MB2 Motorsports

"MB2" redirects here. For the computer game mod, see Movie Battles.

MB2 Motorsports was a NASCAR Cup Series team based in Mooresville, North Carolina, near the sport's hub in Charlotte. The team was founded by Read Morton, Tom Beard, and Nelson Bowers, from which the original team name derived. Bowers was the longest tenured of the original owners, and the listed owner of the teams' entries when resort and real-estate developer Bobby Ginn bought out the team (with his family having 80% ownership; longtime team director Jay Frye owned the remaining 20% of the rebranded team)^[1][2] in 2007, renaming it to Ginn Racing for that season only.^[1][2] The Valvoline corporation co-owned the No. 10 (later the No. 14) car with the principal owners from 2001 to 2005 as MBV Motorsports, while the No. 36 entry (later the No. 13) was co-owned by Centrix Financial, LLC owner Robert Sutton as MB Sutton Motorsports in 2005.

MB2 Motorsports

Owner(s)	Nelson Bowers Tom Beard Read Morton James Rocco (MBV) Bob Sutton (MB Sutton) Jay Frye (CEO and Team Director) Bobby Ginn Thomas Ginn (Ginn Racing)
Base	Mooresville, North Carolina
Series	NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series
Race drivers	Sterling Marlin, Mark Martin, Ken Schrader, Ernie Irvan, Scott Riggs, Boris Said, Regan Smith, Jerry Nadeau, Joe Nemechek, Johnny Benson Jr., Kraig Kinser, Bill Elliott
Sponsors	United States Army, Waste Management, Inc., Mars Candy, Valvoline, Centrix Financial, Ginn Resorts, Panasonic, CertainTeed, USG Sheetrock
Manufacturer	Chevrolet, Pontiac
Opened	1997 (as MB2 Motorsports) 2007 (as Ginn Racing)
Closed	2007 (as Ginn Racing; merged with DEI)
Career
Drivers' Championships	0
Race victories	2

Throughout the existence of the team in both MB2 Motorsports and Ginn Racing iterations, the organization ran General Motors brands.

The logo of Ginn Racing under Bobby Ginn ownership

NASCAR Cup Series

Car No. 01 history

Derrike Cope (1997)

 

Derrike Cope in the original MB2 car in 1997.

The No. 01 car started out as the No. 36 Pontiac in 1997 with sponsorship from M&M-Mars through its Skittles candy brand, and driver Derrike Cope.^[3] Cope finished 27th in the final point standings.

Ernie Irvan (1998–1999)

Veteran driver Ernie Irvan took over from Cope in 1998. The season was highlighted by Irvan's pole win at the Brickyard 400. M&M's replaced Skittles as the team's sponsor in 1999. Irvan retired from racing in September following a crash at Michigan International Speedway. Dick Trickle temporarily replaced Irvan before the driving chores were permanently turned over to journeyman Jerry Nadeau.

Ken Schrader (2000–2002)

Nadeau left MB2 due to a prior commitment to drive for Hendrick Motorsports, and MB2 signed four-time winner Ken Schrader to fill the seat. Schrader drove the No. 36 for three seasons before leaving for BAM Racing.

Jerry Nadeau (2003)

In 2003, the United States Army replaced M&M's as the team's sponsor. The car number was switched from 36 to 01 to support the Army's slogan, "An Army of One." Nadeau returned to MB2 as the driver of the No. 01 car, and in his first 10 races with the team he had only two top-20 finishes, with a fourth-place finish at Texas.

On May 2, 2003, during practice at Richmond International Raceway, Nadeau lost control of the No. 01 while trying to avoid another car in turn one, spun and slammed driver-side first into the concrete wall. He suffered fractures to his skull and several ribs along with a collapsed lung and temporary paralysis on his left side, and the cumulative effects forced him into retirement at age 33.^[4] Busch Series veteran Jason Keller replaced Nadeau at the Richmond race and finished 32nd. The team went through several substitutes for the rest of the year. Mike Wallace ran the next four races, then four more races afterwards (skipping Sonoma) with a best finish of 19th at Dover. Mike Skinner, released from Morgan McClure Motorsports, made eleven starts in the #01, earning a pole at Richmond. Boris Said ran both road course races, with both a pole and sixth-place finish at Sonoma.

Said and Skinner earned spots in the 2004 Budweiser Shootout for their respective pole runs, with Said in the #01 finishing 10th, and Skinner finishing 15th in the #10 Valvoline car.

Joe Nemechek (2003–2006)

 

Joe Nemechek in 2005.

Joe Nemechek, who had been released from Hendrick Motorsports' No. 25 car (where he had replaced Nadeau), was signed by MB2 as the new permanent driver of the No. 01 car starting with the last four races of 2003, and earned a Top 10 finish at Atlanta. Nemechek finished 19th in points in 2004, but won two consecutive poles with the second leading to victory at the 2004 Banquet 400, in which he led the final 37 laps to win his fourth and final career Nextel Cup race and giving him a weekend sweep at Kansas Speedway, after having won the Mr. Goodcents 300 Busch Series race the day before.^[2][5] Nemechek finished with three Top 5 finishes and nine Top 10s, and signed a contract extension that kept him with MB2 through 2005.^[6]

Nemechek started off 2005 with a strong run at the second race of the season at Auto Club Speedway. Coming off a solid 13th-place finish at Daytona, Joe started 4th and led leading a race-high 63 laps before his Hendrick Motorsports-built engine expired on lap 178. This was one of six Hendrick engine failures, which included that of teammate Scott Riggs.^[7] By race 26 at Richmond, the No. 01 team found itself as a longshot of making the Chase, sitting 16th in the standings 135 points out of 10th place^[8] as the last mathematical contender for a spot in the 10-race playoff.^[9] The team's chase hunt was ultimately foiled when Travis Kvapil collided with Nemechek under caution right after he had gotten back on the lead lap, relegating them to a 26th-place finish.^[10] Overall, Nemechek improved on the previous years points performance, ranking 16th with one pole and nine Top 10s but no wins and only two Top 5s.

2006 was a struggle for Nemechek and the No. 01 team, with the team not scoring a Top 10 until finishing 9th at Charlotte in October, the 31st race of the season. Nemechek went winless again, with no pole starts, only two Top 10s, and a dismal 27th-place points finish.^[11]

Part-time Mark Martin (2007)

 

Mark Martin drove the 01 part-time in 2007, he would move to DEI's 8 car with Aric Almirola in 2008.

 

Regan Smith drove the 01 part-time in 2007, then drove the 01 for DEI in 34 of 36 races in 2008, winning Rookie of the Year.

 

Aric Almirola in the 01 following the DEI takeover in 2007 sharing the car with Mark Martin and Regan Smith, he would move to DEI's 8 car with Mark Martin in 2008.

 

Ron Fellows drove the 01 for DEI in the road course races in 2008.

Veteran Mark Martin, coming off his final year with Roush Racing, was signed drive the car for 23 races (21 points races plus the Budweiser Shootout and Nextel All-Star Challenge) in 2007, with Joe Nemechek moving over to the team's new No. 13 team. Regan Smith was pinned to fill the remaining 16 races of the season, while driving in the Busch Series for the team as well. The team also changed its name to Ginn Racing to reflect Bobby Ginn's new majority interest in the team.^[12] Martin was leading in the final turn of the season-opening Daytona 500, after lining up on the final restart with former Roush teammates Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth behind him. Coming down the front stretch, and with the field wrecking behind him, Martin looked to have finally come through at Daytona. But the caution was not called, and Kevin Harvick caught Martin on his outside, beating him to the line by two-hundredths of a second.^[13] Martin put together more strong finishes, and after the fourth race at Atlanta was leading the points standings in what was supposed to be his first season of semi-retirement. Resisting the chance to capture his first championship, Martin did step out of the car as scheduled, breaking a streak of 621 consecutive starts.^[14] In 24 starts for the team, Martin scored five Top 5s and 11 Top 10s, and finished 27th in points despite missing 12 races.

DEI Merger and Beyond (2007)

Rookie Regan Smith meanwhile made his debut at Bristol Motor Speedway in March, finishing 25th. Smith would run six more races in the car, with a best finish of 24th at Talladega Superspeedway. On July 17, it was announced that Smith would move to the No. 14 car on a full-time basis, replacing veteran Sterling Marlin. Meanwhile, 23-year-old Aric Almirola, who was granted his release from Joe Gibbs Racing after being pulled out of a car he qualified on the pole during a Busch Series race in favor of Denny Hamlin, signed on to be the new co-driver of the No. 01.^[15] With the merger of Ginn and Dale Earnhardt, Inc. not long afterwards, Smith was left on the sidelines while Almirola ran five races. Aric's results were not much better than Regan's, with a best finish of 26th at Phoenix. Both drivers would continue with DEI in 2008 running for ROTY, and both would become winners later in their Cup careers.

Car No. 01 and 36 results

Year	Driver	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	Owners	Pts
1997	Derrike Cope	36	Pontiac	DAY 36	CAR 31	RCH 30	ATL DNQ	DAR 20	TEX 41	BRI 16	MAR 34	SON 18	TAL 13	CLT 12	DOV 20	POC 11	MCH 8	CAL 29	DAY 28	NHA 20	POC 16	IND 41	GLN 38	MCH 16	BRI 32	DAR 14	RCH 16	NHA 26	DOV 30	MAR 36	CLT 33	TAL 18	CAR 20	PHO 16	ATL 5					27th	2901
1998	Ernie Irvan			DAY 6	CAR 19	LVS 30	ATL 15	DAR 36	BRI 20	TEX 43	MAR 9	TAL 6	CAL 13	CLT 11	DOV 9	RCH 29	MCH 14	POC 34	SON 36	NHA 20	POC 9	IND 6	GLN 33	MCH 6*	BRI 22	NHA 28	DAR 6	RCH 14	DOV 8	MAR 8	CLT 31	TAL 37	DAY 8							16th	3457
	Ricky Craven																																	PHO 30	CAR 37	ATL 25
1999	Ernie Irvan			DAY 14	CAR 29	LVS 6	ATL 7	DAR 24	TEX 37	BRI 43	MAR 22	TAL 40	CAL 35	RCH 33	CLT 36	DOV 35	MCH 7	POC 8	SON 30	DAY 9	NHA 21	POC 11	IND 24	GLN 41																35th	2831
	Dick Trickle																								MCH 40
	Jerry Nadeau																									BRI 20	DAR 43	RCH 18	NHA 32	DOV 16	MAR 26	CLT 34	TAL 40	CAR 37	PHO 37	HOM 38	ATL 20
2000	Ken Schrader			DAY 9	CAR 13	LVS 16	ATL 23	DAR 22	BRI 26	TEX 18	MAR 13	TAL 36	CAL 24	RCH 12	CLT 37	DOV 23	MCH 16	POC 18	SON 15	DAY 23	NHA 23	POC 19	IND 22	GLN 18	MCH 19	BRI 12	DAR 16	RCH 17	NHA 10	DOV 30	MAR 16	CLT 25	TAL 37	CAR 18	PHO 40	HOM 32	ATL 26			18th	3398
2001				DAY 13	CAR 22	LVS 25	ATL 8	DAR 13	BRI 35	TEX 10	MAR 25	TAL 40	CAL 33	RCH 9	CLT 21	DOV 36	MCH 14	POC 9	SON 37	DAY 15	CHI 29	NHA 22	POC 17	IND 28	GLN 19	MCH 20	BRI 22	DAR 10	RCH 23	DOV 18	KAN 26	CLT 14	MAR 11	TAL 31	PHO 18	CAR 19	HOM 42	ATL 31	NHA 39	19th	3480
2002				DAY 26	CAR 35	LVS 26	ATL 24	DAR 35	BRI 22	TEX 34	MAR 36	TAL 24	CAL 43	RCH 15	CLT 18	DOV 36	POC 16	MCH 25	SON 38	DAY 25	CHI 40	NHA 24	POC 20	IND 14	GLN 28	MCH 14	BRI 14	DAR 26	RCH 26	NHA 13	DOV 22	KAN 28	TAL 41	CLT 31	MAR 26	ATL 42	CAR 22	PHO 37	HOM 27	30th	2954
2003	Jerry Nadeau	01		DAY 28	CAR 26	LVS 22	ATL 31	DAR 35	BRI 28	TEX 4	TAL 36	MAR 41	CAL 14																											31st	3032
	Jason Keller													RCH 32
	Mike Wallace														CLT 31	DOV 19	POC 31	MCH 23		DAY 42	CHI 37	NHA 42	POC 23
	Boris Said																		SON 6						GLN 39
	Mike Skinner																							IND 35		MCH 22	BRI 18	DAR 29	RCH 18	NHA 22	DOV 41	TAL 27	KAN 29	CLT 39	MAR 21
	Joe Nemechek																																			ATL 10	PHO 31	CAR 25	HOM 17
2004			Chevy	DAY 6	CAR 24	LVS 19	ATL 15	DAR 20	BRI 27	TEX 14	MAR 27	TAL 32	CAL 28	RCH 36	CLT 14	DOV 38	POC 18	MCH 35	SON 29	DAY 10	CHI 8	NHA 20	POC 16	IND 17	GLN 22	MCH 13	BRI 42	CAL 12	RCH 22	NHA 6	DOV 35	TAL 7	KAN 1	CLT 5	MAR 30	ATL 4	PHO 12	DAR 8	HOM 27	19th	3878
2005				DAY 13	CAL 39*	LVS 19	ATL 35	BRI 33	MAR 10	TEX 17	PHO 10	TAL 31	DAR 11	RCH 18	CLT 18	DOV 27	POC 3	MCH 6	SON 23	DAY 15	CHI 15	NHA 18	POC 22	IND 28	GLN 9	MCH 8	BRI 12	CAL 10	RCH 26	NHA 25	DOV 17	TAL 9	KAN 20	CLT 4	MAR 23	ATL 18	TEX 37	PHO 17	HOM 24	16th	3953
2006				DAY 33	CAL 27	LVS 13	ATL 17	BRI 28	MAR 23	TEX 23	PHO 35	TAL 27	RCH 28	DAR 16	CLT 18	DOV 35	POC 29	MCH 26	SON 25	DAY 19	CHI 33	NHA 41	POC 17	IND 24	GLN 42	MCH 26	BRI 26	CAL 25	RCH 32	NHA 32	DOV 26	KAN 27	TAL 18	CLT 9	MAR 20	ATL 9	TEX 18	PHO 19	HOM 13	27th	3255
2007	Mark Martin			DAY 2	CAL 5	LVS 5	ATL 10			TEX 3	PHO 12		RCH 17	DAR 14	CLT 11	DOV 7	POC 7	MCH 29			DAY 17	CHI 14	IND	POC	GLN	MCH	BRI	CAL	RCH	NHA	DOV	KAN	TAL	CLT	MAR	ATL	TEX	PHO	HOM	27th	2960
	Regan Smith							BRI 25	MAR 26			TAL 24							SON 30	NHA 32

Car No. 13 history

Part time No. 36 (2004-2006)

 

Boris Said (far right) at Sonoma in 2005.

On April 30, 2004, MB2 Motorsports announced a partnership with CENTRIX Financial, LLC, coming on as an associate sponsor for the No. 01 car and No. 10 car. In addition, the team's original number 36 would be resurrected to field a third team part-time for Road course ringer Boris Said, who had driven the No. 01 for two races in 2003 which included a pole at Sonoma. Centrix was scheduled to sponsor two races, debuting with a 6th-place finish at Sonoma.^[16] Centrix sponsored Said again at the oval track Auto Club Speedway, where he finished one lap down in 30th. USG Sheetrock (an associate on the No. 01) came on to sponsor two more races for Said, DNQing at Watkins Glen and finishing 28th in the season finale at Homestead after a transmission failure late in the race.

The No. 36 team returned for 2005, expanding Said's schedule to a minimum of 10 races beginning with the Daytona 500. Like the 10 team which was co-owned by Valvoline executive James Rocco, sponsor Centrix's owner and racing enthusiast Bob Sutton came on as an equity partner for the No.36 car, changing the team name to MB Sutton Motorsports. Said had stated that he would have liked to drive the car on a full-time basis if sponsorship was found.^[17][18] Veteran crew chief Frankie Stoddard would lead the No. 36 team.^[19] Said ultimately attempted 12 races, struggling on oval tracks, with a best finish of 27th at Daytona and Texas and three DNQs. He did run well at Talladega in May, qualifying 12th and running in the Top 15 before a 25-car pileup ended his day with 35 laps remaining.^[20] Boris was, however, strong as always in his road course element. At Sonoma in June, Said was running well when he entered the pits while they were closed after a caution was thrown with 40 laps to go. Sent back to 32nd place, he made it up to 13th place with 10 laps to go, but was relegated to a 17th-place finish after a caution with seven laps to go.^[21] Said shined later in the year at Watkins Glen, starting 41st after qualifying was rained out, and racing with NASCAR Road Course aces Tony Stewart and Robby Gordon for the win. Said would score a career-best 3rd-place finish.^[22] Said left the team to drive for No Fear Racing in the No. 60 Ford in 2006.

 

Joe Nemechek drove the team's No. 01 car from 2003 to 2006, then the No. 13 for 2007.

Early in 2006, 1988 Cup Champion and two-time Daytona 500 winner Bill Elliott announced that he would pilot the No. 36 Chevrolet in the 2006 Daytona 500, with Ginn Resorts coming on to sponsor the effort.^[23] Elliott qualified 33rd, but avoided several wrecks to finish 19th in the Great American Race.^[24] The team would not run again in 2006.

Joe Nemechek (2007)

The team went full-time in 2007, switching to No. 13 with Joe Nemechek moving over from the No. 01 and Peter Sospenzo taking on crew chief duties.^[1] CertainTeed was announced as the primary sponsor of the car for 18 races, with associate sponsor status for the other half of the season.^[25] Bobby Ginn's Ginn Resorts filled out the remaining races. Nemechek opened the year with a 9th-place finish at the Daytona 500, but missed the fifth race of the season at Bristol and did not have another Top 10 with the team for the rest of the year. After sitting 33rd in points following the race at Chicagoland, Nemechek was released from the No. 13 car as well as teammate Sterling Marlin from his No. 14 ride, with the team's status "being evaluated because of lack of sponsorship."^[26] Ultimately, the No. 13 team was shut down after the merger with DEI, and Nemechek would move to Furniture Row Racing for the remainder of the season beginning at Fontana.^[11]

Car No. 13 results

Year	Driver	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	Owners	Pts
2004	Boris Said	36	Chevy	DAY	CAR	LVS	ATL	DAR	BRI	TEX	MAR	TAL	CAL	RCH	CLT	DOV	POC	MCH	SON 6	DAY	CHI	NHA	POC	IND	GLN DNQ	MCH	BRI	CAL 30	RCH	NHA	DOV	TAL	KAN	CLT	MAR	ATL	PHO	DAR	HOM 28	55th	302
2005				DAY 27	CAL	LVS	ATL	BRI	MAR	TEX 27	PHO	TAL 35	DAR	RCH	CLT DNQ	DOV	POC	MCH	SON 17	DAY 28	CHI	NHA	POC	IND 31	GLN 3	MCH	BRI	CAL 30	RCH	NHA	DOV	TAL	KAN 31	CLT DNQ	MAR	ATL DNQ	TEX	PHO	HOM	42nd	791
2006	Bill Elliott			DAY 19	CAL	LVS	ATL	BRI	MAR	TEX	PHO	TAL	RCH	DAR	CLT	DOV	POC	MCH	SON	DAY	CHI	NHA	POC	IND	GLN	MCH	BRI	CAL	RCH	NHA	DOV	KAN	TAL	CLT	MAR	ATL	TEX	PHO	HOM	61st	111
2007	Joe Nemechek	13		DAY 9	CAL 14	LVS 38	ATL 17	BRI DNQ	MAR 27	TEX 18	PHO 16	TAL 38	RCH 33	DAR 28	CLT 26	DOV 25	POC 15	MCH 30	SON 38	NHA 41	DAY 30	CHI 29	IND	POC	GLN	MCH	BRI	CAL	RCH	NHA	DOV	KAN	TAL	CLT	MAR	ATL	TEX	PHO	HOM	45th	1547

Car No. 14 history

 

Johnny Benson in the No. 10 Pontiac for MBV in 2003.

Johnny Benson (2000-2003)

What became the No. 14 team originally ran several different numbers part of Darrell Waltrip Motorsports and the Tyler Jet Motorsports. At the second Pocono race weekend in 2000, MB2 Motorsports purchased Tyler Jet's unsponsored No. 10 team, driven by Johnny Benson. When MB2 bought the team, Benson remained the driver, with an announcement that Aaron's and RCA would sponsor the No. 10 for the remainder of 2000 and Valvoline would begin sponsoring the car in 2001. Benson finished the season driving full-time for MB2 with Aaron's and RCA on the car.

 

Scott Riggs' No. 10 Valvoline Chevy in the MB2 shop in 2005.

In 2001, Valvoline became the team's new sponsor, with Benson remaining the driver. Additionally, Valvoline purchased an ownership stake in the No. 10 team, becoming the first corporation to own a NASCAR team. The No. 10 team's name was changed to MBV Motorsports to reflect Valvoline's presence (though the overall team remained MB2). Benson and Valvoline returned for the full season in 2002. He eventually drove to his first career win at the 2002 Pop Secret 400 at Rockingham.^[2]

Both Benson and Valvoline remained with the car in 2003. Midway through the season, the team announced it was parting ways with Benson at the conclusion of the season.

Scott Riggs (2004-2005)

32-year-old Busch Series driver Scott Riggs was signed to a multi-year contract, and would to replace Benson for the 2004 season.^[27] Riggs was set to compete against a strong rookie class that included his former Busch Series competitors Brian Vickers, Kasey Kahne, Scott Wimmer, and Johnny Sauter as well as Truck Series driver Brendan Gaughan. With Pontiac leaving the sport, the team was forced to switch to Chevrolet. Mike Skinner ran the exhibition Budweiser Shootout in the No. 10 after winning a pole at Richmond driving the No. 01 in 2003 subbing for Jerry Nadeau. Riggs missed the fall race at Atlanta, and scored only two Top 10 finishes and had eight DNFs en route to a 29th-place finish in the points standings in his rookie season.

In 2005, Riggs won the pole at Martinsville and finished 4th in the Daytona 500. Riggs had a career best performance at Michigan, using a fuel mileage gamble to drive from 29th to 2nd place in the final 51 laps.^[28] Riggs statistics improved slightly (four Top 10 finishes), but he had seven DNFs and finished 34th in the season standings. Valvoline announced that it was to sell its ownership stake back to MB2's principal owners and ended sponsorship of the car,^[29] taking Riggs and the No. 10 to Evernham Motorsports.

Sterling Marlin (2006-2007)

 

Sterling Marlin (14) racing Michael Waltrip at Bristol in 2006.

In November 2005, it was announced that veteran driver Sterling Marlin would come over from Chip Ganassi Racing to drive for MB2 in 2006. The team would be sponsored by Waste Management in 12 races, with Centrix Financial returning and Ginn Resorts coming on to fill the remainder of the schedule. In tribute to Marlin's father Coo Coo who had passed away the previous year, the team took on the No. 14.^[2][30] Midway through the season, the team replaced crew chief Doug Randolph with Scott Eggleston, who worked with Marlin at Team SABCO.^[31] The team had only one Top 10 finish and ranked 34th in points at the end of the year.

For 2007, Marlin returned as did Waste Management for 12 races, while new sponsor Panasonic signed on for 12 races as well, and veteran crew chief Slugger Labbe handled the team.^[32] After a 2007 season filled with struggles and a best finish of 13th, in July Marlin was to be replaced by Regan Smith, who had previously been co-piloting the No. 01, for the remainder of the year.^[33] However, upon the merger of Ginn Racing and DEI at Indy, and before Smith even got the chance to drive the No. 14, the No. 14 team was merged with the No. 15 team, and its owner points were carried to the Paul Menard-piloted Menards car. Smith would pilot the No. 01 full-time in 2008 with DEI.

Car No. 14 results

Year	Driver	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	Owners	Pts
2000	Johnny Benson	10	Pontiac	DAY 12	CAR 14	LVS 6	ATL DNQ	DAR 24	BRI 2	TEX 42	MAR 16	TAL 13	CAL 23	RCH 25	CLT 16	DOV 15	MCH 24	POC 34	SON 18	DAY 13	NHA 14	POC 12	IND 25	GLN 27	MCH 5	BRI 13	DAR 38	RCH 7	NHA 11	DOV 2	MAR 19	CLT 8	TAL 33	CAR 11	PHO 16	HOM 30	ATL 10			13th^[1]	3716^[2]
2001				DAY 28	CAR 6	LVS 4	ATL 7	DAR 7	BRI 26	TEX 3	MAR 20	TAL 7	CAL 11	RCH 6	CLT 20	DOV 41	MCH 12	POC 24	SON 29	DAY 13	CHI 27	NHA 36	POC 5	IND 3	GLN 16	MCH 5	BRI 36	DAR 14	RCH 10	DOV 31	KAN 37	CLT 36	MAR 6	TAL 23	PHO 10	CAR 3	HOM 20	ATL 23	NHA 12	11th	4152
2002				DAY 10	CAR 23	LVS 32	ATL 27	DAR 33	BRI 39	TEX 13	MAR 19	TAL 39	CAL 15				POC 20	MCH 6	SON 16	DAY 43			POC 30	IND 37	GLN 25	MCH 8	BRI 12	DAR 34	RCH 35	NHA 4	DOV 10	KAN 23	TAL 40	CLT 18	MAR 2	ATL 23	CAR 1	PHO 16	HOM 13	21st	3583
	Joe Nemechek													RCH 12
	Jerry Nadeau														CLT 28	DOV 27						NHA 18
	Mike Wallace																				CHI 38
2003	Johnny Benson			DAY 19	CAR 13	LVS 12	ATL 11	DAR 25	BRI 19	TEX 32	TAL 41	MAR 32	CAL 36	RCH 15	CLT 24	DOV 5	POC 24	MCH 26	SON 30	DAY 27	CHI 18	NHA 26	POC 20	IND 13	GLN 27	MCH 10	BRI 14	DAR 40	RCH 9	NHA 25	DOV 21	TAL 41	KAN 35	CLT 16	MAR 34	ATL 24	PHO 21	CAR 29	HOM 4	24th	3448
2004	Scott Riggs		Chevy	DAY 34	CAR 31	LVS 29	ATL 25	DAR 30	BRI 34	TEX 15	MAR 28	TAL 34	CAL 25	RCH 35	CLT 25	DOV 5	POC 17	MCH 20	SON 42	DAY 21	CHI 29	NHA 28	POC 22	IND 37	GLN 23	MCH 19	BRI 17	CAL 7	RCH 39	NHA 26	DOV 31	TAL 11	KAN 26	CLT 38	MAR 26	ATL DNQ	PHO 14	DAR 25	HOM 15	29th	3090
2005				DAY 4	CAL 33	LVS 31	ATL 9	BRI 10	MAR 21	TEX 32	PHO 18	TAL 27	DAR 36	RCH 26	CLT 19	DOV 11	POC 37	MCH 23	SON 24	DAY 41	CHI 23	NHA 32	POC 33	IND 35	GLN 31	MCH 2	BRI 40	CAL 36	RCH 29	NHA 28	DOV 24	TAL 36	KAN 30	CLT 33	MAR 24	ATL 33	TEX 34	PHO 38	HOM 38	34th	2965
2006	Sterling Marlin	14		DAY 34	CAL 32	LVS 36	ATL 34	BRI 17	MAR 14	TEX 30	PHO 12	TAL 37	RCH 9	DAR 28	CLT 28	DOV 31	POC 42	MCH 24	SON 42	DAY 24	CHI 26	NHA 16	POC 30	IND 31	GLN 39	MCH 29	BRI 32	CAL 29	RCH 30	NHA 25	DOV 31	KAN 20	TAL 40	CLT 11	MAR 21	ATL 20	TEX 40	PHO 36	HOM 37	34th	2854
2007				DAY 17	CAL 35	LVS 34	ATL 24	BRI 30	MAR 21	TEX 34	PHO 27	TAL 16	RCH 23	DAR 13	CLT 33	DOV 16	POC 31	MCH 20	SON 43	NHA 24	DAY 40	CHI 23	IND	POC	GLN	MCH	BRI	CAL	RCH	NHA	DOV	KAN	TAL	CLT	MAR	ATL	TEX	PHO	HOM	48th	1209

^ Johnny Benson raced races 1-18 of the 2000 season with Tyler Jet Motorsports before the team (and its Owners Points) were purchased by MB2.

Car No. 39 history

In addition to his 16-race schedule in the No. 01 shared with Mark Martin, Regan Smith was set to make his Nextel Cup debut at the 2007 Daytona 500 in a fourth Ginn Racing car, with Ginn Resorts sponsoring.^[34] The car was numbered 39 due to the No. 36 being taken by Bill Davis Racing and Jeremy Mayfield. In his debut, Smith qualified 26th, which earned him a 12th starting position in the 2nd Gatorade 150 duel race. He finished 19th of 30 cars, and 7th out of the 13 drivers who needed to race their way into the 500, which was not enough to get him into the race.^[35] The No. 39 was on the Fontana entry list the next week, but was withdrawn. Smith would make his Cup debut in the No. 01 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Winston/Nextel Cup Series drivers

 

15-time winner Ernie Irvan as the driver of MB2's No. 36 Pontiac.

• Derrike Cope (1997)
• Ernie Irvan (1998-1999; retired after injury)
• Ricky Craven (1998 injury replacement for Irvan)
• Dick Trickle (1999 injury replacement for Irvan)
• Jerry Nadeau (injury replacement for Irvan in 1999; Benson in 2002; regular driver in 2003)
• Ken Schrader (2000–2002)
• Johnny Benson (2001–2003)
• Joe Nemechek (2002 injury replacement for Benson; 2003–2007)
• Mike Wallace (injury replacement for Benson in 2002; Nadeau in 2003)
• Jason Keller (2003 injury replacement for Nadeau)
• Boris Said (2003–2006; road courses & limited ovals)
• Mike Skinner (2003)
• Scott Riggs (2004–2005)
• Sterling Marlin (2006–2007)
• Bill Elliott (2006; limited schedule)
• Mark Martin (2007; limited schedule)
• Regan Smith (2007; limited schedule)

Driver development

Beginning in 2006, MB2 Motorsports established a partnership with Morgan-Dollar Motorsports in the Craftsman Truck Series, fielding a full-time truck with MB2/Ginn development driver Kraig Kinser (son of Steve Kinser). Kinser struggled in his rookie season and was pulled from the ride late in the season.

For 2007, Ginn expanded its development program, signing motocross racer Ricky Carmichael and Drive for Diversity member Jesus Hernandez to development contracts.^[1] Kinser returned to the Truck Series, scheduled to share the ride with Hernandez, with Ginn Resorts sponsoring.^[1] The team also started a Busch Series team for Cup rookie Regan Smith and Kinser, also funded by Ginn Resorts.^[1] This was originally numbered No. 04, but NASCAR reassigned No. 4 to Ginn after Biagi-DenBeste Racing shut down in January 2007. The No. 4 Busch Series team was shut down after the Kentucky race in June, with Smith 12th in the championship standings at the time. Following the DEI/Ginn merger, Smith was placed in the 47 Morgan-Dollar truck for the balance of the season. Aric Almirola ran a single truck race at Nashville, finishing 23rd.

DEI/Ginn merger

Further information: Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

 

The #01 owned by Bobby Ginn (Ginn Racing); this car was later added to the DEI stable as part of the merger

 

The #1 owned by Teresa Earnhardt (pictured in 2008)

 

The #8 owned by Teresa Earnhardt

 

The #15 (pictured in 2008) inherited the #14 owner points, with the listed owner changing from Teresa Earnhardt to Bobby Ginn

 

The #14 owned by Bobby Ginn (pictured in 2006) shut down after merge with DEI; the #14 inherited the #15 owner points

On July 25, 2007, Ginn Racing announced it had merged with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. The No. 01 team joined the No. 1, No. 8 and No. 15 teams.^[36] The merger did not affect the DEI team name.

The acquisition had the following effects:

• The No. 01 (Mark Martin/Aric Almirola) team was added to the DEI teams.
• The No. 15 (Paul Menard) inherited the owner points from the former No. 14 (Sterling Marlin), which guaranteed a starting spot for Menard at Indianapolis.
• The No. 13 (Joe Nemechek) and the No. 14 (Sterling Marlin) teams of Ginn Racing were disbanded.
• Bobby Ginn was listed as the owner of the No. 01 and No. 15 for the remainder of 2007; these cars were housed at the Ginn Racing shop, renamed DEI West^[37] which also houses the team's fabrication work.
• Teresa Earnhardt was listed as the owner of the No. 1 and No. 8 for the remainder of 2007; these cars remain housed at DEI's shops.

Dale Earnhardt, Inc., would eventually merge with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2009 after DEI's star driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. left for Hendrick Motorsports the year prior; the resulting team was known as Earnhardt Ganassi Racing until 2013, after which it reverted to Chip Ganassi Racing name before being purchased by Trackhouse Racing Team in 2021.

References

1. Livingstone, Seth (February 14, 2007). "New approach gets Ginn team revved up". USA Today. USA Today. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
2. Hinton, Ed (July 26, 2006). "Ginn buys NASCAR team: Real estate magnate Bobby Ginn says he will turn MB2 Motorsports into a winning outfit". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
3. Zeller, Bob (February 8, 1997). "BOB ZELLER'S WINSTON CUP SCOUTING REPORT". News & Record. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
4. Smallwood, Mike (2013). "Richmond Marks 10 years After Jerry Nadeau Crash". Fansided. Fansided, Sports Illustrated.
5. Sharp, Seth (June 25, 2014). "Remember When: Joe Nemechek's Kansas Sweep". popularspeed.com. Popular Speed. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
6. "MB2 extends Nemechek's contract". motorsport.com. Concord, North Carolina: motorsport.com. July 21, 2004. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
7. Henderson, Martin; Kupper, Mike (February 28, 2005). "Nemechek Comes Up Short". Los Angeles Times. Fontana, California. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
8. "Richmond II: Round 26 preview". motorsport.com. motorsport.com. September 8, 2005. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
9. "Richmond II: Joe Nemechek preview". motorsport.com. Richmond, Virginia: motorsport.com. September 8, 2005. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
10. MB2 Motorsports (September 11, 2005). "Richmond II: Joe Nemechek race report". motorsport.com. Richmond, Virginia: motorsport.com. Retrieved 30 August 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
11. Demmons, Doug (September 12, 2007). "Lawsuit offers insight into NASCAR driver salaries". The Birmingham News. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
12. MB2 Motorsports (November 23, 2006). "BUSCH: MB2 Motorsports gets a new name". motorsport.com. Mooresville, North Carolina: motorsport.com. Retrieved 30 August 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
13. Bernstein, Viv (February 19, 2007). "Amid Crashes and Controversy, Harvick Edges Martin at the Finish". The New York Times. Daytona Beach, Florida. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
14. Ginn Racing (March 23, 2007). . motorsport.com. Mooresville, North Carolina: motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
15. Ginn Racing (July 18, 2007). . motorsport.com. Mooresville, North Carolina: motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
16. MB2 Motorsports (April 30, 2004). "MB2/MBV announce sponsor partner: Centrix Financial Announces NASCAR Nextel Cup Team Partnership". motorsport.com. Centennial, Colorado: motorsport.com. Retrieved 30 August 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
17. King, Bill (January 27, 2005). "MBSutton: NASCAR's Newest Team". motorsport.com. motorsport.com. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
18. MB2 Motorsports (November 11, 2004). "MB2, Said 2005 plans announced: Boris Said's 2005 Nextel Cup Ride Announced". motorsport.com. Concord, North Carolina, Denver, Colorado: motorsport.com. Retrieved 30 August 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
19. MB2 Motorsports (December 21, 2004). "Stoddard named crew chief for Said's Chevy". motorsport.com. Concord, North Carolina: motorsport.com. Retrieved 30 August 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
20. MB2 Motorsports (May 2, 2005). "Talladega: Boris Said race report". motorsport.com. Talladega, Alabama: motorsport.com. Retrieved 30 August 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
21. MB2 Motorsports (June 28, 2005). "Sears Point: Boris Said race report". motorsport.com. Sonoma, California: motorsport.com. Retrieved 30 August 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
22. MB2 Motorsports (August 15, 2005). . motorsport.com. Watkins Glen, New York: motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
23. MB2 Motorsports (February 9, 2006). "Elliott No. 36 Daytona ride sponsor named". motorsport.com. Mooresville, North Carolina: motorsport.com. Retrieved 30 August 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
24. "Daytona 500: Bill Elliott race report: ELLIOTT AVOIDS WRECKS, FINISHES 19TH IN DAYTONA 500". motorsport.com. Daytona Beach, Florida: motorsport.com. February 20, 2006. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
25. Ginn Racing (February 9, 2007). "Ginn Racing names No. 13 primary sponsor: CertainTeed Corporation to be Primary Sponsor on Nemechek's No. 13 Ginn Racing Chevrolet". motorsport.com. Mooresville, North Carolina: motorsport.com. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
26. "Ginn Racing Replaces Sterling Marlin, Releases Joe Nemechek". sportsbusinessdaily.com. Sports Business Daily. July 18, 2007. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
27. MBV Motorsports (October 24, 2003). "Riggs named to No. 10 car for 2004". motorsport.com. Concord, North Carolina: motorsport.com. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
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External links