Jay Robinson purchased Phil Parsons Racing to fall under his Premium Motorsports umbrella earlier this year, and now the longtime owner is discussing how it went down. Originally a two-car operation between the #62 and # 66 vehicles, the team planned to run Brendan Gaughan for the full season, with the exception of the Daytona 500, which was attempted by Brian Scott in a deal with Richard Childress Racing. However, things fell apart with Gaughan, and midway through the season, Robinson purchased the team owned by former racer and current Fox broadcaster Phil Parsons. “I bought it,” Robinson told Frontstretch at Pocono, referring to Parsons’ # 98 team. “Phil is a good friend. Phil will always be around. He’s not in the business and not an entity.” Parsons had been running Josh Wise in a Ford this year after running a Chevy in all but five events in 2014. However, Premium and Wise split in July, a mere week after Gaughan left the organization after missing eight races. “We’re going to continue on for the rest of the year, next year and the year after,” Robinson said. “We’re not in any long-term contracts with any drivers at this point. Josh is a really good guy. He’s a good, aggressive driver and I think highly of Josh. Sponsorship circumstances dictated that we had to make a change there. That was the reason for that. I certainly wouldn’t rule out racing with him in the future given the opportunity sponsorship-wise.” According to Robinson, Premium will continue to swap manufacturers for the remainder of the season. The driver lineup for the team is uncertain for the immediate future, but a plan is in place to keep the organization at multiple cars. At Watkins Glen, TJ Bell will make his return to the Cup Series, piloting the #62 car for the team. This will be Bell’s first Cup Series start since Sept. 2012, and his second start in NASCAR competition this season.(Frontstretch)(8-7-2015)
