AND Federal Express, which once was in the running to be the title sponsor of NASCAR’s top series before Nextel came on board, has been in talks with both Joe Gibbs Racing and Dale Earnhardt Inc. Word in the garage: Fed Ex will end up on a third Cup car for the 2005 season at JGR with J.J. Yeley, a Busch rookie this season, behind the wheel. But Gibbs says it’s too early to commit. “Right now, we’re in the process of moving through things, and we can’t announce anything because the deal isn’t done,” Gibbs says. “We’ve been in conversations for a long time but right now it’s just a work in progress.”(FoxSports/Sporting News)(5-24-2004)
THE UPDATE add…Biffle: FedEx will announce Wednesday that it will sponsor a third Nextel Cup car for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2005. The car will carry the #11, which was the number that J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing, wore as a football player at William and Mary. J.J. Yeley was expected to be the driver of a third Nextel Cup car next year, but the organization wants a veteran driver for the ride. Sources close to the team say that Greg Biffle would be at the top of their list. Joe Gibbs, the Washington Redskins’ coach, will play his home games at FedEx Field in Landover, Md. next fall so a relationship already existed between Gibbs and the company that will move from the field to the track next year.(FoxSports)(6-16-2004)
UPDATE 2 Yeley: hearing that FedEx introduced J.J. Yeley and Joe Gibbs at their annual sales meeting in Orlando, FL today with the car, owner and driver [Yeley](6-16-2004)
UPDATE 3: FedEx said Wednesday it has signed a letter of intent to sponsor Joe Gibbs Racing’s third car starting in 2005. A driver hasn’t been chosen for the #11 FedEx Chevrolet. No financial terms were announced, although UPS’s sponsorship of the #88 Ford driven by Dale Jarrett – one of the sport’s marquee drivers – reportedly is worth as much as $16 million a year. FedEx confirmed only that it has signed a letter of intent. Gibbs Racing said it expects a contract to be signed within a month. FedEx and Gibbs Racing have been in talks for about 18 months. It hasn’t been decided if FedEx will have associated sponsorships with other Gibbs drivers, Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart. One of the candidates to drive the new FedEx-sponsored Chevy is Busch Series rookie J. J. Yeley. Yeley, a Gibbs driver, has one top 10 finish in nine starts and sits 29th in the Busch standings. “What we’re going to do is build a list (of potential drivers) based on what kind of potential they have and what kind of equipment they’re running already,” said Dean Noble, vice president of business affairs for Gibbs Racing. “After interviews we’d narrow the list to a couple of guys who would meet with FedEx. It’s truly a partnership putting this team together.” FedEx’s entry into the sport could help the Memphis Motorsports Park, said vice president and general manager Jason Rittenberry. The track has NASCAR Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series events and covets a place in NASCAR’s premier Nextel Cup Series.(Memphis Commercial Appeal)(6-17-2004)