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Yates Joins Forces With Newman-Haas-Lanigan Racing

7/27/07, Speedway, IN – Robert Yates Racing (RYR) and Newman-Haas-Lanigan Racing (NHL) announced today at the Economaki Press Room at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway they have entered into a letter of intent for a partnership. The team is now known as Yates-Newman-Hass-Lanigan Racing. The players involved are Robert and Doug Yates of Robert Yates racing and Paul Newman, Carl Haas and Michael Lanigan of Newman-Haas-Lanigan Racing. Both teams have a history of winning, Yates has 57 victories in NEXTEL Cup racing since its inception in 1988 and Newman-Haas-Lanigan Racing just celebrated its 101st win in Champ Car competition last week. Also, NHL has had close ties with Ford Motor Company for many years. RYR has been powered by Ford all 20 seasons. Of NHR/NHLR?s 101 wins and 103 poles, 55 of each have been earned with Ford power. In addition, four of their seven titles were powered by Ford (1993 ? Nigel Mansell; 2004-2006 ? Sebastien Bourdais).

The one notable difference is the Yates team is going through some lean times. The partnership hopes to correct that and move the NASCAR operation back to the front. ?The opportunity of joining Robert and Doug Yates is an opportunity of a lifetime, ? Lanigan said, who joined NHR as a new partner earlier this year. ?The Yates family has been competing against the best and winning for many years. We look forward to a long and productive association.? Haas hopes for success, ?I am very proud of our accomplishments in the Champ Car World Series and hope we can have the same success in NASCAR, ?

Robert Yates emphasized that it was a partnership and not a merger. ?With a merger jobs get eliminated?no jobs are being eliminated.? Yates added ?This is a wonderful partnership. This gives us a clear vision how to get to the top. It is our goal to continue to build so this team will be better positioned to contend for the championship.? He also shed light on reports that several investors were interested in coming aboard in the last couple of months. ?Those opportunities only involved money? Yates said, ?this is a better situation all around,? he added.

The common thread throughout the news conference was the emphasis on Yates Racing to improve its engineering side of its operation. Many references to engineering were made throughout the press conference. Newman made that clear that Champ Car is still in the mix for NHL, ?We have always been an engineering driven team. We think we have something special to add to the benefit of both. This in no way lessens our commitment to open wheel racing?we want to broaden our horizons.?

Robert Yates brought up an interesting point when he spoke about the Car of Tomorrow (COT) and the engineering involved with it. He mentioned that the car locks itself into a stable platform that an engineer can adjust from that baseline. With the addition of splitters and a rear wing, engineering will take more of an emphasis. Davis agreed, ?NASCAR Nextel Cup racing is rapidly moving, technology-wise, to engineering areas that Newman/Haas/Lanigan has years of experience with already, ? said Dan Davis, director of Ford Racing Technology. ?And Robert Yates Racing brings years of engine development and race craft in the sport that is invaluable to this operation. Put that expertise together, along with joint ownership that is clearly committed to winning, and we have a Ford program that will be a contender for years to come. ?

Newman got the assembled media roaring when a media member asked a rather long question regarding engineering differences between NASCAR and Champ Car. Newman deadpanned, ?A Champ Car will stick to the ceiling at 150 mph, we hope to do that with a stock car.?

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