Jan
30
Previewing the 2007 NEXTEL Cup Teams: Hall of Fame Racing
January 30, 2007 | Posted by VroomDude
Hall of Fame Racing is a newcomer to NASCAR (starting full-time racing in 2006) but it’s not your average new team, as co-owners Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman bring plenty of bucks to the table, as well as initial backing and help from Joe Gibbs Racing.
Terry Labonte drove the car for the first five races of 2006, ensuring the team a spor in the top 35 in the point standings and locking in a starting spot for the remaining races of the season, at which point Tony Raines took over the driving duties. Labonte did come back to drive in two road race events, including the team’s best finish, a 3rd place at Infineon Raceway.
Not a lot was expected from Hall of Fame Racing in 2006, and they pretty much delivered on those expectations. Other than the 3rd place finish at Infineon (which was a bit of a fluke as Terry Labonte was driving and not their full-time driver Raines), their #96 car was towards the back of the pack much of the year. Raines’ best finish was 11th at Martinsville and he ultimately finished 35th in the standings.
Will 2007 be more successful? Well, probably, now that they’ve worked some of the first year jitters and kinks out of the system. Raines will be back, so at least there’s some continuity there, although he’ll have a new crew chief. There’s also been talk that the team might add a second car, which could be mixed news, as far as a distraction or a renewed commitment to winning some Nextel Cup races.
It’s hard to predict great success for the second year team, but they’ll probably improve on last year’s results and creep up some in the final standings.