Front Row Motorsports
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| Owner(s) Name(s) | Bob and Brad Jenkins |
| Racing Series | Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series |
| Number of Championships | 0 |
| Car Number(s) | #34 (Sprint Cup) #37 (Sprint Cup) #24 (Nationwide Series) #61 (Nationwide Series) |
| Driver(s) | Tony Raines (#34-Sprint)
Eric McClure (#37-Sprint & #24-Nationwide) |
| Primary Sponsor(s) | (#34 Sprint) Hefty (#37-Sprint & #24-Nationwide) |
| Shop Location | Denver, North Carolina |
| Homepage | Front Row Motorsports |
Front Row Motorsports is team that competes on NASCAR Nextel Cup circuit. It is owned by restaurant entrepreneur Bob Jenkins and fields the #37 Dodge for Kevin Lepage. The team began running part-time in 2004 as Means-Jenkins Motorsports under a partnership with Jimmy Means. Jenkins became the full team owner in 2005. In 2008, Front Row will move to the Nationwide Series, fielding a Hefty-sponsored entry for Eric McClure while attempting a full-time schedule; will also attempt a few NASCAR Sprint Cup races with McClure and possibly another driver. The team also took over the #61 Nationwide Series car driven by Lepage and previously run by Specialty Racing prior to the June Nashville race. The #61 is being sponsored by chemical distributor Cone Solvents, Inc.
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[edit] Car #34 History
The 34 car made its debut on 2004 at Atlanta Motor Speedway with Todd Bodine driving the car as the #98 Lucas Oil Ford. At the time, the team was owned by Chris Edwards and was known as Mach 1 Racing. He finished 41st after dropping out within sixteen laps. Bodine drove in eight races with the team that year, as well as his brother Geoffrey, Larry Gunselman, Randy LaJoie, Chad Chaffin, and Derrike Cope filling out the driving duties that year, driving a total of 26 races.
In 2005 the team changed numbers to #34 and planned to run full time, but due to sponsorship limitations and lackluster performance by LaJoie, the team only ran a limited schedule. Although it attempted many races, two drivers (Ted Christopher and P. J. Jones) qualified for a race with the team that year, each with a start apiece.
In the fall of 2005, their website announced that the team was up for sale, but that was quickly rescinded. Later that year, Front Row Motorsports moved into their shop to operate the #34 in addition to their current team. In January 2006, it was announced the team's remaining equipment will be auctioned off, and the combined team began running at the 2006 Daytona 500. Randy LaJoie attempted the first two races, under #64, but was replaced by Chad Chaffin for the next eight races. Chaffin would then go to the newly acquired #61 team after Kevin Lepage's departure for BAM Racing and Chad Blount would take over the #34 car for two races, however he was unable to get into the field and was released. Carl Long, Greg Sacks, Mike Skinner would attempt the next three races with Skinner making the 3M Performance 400 and finishing 37th on the lead lap. Johnny Miller returned to FRM to run the road course at Infineon. After Blount's release, Long, Sacks, Chaffin, Brian Simo, Kertus Davis, Skinner, and Joey McCarthy attempted races for the team, with Long qualifying at Bristol. Lepage drove the car for the rest of the season but did not qualify for any race. The car attempted full time status in 2007 with Lepage, but after missing the first 4 races, the team decided to go part time with John Andretti and Chad Chaffin. Lepage swapped places with Andretti and Lepage at the #37 so that Lepage could continue full time. Chaffin later left the team in early 2007. They tried to make another attempt to run the #34 at Texas Motor Speedway with myAutoloan.com as the sponsor, but they failed to qualify for the race. For the 2008 season the #34 will run all the races and they made the Daytona 500 with Andretti behind the wheel and Makoto's Ginger Dressing brand as the associate sponsor. Andretti left the team to race in the Indianapolis 500 with Roth Racing and eventually decided to continue in the Series. Tony Raines qualified for his first race of the season in the #34 car at Dover but finished 40th after transmission failure. The #34 car was not entered the following week at Pocono.
[edit] Car #37 History
The team was formed in 2001 by Hermie Sadler as SCORE Motorsports. Sadler fielded the #13 Ford Taurus sponsored by the Virginia Lottery for three races that year, his best finish was a 27th at Dover. The team switched to Chevrolet and #02 for 2002, starting eight races and having a variety of different sponsorships. 2004 saw the car field a ride for a variety of drivers including Carl Long, Andy Belmont, and Jason Jarrett, as well as Sadler himself for 16 races.
In 2005, The team was bought by Stec who had sponsorship from PEAK Fitness, and the team switched to the number #66 Ford with engine support from Robert Yates Racing. The team switched numbers because Haas CNC Racing and their sponsor Best Buy asked to use number #66 for promotional reasons. After the spring race at Dover Downs, Sadler resigned from the team and was replaced by Mike Garvey, with sponsorship from Jani-King, theono.. After Garvey did not qualify at New Hampshire, Stec parted ways with Garvey. Jimmy Spencer drove the car at the fall Michigan race.
Stec then signed Kevin Lepage to join the #66 team. LePage made all but one of his attempts with at 6th place start at Kansas, 13th at Atlanta and 17th at Charlotte. Lepage finish of 21st at Charlotte and finished all but one race. Hermie Sadler returned to the team for a one-race deal at Martinsville in the fall. He finished 32nd in the Jerry Kilgore Ford.
In 2006, the team switched to the #61, and received addition sponsors from AMP Energy Drink and Roadloans. The team missed just two races, and were hoping to expand to a second car with Carl Long driving, but that plan fell through. The team was inside the top 35, but then barely fell out once the new top 35 were locked in, leading the team to rough times. In April 2006, it was announced the team was sold to Front Row, and would continue to run full-time in 2006 with Lepage driving. However, just weeks after this merge was announced, Lepage left Front Row Motorsports, heading to BAM Racing and the #49 Dodge Charger. Chad Chaffin took over the #61 car after Lepage's departure. Brian Simo drove the #61 car for the road course at Infineon, and Boris Said at Watkins Glen International. Chaffin ended the season for the team.
The team partnered with #37 of R&J Racing in 2007, however the deal fell through early in the season. Bill Elliott attempted Daytona for the team and John Andretti and Chad Chaffin planned to race the car full time. After race 4, Front Row Motorsports announced the #34 would run full time, and that Andretti and Chaffin would swap positions with Lepage so that Lepage could continue full time.
[edit] Car #92 history
FRM fielded the #92 Chevy for multiple drivers in 2005. It debuted at the 2005 Daytona 500 with Stanton Barrett driving, but it did not qualify. After missing the next three races, the team finally got into a race at the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, where Barrett finished 41st after suffering oil pressure problems. After the spring Dover race, Tony Raines drove the car at the Chevy American Revolution 400 at Richmond International Raceway, finishing 35th. Then Hermie Sadler and Eric McClure began sharing the ride, although McClure did not qualify for a race in the car. Johnny Miller ran the car at Watkins Glen, finishing 29th. Another driver, Chad Chaffin, also took over driving duties, failing to qualify in his initial attempt at Martinsville Speedway, and then qualifying 43rd the next week at Atlanta Motor Speedway before surrendering the car to Bobby Hamilton Jr.. Late in the year, the team formed an equipment-sharing partnership with Mach 1 Racing, and that eventually turned into the team moving into Mach 1's shop and hiring their old crew.
Chad Chaffin began the 2006 season with the #92 team, however after two races he was moved to the #34 team. Chad Blount would then take over the car until Talladega where FRM decided the team shut down the #92 operation. The team just made one of the eight races it attempted and cited lack of performance as a reason for the team's shut down. It returned briefly at Watkins Glen with Johnny Miller driving, but he failed to qualify.
[edit] External links
- Official Front Row Motorsports Web Site
- Jayski Team 34 News
- Jayski Team 61 News
- Jayski Team 92 News
- William Edwards Nextel Cup Owner Statistics
- Bob Jenkins Nextel Cup Owner Statistics
- Jeff Stec Nextel Cup Owner Statistics
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