Busch series driver David Gilliland will replace Elliott Sadler as the driver of the #38 M&M’s Ford for Robert Yates Racing, beginning next Sunday in the GFS Marketplace 400 in Brooklyn, Mich., ESPN’s Mike Massaro reports. Sadler previously announced he was leaving Yates at the end of the season. Sadler has signed with Evernham Motorsports, which on Friday fired driver Jeremy Mayfield. This weekend, driver Bill Elliott is replacing Mayfield in Watkins Glen. Earlier this year, Gilliland became the first non-Nextel Cup driver to win a Busch Series race this season.(ESPN.com)
OR As David Gilliland contemplates his immediate future with Robert Yates Racing — namely whether or not to lose his rookie status in 2007 by taking a Nextel Cup ride now — sources close to RYR told NASCAR.com the organization is also in discussion with Jeremy Mayfield about a potential fill-in role in the #38 Ford. Mayfield, released by Evernham Motorsports earlier this week, would only be a temporary fill-in for Yates, and would not sign a multi-year deal. Sources said Gilliland is expected to man the #38 Ford for the final 12 races, but his participation in the fall race at Talladega remains in doubt. He has not yet been approved for racing on NASCAR’s superspeedways. Mayfield’s termination from Evernham Motorsports earlier this week opens the seat of the #19 Dodge for the current driver of the #38 Ford, Elliott Sadler. Sadler may be in the #19 before season’s end, depending largely on the resolutions of various contractual agreements, sources said.(NASCAR.com)(8-13-2006)
