| Ownership career | |
|---|---|
| Debut | 1989 Daytona 500 |
| First win | 1989 Goodwrench 500 |
| Championships | 1 (1999) |
Robert Yates (April 19, 1943 - October 2, 2017) was an engine builder and former NASCAR team owner of Robert Yates Racing. He purchased the team from Harry Rainer in 1989 with driver Davey Allison. Yates won the Winston Cup Series championship as a owner in 1999 with Dale Jarrett.
Ownership[]
He bought a team in 1989. He ran one car, the #28 Havoline Ford driven by Davey Allison until 1993. Allison had 13 wins and finished 3rd in points. Yates hired Ernie Irvan to drive the #28. In 1995 Irvan suffered a accident so Yates hired Dale Jarrett to fill in. In 1996 Yates decided to run a second car #88 Quality Care Ford Credit Ford and hired driver Dale Jarrett. After a near fatal accident in the late 90's Irvan retired. Yates hired young Kenny Irwin. In 1999 Dale Jarrett won the championship. In 2001 a new sponsor put on the 88, UPS. Since the championship season the team began to slump a little. Eddie D'Hondt joined the team as Manager after leaving Evernham Motorsports and the team seemed to be heading in the right direction with the hiring of Mike Ford. Ford hired several key members including Russ Salerno, as his Pit Crew Coordinator. Shortly after that RYR found itself with a team that was improving and becoming a contender again. After the death of Kenny Irwin, Jr. Yates hired veteran Ricky Rudd. In 2005 Rudd left for Wood Brothers after 3 years with yates. Elliott Sadler joined Robert Yates Racing for the 2003 season and the #28 was changed to #38 sponsored by M&M's. He won two races for Yates in 2004. Yates' last win was with Dale Jarrett at Talladega Superspeedway in October 2005. After the depart Jarrett and Sadler, Yates needed a 88 sponsor and drivers. Yates decided to hire development driver David Gilliland to drive the #38 but still had no driver. In December 2006 Yates made a deal with former driver Ricky Rudd to drive in 2007 sponsored by Snickers. Both Yates car got the pole and outside pole for he 2007 Daytona 500. He will retire at the end of the 2007 with son Doug Yates taking over.
Death[]
Yates passed away on October 2, 2017, after battling liver cancer for nearly a year. He was 74.