Jay Robinson Racing has landed sponsorship from Advil Liquid Gels for the rest of the season for its #49, and Tammy Jo Kirk will be behind the wheel beginning with the July 19 event at New Hampshire. Kirk, who drove for Geoffrey Bodine in the Craftsman Truck Series several years ago, will become the eighth female driver in Busch Series history.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter), doesn’t say if Kirk is full time or if she will run for Rookie of the Year(7-7-2003)
UPDATE: Wyeth Consumer Healthcare, makers of fast-acting Advil Liqui-Gels, announced it is teaming up with Jay Robinson Racing (JRR) and drivers Derrike Cope and Tammy Jo Kirk to sponsor the #49 Advil Ford in the Busch Series for the remainder of 2003 season. The partnership kicked off at Daytona International Speedway on July 4th, with NASCAR veteran and 1990 Daytona 500 champion, Cope behind the wheel.. He will pilot the car for one more race on July 12th at Chicagoland Speedway before Kirk, only the eighth female driver in the history of the Busch Series, takes over for the remainder of the season at the Busch Series’ annual visit to New Hampshire International Speedway on July 19. With 42% of NASCAR’s audience being female, many will have their eyes on Tammy Jo Kirk. Kirk is the former dirt track AMA Expert motorcycle racer from Dalton, GA, and Truck Series driver. She started her racing career on motorcycles and has turned in many solid performances in the Truck Series other NASCAR Series. She was the first woman in the nation to attain the rank of Expert in the American Motorcycle Association and then became the first woman to win an AMA Expert Division event.(JJR PR)(7-11-2003)
UPDATE 2: Tammy Jo Kirk will attempt to become the eighth woman to compete in the NASCAR Busch Series, driving the #49 Advil Ford for Jay Robinson Racing at NHIS. The last female driver to compete in the series was Tina Gordon, who finished 10th at Talladega Superspeedway on April 5. This will mark Kirk’s Busch Series debut, she competed in the Truck Series in 1997-1998. Other female drivers that have raced in the NASCAR Busch Series include Lisa Jackson, Debbie Lunsford, Patty Moise, Shawna Robinson, Kat Teasdale and Diane Teel.(NASCAR PR)(7-17-2003)
