Robert Yates Has Seen The Leicht
Tuesday, July 25th, 2006 11:33am CDT
By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Published on Thunder Lounge.
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[thumb:380:r:s=1:l=x]According to SceneDaily.com, Robert Yates has confirmed that indeed they are trying to put together a package that would see their development Driver Stephen Leicht as a full time driver in the Cup Series come 2007.
Yates said that if CitiFinancial, their current Busch Series sponsor for the #90 Ford Fusion, decided to make the jump to Cup sponsorship (on the #88) then Stephen Leicht will be their driver. If for some reason the do not wish to up the ante, Stephen will be in the Cup Series in 2008. If there is another sponsor for the #88 then Leicht still has a shot at the ride.
So here is what Yates has in place at the moment, he has an offer out to David Gilliland for the #38, Stephen Leicht for the #88 depending on sponsorship, and also has adamantly stated that if Ward Burton had the sponsor, he’d have a ride.
If you’re keeping track, that’s 3 drivers, 2 rides, and Yates’ hope to become a 3 car team.
Also in that respect, we’ve made mention lately of reports, mainly from LastCowboys.com, about their absolute positiveness that Ward’s headed to Yates. With Robert’s comments, this most certainly proves true. However, there is a catch. Sponsorship. Both CitiFinancial and M&M’s want a younger driver. So now it appears that Yates is searching for a sponsor for Burton and a 3rd team, while trying to lure Citi to the #88 with Leicht.
It’s a move of “great sack” for Yates. Leicht, while having great potential, just isn’t ready for the Cup Series full time yet. He hasn’t even run a full Busch Schedule yet, and shares the #90 with Matt McCall and Sadler. The potential is there, but tapping it at the wrong time could kill Leicht’s career. There are very few Denny Hamlin’s and Carl Edwards’ out there, and taking a gamble that Leicht is the next one is a big move that comes with great risk. If he doesn’t perform, the sponsor’s will be highly frustrated, as will the guys in the Yates fab shop. If the performance is that bad, he might not make it a full season, which could very well tarnish his name and ability to make it back to the top level of stock car racing.
In addition, there’s the offer to Gilliland for the #38. While this is also another sacky move, it would make a little more sense. David’s 30 years old, and at least has more experience behind him. That would be 11 years, as Leicht is just but 19 right now. So for David, as he ages he could end up in the long line of “more senior” drivers. Right now is a good time to move to Cup, be it this year or next, because the opportunities will thin out quickly with time.
David’s win at Kentucky certainly is the root of all this attention. Some say that one win isn’t worth it. But the manner in which he won shows that he can wheel a car. That win at Kentucky was a lot of driver, combined with a decent car for the track. There were better cars out there, but David made up for that behind the wheel. He’s more like a diamond that hasn’t been cleaned up and polished yet. Pure, raw talent.
Now we add into the mix that RYR’s program is in shambles, and at the bottom of the valley. It will rise to the peaks again, but at this moment it isn’t. They aren’t the worst equipment out there by far, but they are also far from the top.
If you combine that with a driver such as Leicht, it’s not very fair to Stephen and the odds are already against him before he fires up the car.
If you add in someone that has shown they can make up ground in a mediocre machine, even if it’s just a little ground, you’re on your way. Such as with Gilliland. Not to mention he has a strong knowledge of the mechanics, and would be an asset to help right the ship.
Then there is Ward. He’s been there, done that. He can also help right the ship by drawing from a wealth of knowledge in the sport. He might not be the front runner every week, but he would be a solid pick to help put the team back on the track to competitive. Right now Yates isn’t competitive. If they want a win, it’s going to have to come down to strategy and luck.
In the end, the best move Yates can make is to put Gilliland in the #38 and Ward in the #88. Let them help put the program back on track, and then add Leicht in a 3rd car in 2008. Let Leicht run a full Busch schedule, and if he needs more time then push it back to 2009. Leicht has the potential, but tapping it too early will surely backfire. Something that Yates nor Leicht either one deserve.
Filed Under: Nascar, Nextel Cup
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