Matt Ferguson was watching a Sprint Cup race in March when he turned to his wife with what at first seemed like another one of his crazy ideas. He wanted to sponsor a car. Well, not just him. He wanted to devise a plan where all fans would have an opportunity to sponsor a car. So he began researching, hired an agent and developed a program. It’s called FanCar, and you can learn more about it at FanCar.com. It’s really simple. For $20, fans who sign up will get their name on the car of an established team owner with a driver already in place. The plan is to debut the FanCar in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The owner and driver will be announced on Monday, so fans will know whom they’re backing. “This is not some start-up team,” said Ferguson, a 32-year-old businessman from College Station, Texas. “This isn’t their first race, and they’re not a start-and-park team. We’re not going to have somebody who doesn’t know what they’re doing or isn’t respected by other drivers.” He is a familiar name and is guaranteed to be in the field. But if this works, Ferguson plans to have another FanCar in the 2010 Daytona 500 and as many races as he can next season. If it works really well, he’ll try to sponsor two cars.(full story at ESPN.com)
DRIVER? TEAM? hearing the the driver will be Terry Labonte for Carter/Simo Racing in the #08 Toyota at Homestead in the season finale. BUT Terry Labonte will not be guaranteed to make the race. His brother, Bobby Labonte, is scheduled to run the #71 TRG Chevy at Homestead. The #71 as is the #08 teams, are both not in the top-35 in owners points, so each Labonte has to race their way in or fall back on the past champions provisional. If both need it, Bobby would get to use it first as he won the Sprint Cup Championship in 2000 and Terry last won it in 1996.(10-30-2009)
