Car owner Robert Yates appears closer to making a decision about the Kenny Irwin-Texaco team. Yates put the entire team on notice before the Coca-Cola 600 that he wanted to see better results. Since then, there has been marked improvement, with a 15th in the Coca-Cola, 10th at Dover, 11th at Michigan, 18th at Pocono and 22nd Sunday, at Sears Point. It is not clear if the improvements have been enough to satisfy Yates, who — according to sources close to the team — has been given the green light by Texaco to consider his options. However, despite reports that Yates is interested in hiring Terry Labonte, John Hendrick says that Labonte has assured him he plans to stay with Hendrick Motorsports( PitNow )
