Robert Yates doesn't know who will drive one of his cars and who will be the primary sponsor for the No. 88, but he insists it's full speed ahead with two NASCAR Nextel Cup cars for Robert Yates Racing in 2007.
``It's wonderful,'' Yates said Friday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where the 2006 Cup season will end Sunday with the Ford 400. ``We're going to run our three cars _ our two Cup cars and our 90 (Busch Series) car _ and things are great.''
Once one of NASCAR's top teams, RYR has fallen on hard times. Former champion Dale Jarrett has announced he will leave the 88 Ford at the end of the season for Michael Waltrip's new Toyota team, taking big-dollar sponsor UPS with him. In August, Elliott Sadler bailed out of the No. 38 RYR Fusion to take an Evernham Motorsports Dodge ride that opened up when Jeremy Mayfield was fired.
There has been considerable speculation that Yates might sell his team, but the owner put on a happy face Friday.
``I will be the sole owner and responsible for ups and downs,'' Yates said. ``I expect them to be all ups.''
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MOVING DAY: Sunday will be a day for goodbyes at the Homestead track.
Mark Martin, Dale Jarrett, Casey Mears and Brian Vickers all will say farewell to their current teams.
Martin is leaving the No. 6 Roush Racing Ford after 19 years to move to a part-time Cup ride with MB2 Motorsports. Jarrett leaves the 88 RYR entry after 12 years to drive for longtime friend Michael Waltrip.
Mears, driving a Dodge for Chip Ganassi Racing since 2003, will replace Vickers, who has driven the No. 25 Chevrolet at Hendrick Motorsports full-time since 2004. Vickers will drive a Toyota for the new Team Red Bull in 2007, while Mears will be replaced in the No. 42 Dodge by open-wheel star Juan Pablo Montoya.
Martin said he is not emotional about the weekend, despite his longtime association with the team and close friendship with owner Jack Roush.
``I'm here racing and doing the best that I can to have a good time,'' Martin said. ``It's been a long run, and the time is up. And I'm excited about next year _ very excited about next year.''
Jarrett was a little more nostalgic.
``Robert and the Yates family have treated me like family, and it will be very difficult when I climb out of that car for the last time on Sunday,'' the 1999 Cup champion said. ``I think Saturday and Sunday will be tough days.''
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GORDON'S WEDDING: The details of Jeff Gordon's very hush-hush Nov. 7 wedding ceremony have been published in a ``Wedding Album'' in this week's US Weekly magazine.
US got the exclusive by making what the four-time cup champion said was a ``very large'' contribution to the Jeff Gordon Foundation.
Gordon married model Ingrid Vandebosch at a resort near Colima, Mexico, before just 23 guests, mostly family members. The ceremony, planned by the happy couple, ended with fireworks.
Asked what's next, Gordon told ``US,'' ``We'd like to start a family. Right away.''
Gordon's marriage of seven years to Brooke Sealey ended in 2002. It's the first marriage for the bride, who wore an A.J. Mendel Couture gown designed specially for her by Gilles Mendel.
The couple plans receptions in New York in December and Charlotte, N.C., in January for friends who were not invited to the wedding.
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DOUBLE DUTY: Robby Gordon co-drove a Trophy Truck with Andy McMillan, 19, on Thursday to a victory in the Baja 1000.
Gordon, who has three victories in the off-road classic, drove the first 725 miles and took the lead in the Mexican desert before flying to Homestead. He arrived Friday morning in plenty of time to drive in the opening Cup practice on the 1.5-mile oval.
McMillan ran the rest of the race, and the team won by about 45 minutes.
``We had a flawless run,'' said Gordon, who appeared a bit weary. ``We had absolutely no issues, and I'm really happy that Andy was able to get his first win with us.''
Gordon, the only owner-driver in the Cup series, will be making his final start in a Chevrolet on Sunday. He is switching to Fords for 2007.
