UPDATE 2 Yates? I hear from a good source that WGOW-FM 102.3(Chattanooga, TN) reported during the “Racing Hour” radio show that McDonald’s was pretty much a done deal with Elliott after 1999, and they’d be moving to the #25 car. No word on a replacement sponsor for Elliott — UPDATE 1: I also hear that McDonald’s is signed with Elliott thru 2000 and won’t leave until the contract is up — UPDATE 2: McDonald’s, which sponsors Bill Elliott’s #94 Fords, is looking at moving its sponsorship to another team in 2000 or leaving Winston Cup racing altogether, sources said Friday. Elliott has a contract with McDonald’s through the 2000 season, but McDonald’s does have an “out clause” that would allow it to leave Elliott’s team, sources said. McDonald’s is reportedly looking at two other Winston Cup teams to focus its sponsorship money – Hendrick Motorsports’ third team, currently with driver Wally Dallenbach, and Robert Yates’ second team, currently with driver Kenny Irwin. Dallenbach’s team will lose sponsor Budweiser at the end of the 1999 season, when it will move to the #8 Chevrolets of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Texaco is currently the sponsor of Irwin’s #28 Fords( That’s Racin’/Jim Utter ). Wow, the Yates deal is a new twist, hard to imagine the #28 in anything but Texaco colors
