Marc Mitchell is taking the truck route in hope of picking up a race car down the road. The Tallahassee driver began negotiating Tuesday with two finalists who are bidding for him to drive in the Craftsman Truck Series next season. More talks between Mitchell, his sponsors and the prospective teams are scheduled for Wednesday in Charlotte, NC. Mitchell is making the move to the Craftsman Series after driving in 12 ARAC races last season. A decision on which team he’ll race for could be made before the weekend, Mitchell said. Ergon, an oil refining company, also will continue to sponsor his ride, he said.(Tallahassee.com)(12-12-2007)
UPDATE: Hearing that Marc Mitchell is headed to Billy Ballew Racing in the #15 Toyota. However, also hearing that the team may have to skip the first five races due to lack of engines from Toyota.(1-9-2008)
UPDATE 2: Marc Mitchell said Thursday that he’s close to a deal, but he would not disclose with which team. “We are 99.9 percent sure the deal is going to go through,” said Mitchell, who said he spent the last two days reviewing terms of a contract. Mitchell also wouldn’t confirm that he’ll be teamed with Kyle Busch. However, that might be a possibility, said Jeff Dennison, a publicist for Mitchell’s sponsor, Ergon. “It just depends on the team (Mitchell) lands with,” Dennison said. “He is in a position where he could be teamed with some Nextel Cup veterans.” A deal could be finalized and announced in the next week, he said. That might not be under wraps much longer this the weekend.(Tallahassee.com)(1-12-2008)
UPDATE 3: Continuing a solid foundation built last season, Ergon, Inc. will raise their level of awareness in motorsports in 2008. Maintaining their partnership with the young and impressive Marc Mitchell, Ergon Inc. has formed a relationship with Billy Ballew Motorsports to sponsor Mitchell in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Billy Ballew Motorsports will enter the #15 Ergon Chevy for Marc Mitchell in 21 events this season beginning at the Chevy Silverado HD 250 at the Daytona Int’l Speedway. Ergon, Inc., a diverse brand with over 60 companies under their umbrella, continues their relationship with Mitchell that included 11 ARCA events in 2007 highlighted by a second place finish at the ARCA season kick-off at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway. Mitchell will also be competing for Raybestos Rookie of The Year honors. The 21-race schedule for the #15 Ergon Chevy will include every race on the schedule excluding both Martinsville events, Dover and New Hampshire. Mitchell will make his debut with the team this week testing at the 1.54-mile Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway.(BBM/Breaking Limits PR)(1-23-2008)
