Turn One Racing announced that they will field a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car in 2012, starting with the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday, March 4th. The team is building on the experience earned over the last three years of competition in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, where the team earned a ninth place finish in the 2011 standings with driver Cole Whitt. ‘This is a great opportunity for Turn One Racing,’ said Team Owner, Stacy Compton. ‘It has always been our objective to grow the team and this is just the next step in that plan. We have a great group of partners behind us and feel like we are taking all the right steps to build a very competitive Sprint Cup team.’ Compton’s team has purchased cars from Richard Childress Racing and plans are in the works to race eight to ten events in their freshman year. The team will attempt the remaining races, excluding the 200-lap Daytona 500. ‘We have partnered with one of our long-time supporters to run a handful of races this year. We ‘re also working on additional sponsorship that would enable us to run more races throughout the year.’(Turn One Racing)(1-20-2012)
UPDATE: Compton confirmed Friday that he has formed an alliance with Richard Childress Racing that could result in a minimum eight-race schedule. ‘I know we ‘re going to run Kentucky,’ Compton said. ‘We ‘re going to run Indianapolis, for sure at this point. And we ‘ve got our eye on Texas as well.’ Compton has been in communication with RCR general manager Mike Dillon in his efforts to create a Cup program, with the idea of starting small and growing as sponsorship money becomes available. Compton’s goal at this point is to concentrate on short tracks ‘ namely Martinsville, Bristol, Richmond and Dover. Compton said at least one sponsor is on board with the project, but he declined to identify it at this point. ‘It’s a partner that we ‘ve had in the past and has supported me for many years,’ Compton said. ‘They want to make sure they get their ducks in a row first before we make any announcements on it.’ If more sponsorship can be obtained ‘ and Compton indicated there were talks under way ‘ the team could run as many as 15 races. So who will be behind the wheel? Compton said that’s still to be determined.(NASCAR.com)(1-21-2012)
