Curb Racing
 | |
| Owner(s) | Mike Curb, Cary Agajanian |
|---|---|
| Series | Winston Cup Series, Nationwide Series |
| Car numbers | 27, 37, 42, 43, 96, 98 |
| Opened | 1984 (Cup), 1996 (Busch/Nationwide) |
| Closed | 1988 (Cup), 2011 (Busch/Nationwide) |
| Career | |
| Debut |
Cup: 1984 Daytona 500 (Daytona) Nationwide: 1996 CARQUEST Auto Parts 250 (Gateway) |
| Latest race |
Cup: 1988 Goodwrench 500 (Rockingham) Nationwide: 2011 Royal Purple 300 (Fontana) |
| Race victories |
NASCAR: 3 2 (Cup) 1 (Nationwide) |
| Pole positions |
NASCAR: 1 0 (Cup) 1 (Nationwide) |
Curb Racing is a former NASCAR team competing in the Sprint Cup Series and Xfinity Series from 1984–2011. The team was owned by Mike Curb, CEO of Curb Records and 45th Lieutenant Governor of California. Curb also had numerous business partners affiliated with his NASCAR operations, including Gary Baker, Cary Agajanian, John Andretti, and Donald Laird. The team fielded cars for several notable NASCAR drivers, including Richard Petty, Dale Jarrett, Jimmie Johnson, and Greg Biffle.
The team was active in the Cup Series from 1984–1988, and in the Busch/Nationwide Series from 1996–2011.
Sprint Cup Series
Car #42 History
In 1985, Curb fielded a second car at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Tom Sneva drove an unsponsored #42 Pontiac, finishing 32nd after an engine failure. It was the only time Curb would field two cars in a Cup Series race.
Car #43 History
The team was founded as Curb Racing 1984, running Pontiacs in NASCAR's premier series, the Winston Cup Series. Seven-time Cup champion Richard Petty drove the car, with Petty bringing his STP sponsorship and the #43 with him from Petty Enterprises. Buddy Parrott was the crew chief. In his first season with Curb, Petty scored two wins, including the Firecracker 400 for his 200th and final career win. Petty finished tenth in the final championship standings.[1]
Petty returned in 1985, with new crew chief Mike Beam. Petty posted 13 top-10 finishes, but had only one top-5 and posted 12 DNFs.
In 1986, Petty and STP left Curb to rejoin Petty Enterprises. Petty took the #43 with him, thus Curb switched to #98.
Car #98 History
In 1986, the #43 Pontiac switched to #98 and reduced to part-time, and Ron Bouchard became Curb's new driver. Valvoline replaced STP as the sponsor, and Beam remained crew chief.The #98 ran 18 races, Bouchard ran 17 and had top-ten finishes at the Daytona 500 and Winston 500, but struggled with engine problems during the second half of the season. Bouchard also ran a Buick at Rockingham Speedway. Dale Jarrett drove the #98 at Bristol Motor Speedway, bringing Busch sponsorship, starting 28th and finishing 29th.
In 1987, the team lost Valvoline as a sponsor and Bouchard left the team. The team switched to Buick, and Ed Pimm entered four races; missing the Daytona 500 in an unsponsored ride, but making the three remaining attempts: at Talladega in an unsponsored entry, Daytona in July with sponsor CP-1 Oil Boosters, and the season finale at Atlanta with Sonoco, which also signed on to be the car's sponsor the following year. Pimm did not finish any of those races, and only managed a best finish of 27th. Brad Noffsinger attempted the fall race at Riverside, but failed to qualify.
In 1988, the #98 Buick returned to full-time as Sunoco became the team's new sponsor. Pimm qualified for two out of the first three races of the season, but was replaced by rookie Brad Noffsinger. Noffsinger finished 14th at his series debut in Atlanta in the spring, however it would be his best finish of the season. Noffsinger failed to qualify for 8 races, while the #98 failed to finish 7 additional times. The team did not enter the road course race at Riverside. Noffsinger finished 38th in points, Sunoco left the team, and the team shut down.[1]
Following the sale of his Busch/Nationwide Series operation in 2011, Curb partnered with Richard Childress Racing, with Curb sponsoring and being listed as owner for Austin Dillon's #98 RCR-prepared Chevrolet. Curb used the space to promote the Ronald Reagan Centennial Celebration.
Busch/Nationwide Series
After the Cup Series team shut down in 1988, Curb suspended operations until 1996. The team returned to NASCAR running the Busch Series with the #96 car.
Car #27 History
After not fielding an entry throughout most of 2007, Curb and Gary Baker purchased Brewco Motorsports prior to the fall Fontana race. Baker-Curb Racing took over the team's entries the same weekend, taking over for the final nine races of the season. The team continued running out of Brewco's shop for the remainder of 2007, and inherited a relationship with Roush-Fenway Racing to run Fords. The #27 entry would continue to be sponsored by Kimberly-Clark's Kleenex brand, a sponsor of Curb's #43 entry two years earlier in 2005. Jason Keller ran the first race for Baker-Curb at Fontana, finishing 17th. For the final eight races, Bobby East, Robby Gordon, Casey Atwood and Brad Baker drove two races apiece, with a best finish of 12th by Bobby East at Homestead.
In 2008, the team moved into its own shop, and Brad Coleman was named the driver for the full-season. Kimberly-Clark brands again returned to sponsor the #27 Ford in most of the races, with USPS and Carino's Italian Grill filling out the schedule. Coleman made each of the first 24 races, and was 16th in points, but had only two top-10 finishes and was fired following his second top-10 at Watkins Glen. David Gilliland drove at Michigan, with Burney Lamar running at Bristol. Gilliland returned to the #27 at Fontana, and Atwood made his only start in the car at Richmond. At Dover, Keller took over the #27 for the final seven races of the year, in preparation for a full-time run in 2009. The best run for the #27 in 2008 was 9th with Coleman at Las Vegas.
For the 2009 season, Kimberly-Clark products returned to sponsor 34 of 36 races in the #27 Ford with Jason Keller running full-time. The team ran unsponsored at Watkins Glen, while USPS returned to the car at Homestead. Keller ran all 35 races, and finished 8th in points, recording eight top-10 finishes. The team's best finish was 6th at Iowa in August. After the season, Kimberly-Clark left the team and Keller departed for Tri-Star Motorsports.
In 2010, the season began with the #27 running Roush Fords split between Greg Biffle and Scott Wimmer with sponsorship from Red Man Tobacco. Johnny Sauter also drove at Nashville.[2] After 14 races, the Red Man deal ended with new FDA regulations preventing tobacco advertising in sporting events.[3][4] The Roush partnership dissolved after Kentucky, with the end of the Red Man deal. The team was forced to run only one car at Road America, leasing the #43 points to Rick Ware, with Owen Kelly driving the #27 sponsored by K1 Speed to a top-5 finish.[5] Justin Lofton drove at Loudon with WeekendWarriors.tv sponsoring. The following week at Daytona was the first Nationwide Series race using the Car of Tomorrow platform. Initially for COT races, the #27 team would partner with Jennifer Jo Cobb, who brought sponsorship from Driver Boutique. Cobb would provide the COT and in return she would drive and provided the crew chief.[5][6][7] However, the deal fell apart after Cobb destroyed the car in a crash during her first race with Baker-Curb at Daytona, an accident that also took out Baker-Curb's other entry, the #43 driven by Johnny Chapman. For the next seven races, seven different drivers ran the #27 Ford as part of one-race deals; the drivers were Lofton, Sauter, Kelly Bires, Nelson Piquet, Jr., Drew Herring, Josh Wise, and Danny O'Quinn, Jr.. Andrew Ranger then ran the #27 as a Dodge for one race, running a car out of his own race shop (Dodge Dealers of Quebec was his sponsor, thus requiring him to drive Dodge equipment).[8] Brad Baker drove an unsponsored entry at Atlanta, finishing 26th. After this, the #43 shut down and the #27 Ford became the only entry for Baker-Curb. The remainder of the season was split between Baker, Herring, Alex Kennedy and Hermie Sadler. The team had little sponsorship for the final stretch, with Baker being forced to start and park at Fontana. Chase Mattioli ran the season finale at Homestead in the #27 Ford with CollegeComplete.com sponsoring, finishing 33rd. The best finish for the #27 in 2010 was 2nd with Biffle in a Ford, at Fontana and Richmond in the spring.
After initially intending to shut down for 2011, Baker-Curb instead decided to run the #27 as a Ford entry for the first 5 races of the season. At Daytona, J.R. Fitzpatrick and his sponsor Schick came aboard to run the #27, but Fitzpatrick crashed after 10 laps and finished 42nd. Justin Marks and J. J. Yeley started and parked the next three races due to lack of sponsorship. Fitzpatrick returned to drive at Fontana, finishing 20th, with Schick again sponsoring. Baker-Curb Racing subsequently suspended operations, and three weeks later shut down. The #27 team was sold to Canadian businessman Steve Meehan's #67 team, Go Canada Racing, which Fitzpatrick would go on to drive for. [9]
Car #37 History
After Gary Baker and Mike Curb purchased Brewco Motorsports in September 2007, Baker-Curb Racing took over the #37 Ford for the final nine races of the season. Baker-Curb also inherited the #37's sponsor Kick-Butt Energy Ballz. Bobby East drove Baker-Curb's first race at Fontana, finishing 24th. The car was split over the final eight races by East, John Graham, Casey Atwood, and Brad Baker. The team's best 2007 finish in 9 attempts was a 14th-place finish at Dover by Atwood. Kick-Butt left the team after the season.
The #37 began 2008 running Fords out of the team's new shop without a sponsor. Baker began the season as the team's primary driver, running 5 of the first 6 races, with Greg Biffle running at Atlanta bringing Cub Cadet sponsorship. Burney Lamar then started and parked at Texas, John Young crashed out at Phoenix, and Raphael Martinez earned a top-20 at the Mexico City road course with Canel's and Scotiabank sponsoring. Lamar then returned for the next 7 races, running 6 as a start and park entry, with Biffle's foundation funding a full race effort at Nashville. Baker ran the full race at Daytona with RFD-TV sponsorship, finishing 27th. The #37 team shut down after Daytona due to lack of funding. The best 2008 finish for the team in 19 attempts was 18th with Lamar at Nashville.
The #37 Ford returned for the final two races of the 2009 season as a start and park entry. Kevin Hamlin drove an unsponsored car at both Phoenix and Homestead. The following season in 2010, the #37 Ford attempted three races in the middle of the season as a start and park, at Loudon and Gateway with Kevin Swindell and at Chicago with Josh Wise.
Car #43 History
In 1998, the #96 team switched to #43, which Curb had run in Cup with Richard Petty, and became known as the Curb Agajanian Performance Group. The #43 began the 1998 season unsponsored with Stevie Reeves driving a mix of Fords and Chevrolets. The team entered 4 of the first 10 races, with Reeves making all four. However the car had two mechanical failures and Reeves did not finish better than 30th. Brad Noffsinger took over at Charlotte. Noffsinger had previously driven for Curb in the Cup series; he entered six races and made five, however the #43 suffered three mechanical failures. Noffsinger was replaced by Kevin Grubb at Gateway, however Grubb crashed out of the race and was fired. Future six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson drove the season finale at Homestead. The #43 entered 12 races in 1998, all of them without a sponsor, qualifying for 11 and posting a best finish of 27th at the Dover spring race.
In 1999, the team returned to full-time. Shane Hall was hired to drive and Central Tractor signed on to sponsor the full season. The #43 began running Chevrolets full-time. Hall had a DNQ at the season opener at Daytona, had a fourth-place finish at Myrtle Beach Speedway, and finished 24th in points, but had 6 additional DNQs. Central Tractor left following the season.
Rookie Jay Sauter replaced Hall in 2000. Sponsorship of the #43 Chevrolet was taken over by Quality Farm & Country. Sauter nabbed eight top-tens and finished seventeenth in points, despite missing the spring Las Vegas race. The team's best finish was 4th at the season opener at Daytona. Sauter and Quality Farm returned in 2001. Sauter finished 3rd at Texas, grabbed a pole at Kentucky Speedway, scored seven top-10s, and finished nineteenth in points. However Sauter was fired after Memphis with three races to go in the season, as Morton Salt took over as sponsor and Ron Hornaday finished out the season. Hornaday would grab a top-5 at Phoenix.
In 2002, the team lost both Quality Farm and Morton sponsorship and cut back to a limited schedule, attempting four races late in the season with Hermie Sadler driving. The #43 Chevy had sponsorship from TNA for two of the races. Sadler made three of the four races (including both with sponsorship), but the #43 did not finish better than 29th.
The team continued to run part-time in 2003. Jay Sauter's brother Johnny ran 17 races in Chevrolets with Channellock sponsorship. Sauter was also running the No. 21 for Richard Childress Racing, combining for a full season. Grubb also returned to the #43 at the spring Nashville race, with sponsorship from music artist Jo Dee Messina, and Shelby Howard ran the fall Kansas race with Dr. Pepper. The team ran Dodges in partnership with Carroll Racing for Grubb and Howard. The team picked up their first Busch Series win at the Funai 250 at Richmond in September with Sauter in a Chevrolet.
The team started 2004 with Josh Richeson driving the #43 Chevrolet at Daytona with Ollie's Bargain Outlets sponsoring. At the second race of the season at Rockingham, the team switched to running Evernham Dodges and signed Aaron Fike as the driver. Ollie's continued to sponsor the team, which remained part-time. Fike and the #43 ran 12 races, his best finish a seventeenth at Dover.
In 2005, the #43 returned to full-time running both Dodges and Fords. Channellock and Jo Dee Messina, both returned to the team after a year absence. Kimberly-Clark's Kleenex brand also came on as a sponsor. The team's main drivers were Aaron and A. J. Fike, with Jeff Green running three races. Tracy Hines and Kevin Conway ran one race a piece, while road course ringers Jose Luis Ramirez and Ron Fellows also made a start. Fellows ran a Chevrolet for his race in the #43 at Watkins Glen, however the engine overheated early in the event. The team's best finish in 2005 was 14th at Charlotte with Aaron Fike in a Ford.
In 2006, the team returned to running Evernham Dodges. The #43 began the season without a full-time sponsor, however the car started the season with Aaron Fike driving full-time with race-to-race sponsorships. Fike sat 29th in points after 12 races when he failed to qualify at Charlotte and was fired. Kertus Davis took over for one race at Dover. The team then downscaled to part-time, with road racing experts P. J. Jones and Chris Cook attempting a four races each, all of them on ovals except for Cook's start at Watkins Glen. Jones made each of the fields he attempted to qualify for, while Cook made three of the four, missing the race at Richmond. Erin Crocker brought General Mills sponsorship and Evernham support at Homestead, finishing 28th. The best finish for the #43 in 2006 was at the July Daytona race, with P. J. Jones finishing 13th.
Due to a lack of sponsorship, the #43 began the 2007 season inactive. Curb and Gary Baker later bought Clarence Brewer's Ford team before the September Fontana race. Brewco's two full-time Busch Series teams, the #27 and #37, became the primary entries for Baker-Curb Racing at Fontana. However, Baker-Curb did field the #43 for the only time in 2007 for Bobby East at Memphis with sponsorship from Kick Butt Energy Ballz.
The #43 entry did not appear during the 2008 season. In 2009, Curb leased the number 43 to Richard Petty Motorsports for driver Kasey Kahne at the fall Charlotte race. Baker-Curb Racing itself did not field the #43 in 2009.
In 2010, the Baker-Curb #43 returned and began the season running Roush Fords full-time. Scott Lagasse, Jr. was the driver, operating with race-to-race sponsorships. Lagasse, Jr. ran the first 14 races, the final three without a sponsor, before leaving the team due to lack of funding. Lagasse's best finish was 8th at Phoenix. The Roush partnership dissolved at the same time Lagasse left the team, forcing Curb to lease the #43 points to Rick Ware Racing at Road America. The next week at Loudon, Brad Baker ran the #43 as a start and park without a sponsor. The following week at Daytona saw the debut of the Nationwide Series Car of Tomorrow platform. A deal was made with JD Motorsports for the #43 to run Chevrolets at the COT races. Johnny Chapman drove an unsponsored car at Daytona, but was taken out in the early laps by Curb's other entry, the #27 of Jennifer Jo Cobb. The team was forced to end the COT deal and to start and park the next 4 races with Baker and Kevin Swindell. After skipping Watkins Glen, the #43 returned for the next COT race at Michigan, with a new deal in place to run Dodges in COT races. Chase Austin drove with Walgreens at Michigan, but blew an engine and finished 35th. Drew Herring then failed to qualify an unsponsored Ford the next week at Bristol. The following week at Montreal, Justin Marks drove a Ford with Future Electronics but broke the rear end gear in the first corner of the first lap, finishing last. Kevin Hamlin drove the next race at Atlanta as a start and park. Curb shut down the #43 after Atlanta in September. The team returned for one race with Josh Wise in a Dodge COT at Charlotte with sponsorship from Ingersoll Rand. Wise finished 18th in the last race for the Curb #43.[10]
Car #96 History
Curb Racing returned to NASCAR after an 8-year hiatus in 1996 with a NASCAR Busch Series entry for 21 races. Curb partnered with Cary Agajanian, John Andretti and Donald Laird as part of an ownership group known as CAA Performance. The team fielded #96 Ford Thunderbirds driven by USAC driver Stevie Reeves with Reeves bringing sponsorship from Clabber Girl Baking Powder. Reeves began with a DNQ at the season opener at Daytona, got his best finish of the season the next week at Rockingham, 15th, but had five more DNQs. Clabber Girl left the team after the season.
For 1997, Reeves returned to the #96. Big A Auto Parts signed on for the full 30 race season. The team ran Fords in all but three races, running Chevrolets at Atlanta, Las Vegas and Richmond. Reeves finished 7th at Bristol in August, but had no other top-10s. He also had two DNQs, including missing the season finale at Homestead. Following the season, team co-owners Andretti and Laird left the team to form Andretti-Laird Motorsports, taking the # 96 and Big A sponsorship with them. Curb Racing switched back to the #43 in 1998.
Car #98 History
Following the shutdown of the Baker-Curb's #37 Ford team halfway through the 2008 season, Curb-Agajanian ran an unsponsored #98 Chevrolet as a start and park with Johnny Sauter driving in two late summer races. Sauter ran the #98 at Michigan and Bristol.
See also
- Curb Agajanian Performance Group – Curb and Agajanian's open wheel racing team
- Brewco Motorsports – Owner of the #27 and #37 prior to becoming part of Baker-Curb
References
- 1 2 http://www.racing-reference.info/owner/Mike_Curb
- ↑ http://www.nascar.com/2010/news/headlines/bg/01/09/gbiffle.baker.curb/index.html
- ↑ "Ending an era: Tobacco sponsorship in NASCAR". Sports Business Digest. Sports Business Digest. June 2, 2010. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
- ↑ Ryan, Nate (June 1, 2010). "Tobacco era in NASCAR ends as new FDA rules take effect". usatoday.com. USA Today. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- 1 2 NASCAR (August 26, 2010). "Montreal: Series round 25 preview". motorsport.com. motorsport.com. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ↑ "Cobb to Team with Baker-Curb Racing for 4 Nationwide Races Starting at Daytona". skirtsandscuffs.com. Skirts and Scuffs. June 29, 2010. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ↑ Kivak, Rebecca (August 17, 2010). "Jennifer Jo Cobb climbs points ladder to history". skirtsandscuffs.com. Skirts and Scuffs. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ↑ Baker Curb Racing (August 31, 2010). "Montreal: Andrew Ranger race report". motorsport.com. motorsport.com. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ↑ http://www.racing-reference.info/rquery?id=bakerga01&trk=t0&series=B&o=1
- ↑ http://www.jayski.com/nationwide/2010/2010nationwideschedule.htm