Yates ends partnership with Gilliland
FONTANA, Calif. -- Yates Racing has terminated its relationship with driver David Gilliland, the team announced Friday at Auto Club Speedway.
Team owner Doug Yates said the organization could not secure sponsorship for the No. 38 Ford that Gilliland drove the previous two seasons.
"Sponsorship is very tough this year," Yates said. "David did a great job for us and he's a gifted driver. We are sorry to lose him, but it's important for David to continue driving."
Gilliland is driving the No. 71 Chevrolet this weekend for TRG Motorsports. This is Gilliland's home track; he's a native of Riverside, Calif., which is only 10 miles from the Auto Club Speedway.
"The folks at Yates Racing treated me very fairly and I appreciate that," Gilliland said. "Yates is a great organization and I am sorry to leave. But I need to move on and pursue other opportunities for my Sprint Cup career."
Gilliland, 32, finished 28th in the standings in 2007 and 27th last year.
Yates Racing signed Paul Menard in the offseason. The team also has a new alliance with Hall of Fame Racing, which signed Bobby Labonte as its driver. Menard and Labonte were given the top-35 points Gilliland and Travis Kvapil earned for Yates last season.
Kvapil still is driving the No. 28 Ford for Yates but he doesn't have a guaranteed spot in the field for the first five races.
Terry Blount covers motorsports for ESPN.com. He can be reached at terry@blountspeak.com.
