Hooters back in Winston Cup UPDATE: Bob Brooks, the controlling owner of the Hooters restaurant chain, plans to rejoin the Winston Cup Series as car owner and sponsor. Brooks said Wednesday that he plans to field a team for driver Kirk Shelmerdine and expects to be racing by midseason. They are in the process of applying to NASCAR for a car number, purchasing race cars and opening a shop near Charlotte. Brooks said he hopes to run few races this season and more next year. However, he doesn’t plan to run the full schedule. Hooters was Alan Kulwicki’s sponsor during his championship season in 1992. Brooks’ son Mark perished in the same plane crash in which Kulwicki died in 1993. Brooks sponsored Shelmerdine in an unsuccessful attempt to run the Daytona 500 last month, and he says that rekindled his interest in Winston Cup racing. He still plans to operate the Hooters ProCup series for short track racers.(Atlanta Journal Constitution)(2-28-2002) UPDATE: Bob Brooks, who plans to return to Winston Cup as a car owner and sponsor, said he believes today’s race teams are asking sponsors for too much money. He hopes to be able to operate his team for far less than the $15 million or so that many top teams get from sponsors, even if it means not running the full schedule. Brooks, who is the majority owner of the Hooters restaurant chain and Eastern Foods, a maker of salad dressings and dips, has teamed with driver Kirk Shelmerdine and plans to run a limited number of races this season. They plan to add races next season. Brooks said he believes his money will be best spent if he owns the team rather than sponsoring someone else’s organization.(Atlanta Journal Constitution)(3-1-2002)
