Red Bull Racing Team
History
Origins
After moving to a newer location, Roger Penske decided to sell his old facility. Then, on January 26, 2006, the newly formed team said that they would purchase the facility, and would hire 75 workers. However, the team was not allowed to race in the 2006 season because their manufacturer, Toyota, was not cleared to race, so the team decided that they would drive Dodges during the season. The team didn't have any materials to make their race cars, so they purchased multiple cars from Bill Davis Racing.
2006 season
The team was officially started in January, but they would not choose a driver until June 25, 2006, when Brian Vickers announced his decision to drive for the team on Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain. A couple months later, the team made their first NASCAR appearance with Bill Elliott as the driver, at Lowe's Motor Speedway in the No. 83 Victory Junction Gang Dodge, but they failed to qualify for the race. On October 24, 2006, the team chose former Champ Car driver A. J. Allmendinger as the second driver. They also made two other appearances at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway, which like their first, they failed to qualify for both races. Then, announced on December 6, 2006, former Cup Series champion crew chief Doug Richert would serve as the crew chief for Vickers.
2007 season
During the 2007 season, the team moved to Toyota as the manufacturer. Both Vickers and Allmendinger failed to qualify for the 2007 Daytona 500. Allmendinger, in the first duel race, crashed with fellow competitor Robby Gordon on lap 24, causing heavy damage to both their race cars. Vickers blew a right rear tire on lap 51 in the second duel race, ending his chances of making the Daytona 500. One week later, Vickers qualified for the 2007 Auto Club 500, which resulted in the team receiving their first top-ten. After failing to qualify for four consecutive races, Allmendinger qualified for the 2007 Food City 500 held at Bristol Motor Speedway. During the 2007 Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR's longest race, Vickers was able to finish in the top-five. On October 5, 2007, the team's development driver, Scott Speed finished seventh in an ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway. Allmendinger's team had a forty-third-place finish in the final owners' standings and had 19 DNQ's. Despite Vickers ending the season with five top-ten finishes with one being a top-five in the Coca-Cola 600, where he led seventy-six laps and finished 5th, Vickers still failed to qualify for 13 races. Vickers' team ended the season with a 38th owners' standings position.
2008 season
In 2008, Kevin Hamlin became the crew chief for Vickers. Hamlin's past crew chief roles include stints with Dave Blaney's No. 22 Toyota, preceded by nine years of crew chief duties with Richard Childress Racing drivers including Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, and Dale Earnhardt. Hamlin has amassed nine previous Cup wins; five of those with Earnhardt Sr. Said Sawyer of hiring Hamlin: "Finding the right crew chief for the 83 team was a pivotal decision in an effort to restructure the foundation on that team. We need a crew chief with not only the right experience and background to work effectively with our driver and crew, but someone who also shares the same vision for success. We found that package with Kevin Hamlin. Our focus between now and Daytona is not only getting our cars up to speed for the season opener, but also getting Kevin up to speed working with Red Bull, Brian (Vickers) and the 83 team." Due in large part to the additions of Frye and Hamlin, the No. 83 team has been shown to be the most improved in the series, qualifying for all the current races and secured a Top 35 exemption following the spring race at Bristol. Also in 2008, Allmendinger failed to make the first three races of 2008 and was replaced by Mike Skinner on a temporary basis starting with the spring Atlanta race. Allmendinger returned at the Aaron's 499 at Talladega with a new silver paint scheme, and won the Sprint Showdown two weeks later, making him eligible for the All-Star Race. Allmendinger also recorded a 10th-place finish at the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. In May, even though Vickers had not won a race for the team prior to Sprint All-Star Race XXIV, they won the All-Star Pit Crew Competition. Later in the season, Allmendinger announced that he was going to leave Red Bull to race for Richard Petty Motorsports in 2009.
2009 season
2009 ended up being a high-water mark for the team, as Vickers scored the team's first victory, and the second of his career, at Michigan in August. This was part of a strong late-summer run that resulted in Vickers taking the last spot in the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup at Richmond in September, also a first for the Red Bull team. Unfortunately, an underwhelming Chase performance resulted in Vickers finishing 12th in the final points. Meanwhile, the team signed Scott Speed to replace Allmendinger in the renumbered 82 car. However, Speed could manage only a distant second to Joey Logano in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings.
2010 season
For the 2010 season, Speed and Vickers remained with the team, but on May 21, Vickers experienced medical problems, which resulted in him missing the rest of the season. His replacements were Casey Mears, Reed Sorenson, Mattias Ekstrom, Boris Said, and Kasey Kahne. Speed was let go at the end of the season, and he in turn filed a lawsuit against Red Bull.
2011 season
For the 2011 season, Kahne became a full-time driver for the team, driving car No. 4 (formerly No. 82), and Vickers returned to drive the No. 83 car. On June 20, 2011, the Associated Press reported that Red Bull was planning to leave NASCAR at the end of the season. The team's on-track struggles, combined with a lackluster outreach to the 18–34 demographic, forced their departure. Despite this, Kahne scored the team's final victory at the November race at Phoenix, while Vickers struggled for most of the year, resulting in a 25th-place points finish. Kahne finished the season in 14th. The team fielded a third car, numbered 84, in the final two races of the season, with development driver Cole Whitt behind the wheel. Whitt finished 25th at Phoenix, but crashed out just past halfway at Homestead, finishing 37th. The team officially closed on December 8, 2011. The team's cars, owners points, and equipment were purchased by former TRG Motorsports executive Ron Devine to form BK Racing.
Team results
No. 4/82/84 car
No. 83 car
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Driver | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | NSCC | Pts | |||
2006 | Bill Elliott | 83 | Dodge | DAY | CAL | LVS | ATL | BRI | MAR | TEX | PHO | TAL | RCH | DAR | CLT | DOV | POC | MCH | SON | DAY | CHI | NHA | POC | IND | GLN | MCH | BRI | CAL | RCH | NHA | DOV | KAN | TAL | CLT DNQ |
MAR | ATL | TEX | PHO | HOM | NA | - | |||
2007 | Brian Vickers | Toyota | DAY DNQ |
CAL 10 |
LVS DNQ |
ATL 42 |
BRI 15 |
MAR DNQ |
TEX 14 |
PHO DNQ |
TAL DNQ |
RCH DNQ |
DAR 43 |
CLT 5 |
DOV 19 |
POC 35 |
MCH 41 |
SON DNQ |
NHA DNQ |
DAY 29 |
CHI DNQ |
IND 21 |
POC 29 |
GLN 41 |
MCH 8 |
BRI DNQ |
CAL 8 |
RCH 24 |
NHA 43 |
DOV 16 |
KAN DNQ |
TAL 39 |
CLT DNQ |
MAR DNQ |
ATL 10 |
TEX 23 |
PHO 21 |
HOM 42 |
38th | 2065 | ||||
2008 | DAY 12 |
CAL 11 |
LVS 24 |
ATL 9 |
BRI 39 |
MAR 23 |
TEX 16 |
PHO 25 |
TAL 5 |
RCH 28 |
DAR 25 |
CLT 42 |
DOV 13 |
POC 2 |
MCH 4 |
SON 14 |
NHA 16 |
DAY 11 |
CHI 6 |
IND 42 |
POC 28 |
GLN 18 |
MCH 7 |
BRI 20 |
CAL 12 |
RCH 36 |
NHA 35 |
DOV 31 |
KAN 15 |
TAL 35 |
CLT 18 |
MAR 11 |
ATL 21 |
TEX 18 |
PHO 42 |
HOM 32 |
19th | 3580 | ||||||
2009 | DAY 39 |
CAL 10 |
LVS 8 |
ATL 5 |
BRI 29 |
MAR 33 |
TEX 16 |
PHO 19 |
TAL 8 |
RCH 15 |
DAR 31 |
CLT 5 |
DOV 25 |
POC 21 |
MCH 9 |
SON 16 |
NHA 35 |
DAY 7 |
CHI 7 |
IND 5 |
POC 6 |
GLN 11 |
MCH 1 |
BRI 12 |
ATL 7 |
RCH 7 |
NHA 11 |
DOV 18 |
KAN 37 |
CAL 29 |
CLT 34 |
MAR 11 |
TAL 13 |
TEX 26 |
PHO 38 |
HOM 20 |
12th | 5929 | ||||||
2010 | DAY 15 |
CAL 12 |
LVS 31 |
ATL 7 |
BRI 15 |
MAR 6 |
PHO 37 |
TEX 38 |
TAL 29 |
RCH 20 |
DAR 10 |
40th | 1158 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Casey Mears | DOV 22 |
CLT 29 |
POC 23 |
MCH 36 |
36th | 1573 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mattias Ekström | SON 21 |
RCH 31 |
58th | 175 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Reed Sorenson | NHA 24 |
DAY 8 |
CHI 27 |
IND 35 |
POC 32 |
MCH 26 |
BRI 15 |
ATL 14 |
NHA 27 |
DOV 16 |
KAN 30 |
CAL 27 |
CLT 18 |
39th | 1355 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Boris Said | GLN 38 |
52nd | 448 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kasey Kahne | MAR 14 |
TAL 26 |
TEX 13 |
PHO 30 |
HOM 6 |
20th | 3961 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2011 | Brian Vickers | DAY 31 |
PHO 30 |
LVS 10 |
BRI 36 |
CAL 8 |
MAR 17 |
TEX 27 |
TAL 38 |
RCH 10 |
DAR 34 |
DOV 5 |
CLT 18 |
KAN 16 |
POC 22 |
MCH 10 |
SON 36 |
DAY 12 |
KEN 27 |
NHA 34 |
IND 15 |
POC 39 |
GLN 18 |
MCH 15 |
BRI 21 |
ATL 11 |
RCH 33 |
CHI 13 |
NHA 5 |
DOV 14 |
KAN 19 |
CLT 20 |
TAL 5 |
MAR 30 |
TEX 21 |
PHO 23 |
HOM 17 |
25th | 846 |
Nationwide series
NASCAR Nationwide Series results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | NNSC | Pts | Ref |
2010 | Cole Whitt | 84 | Toyota | DAY | CAL | LVS | BRI | NSH | PHO | TEX | TAL | RCH | DAR | DOV | CLT | NSH | KEN | ROA | NHA | DAY | CHI | GTY | IRP | IOW | GLN | MCH | BRI | CGV | ATL | RCH | DOV | KAN | CAL | CLT | GTY | TEX | PHO 15 |
HOM 17 |
107th | 118 |
See also
References
- ^ "Red Bull to buy old Penske factory". Grand Prix. 26 January 2006. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
- ^ "Doug Richert named No. 83 Red Bull Crew Chief for Brian Vickers". autoracingsport.com. 2006-12-06. Archived from the original on 2008-10-10. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
- ^ "Key Dates for the team". Red Bull Racing Team. Archived from the original on 27 September 2010. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
- ^ "2007 Owner Driver Standings". NASCAR.com. Retrieved 2008-10-19.
- ^ "Vickers carries Toyota to season's best finish in 600". NASCAR.com. 2007-05-28. Retrieved 2007-05-28.
- ^ "#83 Team News and Links Page". jayski.com. 2008-01-13. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
- ^ Newton, David (2008-09-29). "Vickers not so crazy after all for leaving Hendrick for Team Red Bull". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
- ^ Sporting News Wire Service (2010-06-07). "Ekstrom earns Cup ride for Red Bull Racing at Infineon – Jun 7, 2010". Nascar.Com. Retrieved 2010-10-24.
- ^ Team Release (August 10, 2010). "Kahne to drive for Red Bull Racing Team in 2011 – Aug 10, 2010". Nascar.Com. Retrieved 2010-10-24.
- ^ "Kahne in a Red Bull Toyota for 2011". Red Bull Racing. August 10, 2010. Archived from the original on August 17, 2010. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
- ^ Sporting News Wire Service (December 14, 2010). "Kahne to drive No. 4 Toyota for Red Bull in 2011 - Dec 14, 2010". Nascar.Com. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
- ^ "Report: Red Bull leaving NASCAR after season". NASCAR.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Associated Press. June 20, 2011. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011.
- ^ "2011 Official Driver Standings: Ford 400". NASCAR. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
- ^ "Driver Cole Whitt 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Results - Racing-Reference.info". www.racing-reference.info. Retrieved Feb 7, 2019.
- ^ Whisenant, David (December 8, 2011). "Mooresville's Red Bull Racing closed down Thursday". Lake Norman News. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
- ^ Caraviello, David (February 27, 2012). "Getting to Daytona is BK Racing's biggest victory". NASCAR. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
- ^ "Cole Whitt – 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.