Auto123.com’s contributor Bertrand Godin has learned earlier today a rumour indicating that Jacques Villeneuve and Craig Pollock have purchased the Bill Davis Racing Team [#22, #27 and #36 in Cup, #5, #22, #23, #27 in Truck]. According to a reliable source, Villeneuve and his business manager since 1992, Craig Pollock, have recently purchased Bill and Gail Davis’ stock-car racing team. This is the team that currently runs Villeneuve in the Craftsman Trucks series and in the Nextel Cup. The new team, based in High Point, North Carolina will apparently continue to field the current drivers, as well as a Sprint Cup car for Villeneuve.(Auto123.com)(10-19-2007)
UPDATE: Team owner Bill Davis insisted on Saturday that he has not sold his organization as published reports indicated. That doesn’t mean he won’t. The owner of Bill Davis Racing said several parties have expressed an interest in purchasing his company that includes two Nextel Cup cars driven by Dave Blaney and Jeremy Mayfield, who will be replaced by Formula One star Jacques Villeneuve next season. “Like any team our size, we have to be realistic and look at all of our options with what’s going on in the sport right now,” he said before practice at Martinsville Speedway. “We’ve had a lot of interest, a lot of very interested people, and a lot of things that are for real. We just have to do our due diligence and make a smart, logical choice.”(ESPN.com)(10-20-2007)
UPDATE 2: Bill Davis sees all that is going on around him in Nextel Cup racing and is not ashamed to say that his operation needs help. So he has hung out the “For Sale” shingle at Bill Davis Racing. Part of it? All of it? Even Davis doesn’t seem to be sure yet. But he’s willing to listen to all offers, and indeed is in the process of doing precisely that. Jacques Villeneuve indicated that he is not interested in owning BDR — but didn’t rule out the fact that his business manager, Craig Pollock, might have some interest. Davis said he would like to retain at least part-ownership in the team that bears his name.(NASCAR.com)(10-21-2007)
UPDATE 3: Bill Davis said reports that hes selling his High Point NASCAR team may be premature, but he wont flat-out deny reports he may be selling part of his team to Jacques Villeneuve, perhaps a very significant part. Davis has signed Villeneuve to run his Toyotas next season on the Nextel Cup tour, as teammate with Dave Blaney. And Villeneuve is spending this fall running NASCAR Trucks, to warm up for 2008. Now comes word that there is much more to the Davis-Villeneuve deal than the two are letting on. Davis hedged when pressed on the situation. Were not in position to make any comment right now, Davis said.(Winston Salem Journal)(10-22-2007)
