Schrader and Federated Auto Parts to Petree? UPDATE 3, NO Still looking: Ken Schrader might be headed back to Andy Petree Racing, primarily because he is bringing a sponsor. Federated Auto Parts, which sponsors Ken Schrader Racing’s trucks and late model programs, is expected to move to Winston Cup in 2003. Schrader, who last drove for Andy Petree in 1999, is losing the #36 ride he has had since 2000. Bobby Hamilton is leaving Petree’s #55 Chevy (of APR)(Sporting News)(10-28-2002) UPDATE: Ken Schrader and Bob-by Hamilton have been keeping a low profile recently as they scramble to line up rides for next season. Insiders figure that Schrader will likely wind up back with car owner Andy Petree, although Petree himself is scrambling for more sponsorship money.(Winston Cup Journal)(10-29-2002) UPDATE 2 – APR looking for sponsor partner for #55: Andy Petree Racing, a team that went to Victory Lane twice last year with two cars [#33 and #55], one coming at Rockingham, where Joe Nemechek drove the #33 Chevy to win the race [it no longer exists, a victim of sponsorship woes, except for a few one-off deals], could be in trouble if money doesn’t soon materialize for Petree’s other car, the #55 driven by Bobby Hamilton. “It’s been a very frustrating year, especially since we were coming off our most successful year,” Petree said. “We won two races with two cars operating on a budget that was less than what some teams spend on one car. But we used what money we had to run an efficient program. I truly believe if we just could have maintained sponsorship levels, we’d be a contender to win every week.” So Petree has launched a sponsor search that could ultimately become a new trend in NASCAR. Desperate to keep the #55 on the track — and ever hopeful the #33 can come back — he’s looking at every way possible to scrape together the necessary dollars. Square D, an electrical distribution company that sponsors the #55, has told Petree it can’t afford the $8 million he needs to run a full Winston Cup schedule. But the company still wants to be involved, and Petree is looking for co-sponsors to help pick up the tab. “Square D can do about a third of that, maybe I can stretch them to do a half,” Petree said. “So my goal is to find some other companies who want to get into the sport, but also can’t afford to do a full sponsorship deal, and bring them in on a smaller price tag.” That’s almost unheard of in NASCAR, where some sponsors pay upward of $16 million a year to splash their product on the hood of a car for 36 weekends a year. But Petree has never required that kind of money to function, finding ways to cut corners and stretch every dollar while still being competitive. The basis behind Petree’s new plan is to bring at least one other company on to the #55, and find a way to give the sponsor the most value. For example, Square D can be the primary paint scheme and host the hospitality tents at races that fit its market, while another company can hit the cities that it wants.(CBS Sportsline/AP)(10-30-2002) UPDATE 3: hearing Andy Petree and Ken Schrader are working together to bring a sponsor to the #55 for next season. The rumors about Federated Auto Parts apparently were just that – rumors. Petree and Schrader are talking with several companies but do not have anything for next season yet. There was an AP story earlier that said Schneider Electric would sponsor half the #55 next season IF another company joined to sponsor the other half. Hear Petree and Schrader are optimistic and have some meetings scheduled, but they are talking to everyone they can right now.(11-11-2002)
