The Hispanic Racing Team (HRT Motorsports) has decided not to enter this week’s Bashas’ 200 at Phoenix International Raceway with the #09 CICLON Energy Drink Chevy. Instead the team will turn its attention to Miami [Homestead], where it will compete in the BGN season finale. Roberto Guerrero was originally scheduled to make his stock car racing debut at Atlanta with the team but qualifying was rained out, sending the part-time team home early. Now the team and sponsor have both agreed to focus efforts on Miami, where HRT made its own NASCAR debut in 1999, instead of making the long haul out to Phoenix. “CICLON Energy Drink has not fully built its channel of distribution in Phoenix and in the West Coast,” said Mike Vazquez, co-owner of HRT. “So we decided to concentrate our efforts on Miami, a huge Hispanic market with a high concentration of NASCAR fans. We are disappointed because Phoenix is such a great track and area, and because Roberto has a great history there, winning a CART race there a few years back. But one thing we have learned in our four years in NASCAR is that we have to roll with the punches and play the cards that we are dealtand that’s what we are doing.”(TMDG – The Motorsports Decisions Group PR)(11-4-2002)
UPDATE: HRT Motorsports has made a last-minute decision to put Carlos Contreras in its #09 CICLON Energy Drink car. Contreras will drive the car at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 16, replacing Roberto Guerrero, for the BGN season finale. Contreras was originally signed last month by HRT to run a full schedule in 2003 in the #41 car. . The driver change means Contreras will pull double duty at Homestead as he finishes his truck season and starts his Busch series career. Contreras has run the past two seasons in the CTS with Petty Enterprises. HRT co-owner Mike Vazquez said a series of unfortunate circumstances led to replacing Guerrero for the team’s final race of the season. “Unfortunately, the rainout at Atlanta and out sponsor’s last-minute decision not to run Phoenix put a damper on our plans,” Vazquez said. “We had hoped to get Roberto in at least two races this year and that just didn’t happen. Many things were in the mix in ultimately making this decision. After signing Carlos, we got many requests from potential sponsors who were looking to see him in a BGN race before committing. We also couldn’t squeeze in a test for Roberto in Homestead, yet Carlos has already raced there and will benefit from the additional practice time during the week. We know Roberto is upset, as he should be and as we all are for him, but he is a team player and understands the greater cause, which is getting HRT’s Hispanic NASCAR program off the ground,” Vazquez continued. In the meantime, the first and only Hispanic-owned, -sponsored and -driven team in NASCAR will forge ahead to Miami, a key Hispanic market where almost one-quarter of the fans are Hispanic. Contreras, a native of Mexico, is looking forward to giving the fans a ‘hometown favorite’ to cheer for. “Mike and Rudy came to me just a few days ago with the opportunity to run Homestead-Miami Speedway, and to be honest, I couldn’t sleep that night,” Contreras said. “I can’t wait to run my first Busch series race. It is going to be a little crazy running from Truck practice to Busch practice, then qualifying back to back, but it’s what I have been waiting for.”(TMDG – The Motorsports Decisions Group PR)
UPDATE 2: HRT Motorsports has signed an associate sponsor of the #09 CICLON Energy Drink car for this weekend’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Children International, which provides aid to impoverished children throughout the world, will be on the rear quarter panels of the car. “HRT has teamed up with Children International to help poor children in Spanish-speaking countries around the world,” said team co-owner Mike Vazquez. “Although we may never win the race against poverty, we can sure help these children get a better start in life. By sponsoring a child, like we at HRT have done, we can give these children real help and real hope.” Vazquez, co-owner Rudy Rodriguez and Contreras have all signed on to sponsor kids through the Children International program.. The three children are from Ecuador and the Dominican Republic, and range in age from two to six. Children International helps more than 230,000 children throughout 18 field projects in 10 countries around the world.. Its sponsorship programs bring health, education and other opportunities to poor children and help them become contributing members to society.(TMDG – The Motorsports Decisions Group PR)
(11-11-2002)
