Kranefuss Buys Into BGN Team: Brad Akins has formed a partnership with Michael Kranefuss on the #98 Starter/Hot Tamales BGN team. Kranefuss will also bring his former general manager from the #12 Winston Cup team Marty Gaunt and his son Dan Kranefuss to work with him. Kranefuss, a former worldwide leader of Ford Motor Company racing programs and Winston Cup team owner(#84-Shawna Robinson), is excited about this opportunity. “Brad has built a great program that now needs more time and experience than he has to give to it. I’ll be jumping into a good team operation and this will allow me to return on a day to day basis to what I have been doing for many years,” said Michael Kranefuss. Long time Akins Motorsports driver Elton Sawyer is also pleased. “Michael Kranefuss has done just about everything you can do in motorsports with great success. The #98 team has been in the Top Five range the past three years and I think Michael can help take us to the championship level. Brad has always wanted to give this team everything we need to win a championship, but he can not be here every day to stay on top of things, and Michael can. I think this will be the final piece in the puzzle to get us there.”(Akins Mororsports PR)(4-25-2001)
