TRG Motorsports will field its #71 Chevrolet in the Daytona 500 with Andy Lally at the controls. “We’re going to stand on our own two feet,” said TRG owner Kevin Buckler today. “We had a lot of people contact us about doing various Daytona 500 deals, but we decided to say `no” to them all. We’re going to put Andy Lally in the car for the Daytona 500 and make use of our own owner points.” Lally made seven Sprint Cup starts for TRG last year, with a top finish of 18th at Watkins Glen. He is fresh off a GT class win in the ROlex 24 at Daytona driving for TRG, and will be a guaranteed starter in the 500. Buckler declined to comment on what offers he received for his 35th-place 2010 owner points, laughing, “I’m staying completely out of that.”(Sirius Speedway)(2-5-2011) AND on Jan. 27, Buckler said his friend and partner, Tom Pumpelly, divested his partnership in TRG Motorsports and took the owners’ points with him to become an equity partner at Richard Childress Racing. That guaranteed RCR’s Paul Menard a starting position in the Daytona 500 for his #27 Chevy. Buckler, who continues to chase sponsorship for his own fleet of Chevrolets which use Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines for power and who have benefited from a technical alliance with RCR, says he’ll race the first five races this season “in their entirety,” whether or not any sponsors sign up. But there was still the issue of points as TRG embarks on its third full season in the Cup Series. “TRG Motorsports, needing [owners’] points, has now partnered with Richard Petty and we will operate the #71 with Richard’s [2010 owners’ points] from the 98,” Buckler said. “It’s as simple as that. We have ourselves teed-up so right for a sponsor right now with a fleet-footed little group of guys with a lot to offer.” Buckler said he anticipated naming a crew chief for Lally’s car early next week, when cars will enter Daytona for inspection on Friday.(NASCAR.com)(2-7-2011)
