Driver Jeff Green and car owner Felix Sabates will be reunited later this year in the Winston Cup series. Sabates has decided to return to a three-car operation and has obtained sponsorship from a ‘a major communications company’ to run a seven-race schedule this season. And depending on the results, it may translate into a full schedule in 2000. Sabates fielded the #46 Chevys for Green last season. Sabates lost his sponsor, First Union/Money Store, at the end of last season and dissolved the team. The new team will not carry the #46. An official announcement of Sabates’ plans is expected this week in Charlotte( That’s Racin’/Jim Utter ) — UPDATE 1: Hearing the sponsor may be Florida based Topps Communication, found a little info on this company on the ‘net, not much, seems they are based in Miami and deal with Sprint — UPDATE 2: Felix Sabates has secured backing for Green’s 1999 effort through TracFone, a prepaid cellular telephone service provider. Jeff Green will be the driver, who plans to continue his full-time job as a driver on the BGN. He will drive a #01 Chevrolet sponsored by TracFone, a product of Topp Teleco, a three-year-old company that is a “national leader in prepaid cellular telephone service.” A crew chief for the program has yet to be determined. Sabates said he picked a new number for Green because he was convinced the #46, which Green used in 19 races with Team Sabco last year, was jinxed. The Cup team will run at: Both Lowes/Charlotte, Pocono 500, Brickyard 400, Richmond, Homestead and Atlanta. Sterling Marlin will run three races in the BGN in a #01 TracFone Chevrolet. The crew chief’s position will be a collaboration between Greg Irwin and Bob Temple for races at Michigan, Dover Downs(MBNA Gold 200) and Phoenix. But Sabates isn’t stopping there. He also plans to enter Dave Steele, an driver from the U.S. Auto Club midget, sprint and Silver Crown ranks who is trying to make this year’s Indianapolis 500, in two Automobile Racing Club of America(ARCA) events and three Grand National races later this year. The third Cup team plans to run full time in 2000 but as a separate entity(NOL/Times Dispatch/That’s Racin’)
