Jim Yates, a veteran Pontiac racer, is upbeat and enthusiastic about the company’s new racing program. He said: “I’m used to competing at the top.” Yates even continues: “The only way to continue to do that is to find the right funding.”
Yates added: “Rather than sitting here surviving on a shoestring budget, trying to get to the next race and not being able to afford the people, parts and things that we need to be competitive, our attitude right now as a team, is such Maybe we have to take a step back. I’m sure given this situation, if we focus all our energies on seeking funding instead of competing, when we come back in a week, a month or a year, we can go out there and compete at the highest level. “.
As the 23-race NHRA POWERade tour departs from Atlanta Dragway and moves out of St. Louis to Gateway International Raceway for next weekend’s event, Yates finds himself at a racing crossroads. This situation, which involves the search for the precious source of financing, has worried several drivers before.
In fact, financing is considered the lifeblood of any professional broker. This is why Yates expects valuable financing. The veteran racer remained buoyant and upbeat as he prepared his Pontiac GTO for a race track he has had success on in the past when he was able to edge out Allen Johnson to win in 1999 and finish second behind Warren Johnson. in 1997 and 2001.
The two-time NHRA Pro Stock Champion noted: “I believe we have great opportunities in the future and my plan is to explore each one, hopefully without missing a beat or a race. Contrary to some reports, I am not quitting or retiring.” Yates said. “I want to race, (son) Jamie wants to race, (wife) Toni wants to race, Grumpy (engine builder Bill Jenkins) wants to race. We love racing and we think we have a good thing together. Unfortunately, you don’t just need half-inch wrenches on “Your toolbox, you need money in your toolbox too. It’s no secret that to run at Pro Stock winning level you need the right funding and in the past we’ve shown we have the talent to race the best cars here.” .
Added Yates: “We had some very positive opportunities lined up late last year but, unfortunately, they just didn’t pan out. As a result, it left our program in a hole financially. We still love what we’re doing and we’re still the same talented team. who has won POWERade championships and national event races in the past. Bill (Jenkins) continues to improve the power of our engines every week and our new Pontiac GTO runs better than ever. We are really excited about our program and the potential we have and we I’d love to have the money to stay here and compete.”
“My plan is not to come home, sell our race cars, sell our tractor-trailer and go find a job. But if we don’t have the finances to come here and compete at the level we’re used to, then we’re going to go home, park our stuff, and spend seven days a week looking for a sponsor so we can come here and retake our place among the best Pro Stock teams in the country. Unfortunately, you need money to race the best teams; talent only comes up to a point,” Yates continued.
“We’ve been in a good position with the six-race schedule we had with Sea Ray Boats and WileyX Eyewear, and we’ve extended it for a couple more races, which is really good for us,” added Yates. “Beyond that, we have three deals in the works that could take us through the end of the year. I’ve been working very hard on an exciting program for next year, and we’re probably 30 days away from knowing if it’s going to work.” happen, but unfortunately, no one has signed on the dotted line yet.”
Yates’ resume, as powerful as EBC brake rotors, is among the Pro Stock pits. He has been racing sixteen years, has finished in the top five for POWERade points eight times and finished in the top ten fourteen times. Yates has also won 25 races, been runner-up 33 times, won two POWERade Championships and was ranked No. 1 in 29 events.
He concluded: “We are very optimistic about our opportunities, but we will have to take a wait-and-see approach over the next few weeks. As a team, we hope to go out here, qualify in the top half of the field, win rounds on race day and be in Indy’s ‘Countdown.’ We had a great season last year. Our goal this year is to be in a position where we can compete as a top-half car and win rounds and win races.”