in the #13 Dodge while Raabe was positioned at the other end of the garage with the #73 Chevrolet. The #73 was decaled with Arc Dehooker decals while Sacks' machine was without sponsorship. Raabe remains as 45 percent owner, actually the trustee of the owner, of the #13 Daytona Speed Inc. racing team but has no plans to be actively involved with the Sacks effort. "We fulfilled our financial obligations with Daytona Speed," Raabe said. But Sacks sees it differently. He said the deal he struck with Raabe last year was plain and simple -- Sacks would run the race team and Raabe would be responsible for marketing and sponsorships. Arc Dehooker, the company is owned by Shawn Dick and his wife, Chris Raabe, who are setting up a new office in Raabe Racing Enterprises, a race shop off of Mason Avenue [Daytona]. Chris Raabe is Ed Raabe's daughter. Sacks said he will press forward. He will take delivery of two more Ray Evernham Dodges this week. His two sons, Paul and Brian, have come to town to help. Sacks said this turn of events caught him completely flat-footed early last week. He was a day late to testing because of the Raabe pullout. "We didn't get here until the second day of testing, again the product of being double-crossed by my partner," Sacks said. "That put us behind the 8-ball." Sacks said if does not get sponsor satisfaction, this union, which started at Daytona Speedway, could spill into a Daytona courthouse. Meanwhile, Raabe plans to house the #73 Chevy in a local shop and run young McClure for Nextel Cup Rookie of the Year honors. As for Sacks, Raabe said, "I wish him the best. I'd like to see a financial return on our investment with that team. My focus is on the #73 car under Raabe Racing Enterprises."(in part from the Daytona Beach News Journal)(1-23-2005)
