George Gillett to Return To NASCAR With Kimi Raikkonen After Last Year’s Drama?
According to a Finland Newspaper titled Turun Sanomat, 2007 Formula One Champion Kimi Raikkonen will be coming to NASCAR. The catch is that his partner is Foster Gillett.
Turun Sanomat says that this summer, Raikkonen is set to run some Camping World Truck Series, followed by Nationwide and Sprint Cup for a new team called ICE1 with Foster Gillett as a partner.
“I’m really looking forward to get there to familiarize to the world of NASCAR,” Raikkonen told the paper. “I have been following it for a long time. I know, it’s a very tough and open top racing series. I just love the American spirit of racing. It feels just great to get involved with that. Obviously, it will be very challenging and great fun for me.”
The last time Gillett was with a team that turned into a disaster that almost saw the team close. Anybody remember last year’s drama with Richard Petty Motorsports?
The team ran into financial trouble that saw them almost miss the final three races of the year after Gillett made some bad financial decisions outside of the racing business. Sporting News reported that Gillett, who owned as much as 70 percent of the team, defaulted on it’s roughly $90 million loan last February. Sirius Speedway reports that he still owes $70 million to Wachovia Bank, while still making payments to Ray Evernham for the purchase from him a couple years ago.
The sale of Liverpool FC was suppose to help Gillett restructure it, however, it sold for a amount far less than expected causing some of these strains.
To try to put some of the pieces together, Gillett sold his stock in the companies that operate the Northstar-At-Tahoe Ski Resort in Vail Resorts, which is worth $63 million as according to Sirius Speedway. Gillett’s moves did not help the team in restructuring, though.
They almost didn’t make it to the final races of the season after Gillett failed to pay Roush-Fenway Racing for the motors and chassis. There was a hold up with leaving for both Talladega Superspeedway and Phoenix Raceway after discussions of terms.
Richard Petty Motorsports is only back on its footing due to Richard Petty, Douglas G. Bergeron and Andrew Murstein buying out Gillett’s part at the end of the season.
Evernham, who says he is still owed $19 million and brought forth a lawsuit last year, is surprised to see this even surfacing.
“I really don’t know why Kimi would partner with people who continually fail with sports franchises,” Evernham told Auto123.com. “I don’t know how they could leave with so many unpaid bills and return to the sport.”
Hermie Sadler Returns to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Martinsville
Mooresville, NC (March 30, 2011) – Hermie Sadler, an Emporia, Virginia native, will be back behind the wheel of the No. 71 Eco Fuel Saver Chevrolet in this weekend’s Goody’s Fast Relief 500. This will mark Sadler’s 11th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at Martinsville Speedway and his second start for TRG Motorsports.
“I had a lot of fun running for TRG Motorsports last fall at Martinsville,” said Sadler. “Kevin Buckler asked me if I would be willing to do it again, and I jumped at the chance. It’s always fun to get back behind the wheel and it’s an added bonus to do it at Martinsville Speedway, a track that is close to home. It means so much to me to be able to race at one of my favorite tracks in front of my hometown fans. I am truly appreciative of the opportunity.”
Sadler, who will be making his 61st career start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on Sunday, has one prior start in the No. 71 machine for TRG Motorsports. The 41-year-old driver piloted the Kevin Buckler owned Chevrolet at Martinsville Speedway in October 2010, bringing home a 26th-place finish, a career best for Sadler and the TRG Motorsports team at the 0.526-mile oval.
“We are excited to have Hermie back behind the wheel of the No. 71 for TRG Motorsports,” said TRG Motorsports owner, Kevin Buckler. “He did a great job for us last year at Martinsville finishing a strong 26th and helping with our points hunt. I wanted to give him the chance to race in front of his home fans again. He is a strong short track racer that knows this place well. I feel confident in his abilities and know he is capable of helping us get a good finish here.”
Live coverage of the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 from Martinsville Speedway will be televised on FOX, Sunday, April 3 beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET and will also be broadcast worldwide on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the sixth event on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule is slated for Saturday, April 2 at 12:00 p.m. ET on SPEED.
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TRG is a full-service motorsports company offering a total driver ladder approach. This approach starts with track days, goes to club events, up into street stock series and culminates in the ultimate goal of professional motorsports. With sports car focused facilities in Petaluma, California (Infineon Raceway) and Mooresville, North Carolina, the team can offer turn-key support as well as arrive-and-drive programs.
The company’s NASCAR operations are headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina. The team fields a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entry and has the capacity to run ARCA, Nationwide and the Camping World Truck Series.
The Racer’s Group was founded in 1993 and has been competing at the top level of motor racing. The team boasts Rolex Series GT championships in 2005 and 2006 and holds the record for the most wins in Grand-Am with 32. The team’s resume is highlighted by five championships, four Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona victories and a Le Mans 24 Hour win.
Detailed team info can be viewed at www.trgmotorsports.com and www.theracersgroup.com.
