Stricklin signs for Daytona

Petree signs Stricklin for Pepsi 400 Dave Rodman

DOVER, Del. (May 31, 1998) NASCAR Winston Cup Series team owner Andy Petree has made no secret of wanting to double his team holdings, and on Sunday at Dover Downs International Speedway he said he'll make the first step toward dual team ownership by running Hut Stricklin in a second Chevrolet out of his shops in the July 4 Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

"At the restrictor-plate race tracks, having a teammate is a tremendously big advantage," Petree said in confirming the deal. "If we can get Hut into the race that will give Kenny (Schrader) someone to work with.

"We'll be doing some testing with Hut and having a second car will allow us to do some research and development that we feel will help the 33 car (Schrader's Skoal Bandit Chevrolet)."

Petree said his team, located in Denver, N.C., had three superspeedway cars ready, which enabled him to do the deal, in what might be the first of a repeat engagement as he moves toward what many feel is inevitable in NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing -- multiple team ownership.

"If it works out good we may do the same deal for Talladega," Petree said of October's Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

For his part, Stricklin, who was released from the Stavola Brothers Racing No. 8 Circuit City Chevrolet after the team failed to qualify for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, was thrilled to be back in a car so soon.

"I'm pretty excited about it, to be honest with you," he said in the garage prior to the MBNA Platinum 400 at Dover. "Andy's equipment is really good. He's pretty smart on speedway stuff and his cars seem to run pretty good there."

Stricklin will actually do a test session with Robert Yates Racing's Raybestos Rookie driver Kenny Irwin this week at Pocono Raceway before he tests Petree's Chevrolets at Daytona's 2.5-mile trioval under the lights on June 8-10.

"I'm there to just do the best I can do," Stricklin said. "If there is any way I can help Ken Schrader out or he can help me out -- I'm sure that's what we'll do. That's really the whole reason for doing a team, to help one another. This deal is probably not going to be any different than that."

Petree said he has been talking to drivers and sponsors about a second car for next year and that he "definitely, most definitely is actively pursuing his options for 1999.

"Getting a sponsor is the biggest thing, and we have a couple meetings coming up in the next couple weeks," said the second-year team owner, who scored a top-10 point finish with Schrader in 1997. "We'll see what's happening real soon, I think."

The deal with Stricklin is just for Daytona, although as Petree said it may be expanded.

"Right now it's a one-race deal and that's all it is," Stricklin said. "I know Andy is wanting to do a second car, if he can get the sponsorship. If he would I'd be interested in it. He's been around a lot of years and he's got some experience to do it and do it right. I think the addition of a second car would only help things."

Source: NASCAR Online