BAM Racing
Encyclopedia
BAM Racing is a NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...

 racing team based in Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...

, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, owned by Beth Ann and Tony Morgenthau. The team began in the ARCA RE/MAX Series
ARCA RE/MAX Series
-History:The series started as a local touring group. Led by John Marcum, the Midwest Association for Race Cars was formed with drivers like Iggy Katona and Nelson Stacy being early drivers.The series became a part of the Daytona Speedweeks in 1964...

 in 2000, moving to NASCAR in 2001 to 2008 before sitting out 2009
2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season was the 61st season of professional stock car racing in the United States, which began at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, with the 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, a race for the top six teams of the four brands in the 2008...

 due to the economy. BAM Racing will return in 2010
2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season was the 62nd season of professional stock car racing in the United States. Beginning at Daytona International Speedway, the season included 36 races and two exhibition races. The season concluded with the 2010 Ford 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway...

 with the #49 Warner Music Nashville
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...

 Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...

 with a driver yet to be named.

Car #49 History

BAM Racing attempted its first cup race at the Pepsi 400 in 2001 with Andy Hillenburg
Andy Hillenburg
Andy Hillenburg is an American race car driver, team owner and track owner. He began his racing career at age 11, when he competed in the Indianapolis soap box derby. He currently owns Fast Track Racing Enterprises, a racing team that competes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and ARCA...

, but failed to qualify. They also attempted the Pennsylvania 500
Pennsylvania 500
The Good Sam RV Insurance 500 is the second of two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car races held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, the other being the Pocono 500...

 and the Brickyard 400 with Hillenburg, as well as the Pennzoil Freedom 400 with Rich Bickle
Rich Bickle
Richard "Rich" Bickle, Jr. is a journeyman NASCAR driver. Bickle, who has never completed a full season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, has a long history in short track racing.-Early career:...

, but did not qualify for any of those races.

BAM made switched to Dodge for 2002
2002 in NASCAR
The 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup began on Saturday, February 10, and ended on Sunday, November 17. Tony Stewart with Joe Gibbs Racing was crowned the Winston Cup champion. The NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship was captured by Ford after winning 14 events, and gaining 245 points over second place...

, and made its first race, the Daytona 500, with Shawna Robinson
Shawna Robinson
Shawna Robinson is a former NASCAR driver.Robinson began her racing career in 1984 in the GATR Truck Series, winning rookie of the year honors in 1984 as well as a race at Flemington Speedway in 1987. She began racing NASCAR in 1988, when she was named Rookie of the Year in the now-defunct Dash...

 as its driver. It was announced that she would compete in 24 races, but struggled and her last race for the season was at the second Daytona
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, one of the most prestigious races in NASCAR. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, Grand-Am and Motocross...

 race where she would finish 40th. Kevin Lepage
Kevin Lepage
Kevin Lepage is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #52 car, for Jimmy Means Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Lepage is the only NASCAR driver from Vermont to qualify for the Daytona 500.-Early career:...

, Stuart Kirby
Stuart Kirby
Stuart Kirby is a race car driver. He has driven in ARCA, the Busch Series, and the NEXTEL Cup Series. A former apprentice funeral director for his family's funeral home, he drove the #51 Chevrolet owned by Competitive Edge Motorsports in 2005, but was released before the season could be concluded...

, Ron Hornaday
Ron Hornaday
Ronald Hornaday, Jr. is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver. He is the father of former NASCAR driver Ronnie Hornaday, and son of the late Ron Hornaday, Sr., a two-time Winston West Champion. Adding on to the family legacy, Ron is a four-time champion in the Truck Series, his most recent...

, Stacy Compton
Stacy Compton
Stacy Compton is a NASCAR team owner and former driver. He currently owns Turn One Racing. He is a former co-owner of Bobby Hamilton Racing-Virginia in the Craftsman Truck Series, and is a former racing analyst for ESPN full-time...

, and Derrike Cope
Derrike Cope
Derrike Cope is a NASCAR driver. He is best known for his win in the 1990 Daytona 500. He currently drives the #28 Chevrolet for Jay Robinson Racing in the Nationwide Series and the #75 Chevrolet/Dodge for his own team in the Sprint Cup Series.-Early years:Cope was born in San Diego, California...

 would finish out the season with a best finish of 22nd at Talladega
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base just outside the small city of Lincoln. It was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in...

.

For the 2003 season it was announced that Ken Schrader
Ken Schrader
Kenneth Schrader is a second-generation race car driver. He currently races on local dirt and asphalt tracks around the country while driving part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the ARCA Racing Series for his own Ken Schrader Racing. He also runs part time in the NASCAR Camping...

 would drive the #49. The team was forced to run with multiple sponsors throughout the year but most of the year the car was sponsored by AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...

 through its 1-800-CALL-ATT collect call
Collect call
A collect call in the USA and Canada or reverse charge call in the UK and other countries is a telephone call in which the calling party wants to place a call at the called party's expense...

 service. The team qualified for 32 races and had a best finish of 8th at Michigan
Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile moderate-banked D-shaped superspeedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than in Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is sometimes known as a "sister track" to Texas...

. In 2004
2004 in NASCAR
The 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup season began on Saturday, February 7 and ended on Sunday, November 21. Kurt Busch with Roush Racing driving a Ford was the Nextel Cup champion....

, it was announced BAM Racing had secured a deal with Schwan Food Company
Schwan Food Company
The Schwan Food Company is a multibillion-dollar, privately owned company with 17,000 employees in the United States. Based in Marshall, Minnesota, the company sells frozen foods from home-delivery trucks, in grocery-store freezers, by mail and to the food service industry...

 for multiple years. They were able to achieve a best finish of 6th during the season, had three less DNF's, and improved their average finish by two places.

Schwan's and Schrader again returned for the 2005 season and BAM had its best season to date with three top tens and an average finish of 25th place. After the conclusion of the 2005 season, Ken Schrader left to join Wood Brothers/JTG Racing. For 2006, Schrader was replaced by Brent Sherman
Brent Sherman
Brent Sherman , a resident of Wauconda, Illinois, is a former driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series who later competed in the Firestone Indy Lights Series.-Biography:...

 who brought along sponsorship from Serta Mattresses
Serta (company)
Serta is a company based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois that specializes in making mattresses. It was founded in 1931 by 13 mattress manufacturers who licensed the Serta name, and now eight independent licensees acting like a cooperative own the company...

. Sherman was to run for the Rookie of the Year
NASCAR Rookie of the Year
The NASCAR Rookie of the Year Award is presented to the first-year driver that has the best season in a NASCAR season. Each of NASCAR's national and regional touring series selects a RotY winner each year....

 award. However, after struggling through the start of the season he was released in favor of veteran Jimmy Spencer
Jimmy Spencer
Jimmy Spencer is a current television commentator, and a former NASCAR driver. He formerly hosted the NASCAR inspired talk show, “What’s the Deal?”, on SPEED. He is the former co-host, with John Roberts and Kenny Wallace, of the SPEED's pre-race and post-race NASCAR shows NASCAR RaceDay and...

. Spencer was also be an advisor for BAM and was a mentor for Sherman during his time there. However, Sherman's departure from the team left it unsponsored, as Serta had followed Sherman from ARCA racing to Busch Series and Cup series racing. Spencer raced from the spring Martinsville
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, near Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved...

 race until the spring Richmond
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway is a 3/4-mile , D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series...

 race, when Mike Wallace
Mike Wallace (NASCAR)
Mike Wallace is a NASCAR race car driver born in Fenton, Missouri. He currently drives the #01 Chevrolet for JD Motorsports in the Nationwide Series. He is a younger brother to Rusty Wallace, older brother to Kenny Wallace, and uncle to Steve Wallace...

 took over. In May 2006, Kevin Lepage left Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports is a team that competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The team began running part-time in 2004 as Means-Jenkins Motorsports under a partnership with Jimmy Means and restaurant entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, with Jenkins becoming the full team owner in 2005...

 to take over the #49, before he was replaced by Mike Bliss
Mike Bliss
Michael Bliss is a NASCAR driver who has run in all three major series. He currently drives the #19 Chevrolet Impala for TriStar Motorsports in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He began racing at age 10...

 in October. Chris Cook was hired to drive for the team to run the road course events, but failed to qualify for both events.

In 2007, BAM Racing was to race with Mike Bliss
Mike Bliss
Michael Bliss is a NASCAR driver who has run in all three major series. He currently drives the #19 Chevrolet Impala for TriStar Motorsports in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He began racing at age 10...

 as the driver, using Evernham engines, but Bliss failed to qualify for 11 out of 15 attempts, and resigned midway through the season. Chad Chaffin
Chad Chaffin
Chad Chaffin is a NASCAR driver. He has raced in all three of NASCAR's major series and is currently a free agent. Chaffin was a two-time track champion at the historic Nashville Speedway USA, where he met his friend the late Andy Kirby.-Sprint Cup:Chad made his Sprint Cup debut in 2004 at...

 was the team's interim driver at Loudon
New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic...

 and Chicagoland
Chicagoland Speedway
Chicagoland Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Joliet, Illinois, USA, southwest of Chicago. The speedway opened in 2001 and currently hosts NASCAR racing including the opening event in the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup. Until 2011, the speedway also hosted the IZOD IndyCar Series, recording...

, and Larry Foyt
Larry Foyt
Larry Joseph Roberds Foyt is a semi-retired NASCAR and IndyCar driver. He is the biological grandson and adopted son of A. J. Foyt, and a biological cousin of A. J. Foyt IV. His biological mother is Terry Lynn Foyt, daughter of A. J. Foyt, who divorced his biological father Larry Gene Roberds...

 racing at Daytona
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, one of the most prestigious races in NASCAR. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, Grand-Am and Motocross...

. In the team's first attempt to qualify after Bliss' resignation at Loudon, Chaffin made the race after Brian Vickers
Brian Vickers
Brian Lee Vickers is a American NASCAR driver. He was the 2003 Busch Series champion, and at age 20, became the youngest champion in any of NASCAR's three top-tier series...

 and the #83 Team Red Bull
Team Red Bull
Red Bull Racing Team, also known as Team Red Bull, is a NASCAR team owned by Dietrich Mateschitz. The team is based in Mooresville, North Carolina in the United States and is managed by Jay Frye...

 Toyota were disqualified after failing post-qualifying inspection. Bliss briefly returned for a few races, before journeyman John Andretti
John Andretti
John Andretti is an American race car driver. He has won in CART, IMSA GTP, Rolex Sports Car Series and NASCAR. He was the last NASCAR driver to win a Cup race for the famous Petty Enterprises team.-Andretti family:...

 was hired to complete the rest of the season for BAM. John Andretti
John Andretti
John Andretti is an American race car driver. He has won in CART, IMSA GTP, Rolex Sports Car Series and NASCAR. He was the last NASCAR driver to win a Cup race for the famous Petty Enterprises team.-Andretti family:...

 was signed to drive the full 2008 season, but the contract was nullified just days before 2008 Daytona testing to put Ken Schrader
Ken Schrader
Kenneth Schrader is a second-generation race car driver. He currently races on local dirt and asphalt tracks around the country while driving part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the ARCA Racing Series for his own Ken Schrader Racing. He also runs part time in the NASCAR Camping...

 in the seat in hopes of attracting more sponsorship. Schrader drove in the Budweiser Shootout
Budweiser Shootout
Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, generally referred to as the Bud Shootout, is an annual invitation-only NASCAR Sprint Cup Series exhibition event held at Daytona International Speedway in February, the weekend before the Daytona 500. It is the first competitive event of the season and serves as a...

, but failed to qualify for the first two races of the season..
The team switched from Dodge to Toyota before the Goody's Cool Orange 500, along with announcing Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...

's Small Business division as their sponsor. BAM promptly announced that they would be withdrawing from the next two races at Texas
Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas....

 and Phoenix
Phoenix International Raceway
Phoenix International Raceway, also known as PIR, is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. The track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the Indycar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series...

 to refocus the team's efforts .
Both the expenses of switching manufacturers and the pullout of Microsoft to Michael Waltrip Racing have forced BAM Racing to push their scheduled return further back, with NASCAR.com reporting on April 15, 2008 that the team may not return to racing until the fall. However, BAM made a minor attempt at a comeback in the Sprint All-Star Race. BAM fielded a ride for Petty Enterprises
Petty Enterprises
Petty Enterprises was a NASCAR racing team based in Randleman, North Carolina, USA. The team was owned by Richard Petty, his son Kyle Petty, and Boston Ventures. At the time of its folding the team operated the #43 and #45 Dodge Chargers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Petty Enterprises ran from...

 developmental driver Chad McCumbee
Chad McCumbee
Chad McCumbee is an American stock car driver. He currently drives the #1 ModSpace Ford Fusion for Andy Belmont Racing in the ARCA Racing Series and has run four full seasons in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He is also known for his portrayal of Dale Earnhardt, Jr...

, the car was a Dodge with sponsorship from Marathon Oil
Marathon Oil
Marathon Oil Corporation is a United States-based oil and natural gas exploration and production company. Principal exploration activities are in the United States, Norway, Equatorial Guinea, Angola and Canada. Principal development activities are in the United States, the United Kingdom, Norway,...

. McCumbee finished 13th.

On July 11, 2008 Sports Illustrated reported that BAM Racing was in talks with Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

 regarding a 1 Race Sponsorship at Pocono, through BAM spokesman Rhett Vandiver. However, Obama spokesman Bill Burton told Yahoo! Sports on the 11th that the sponsorship would not happen. The team took the 2009 season off due to the economy and its unwillingness to be a start and park
Start and park
Start and park is a term used in NASCAR-sanctioned and other auto racing sanctioning bodies to describe the practice of racing teams starting races but pulling the car off the track after just a few laps in order to collect prize money while avoiding expenses such as replacement tires, engine wear...

 operation.
Warner Music Nashville announced a strategic marketing alliance that will give WMN exclusive promotional opportunities with the NASCAR Sprint Cup racing team. Under the agreement, WMN artists will have the opportunity to participate in branding and promotional programs at NASCAR events, including artist tie-ins, sponsorships and promotional appearances, as well as exclusive positioning for their images and branding on BAM's #49 racecar, show cars, transporter and pit equipment. The first BAM promotional event with WMN artists is scheduled to take place on February 6, 2010 at the Daytona International Speedway. The team will attempt a full schedule in 2010 with the new partnership and will run Toyotas. Larry the Cable Guy
Larry the Cable Guy
Daniel Lawrence Whitney , better known by his stage name and character Larry the Cable Guy, is an American comedian, actor, and former radio personality....

 will be featured on the car for the Daytona 500
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....

, with WMN artists Blake Shelton, Whitney Duncan, Gloriana, Jessica Harp, Jason Jones and James Otto joining the team for later races.

On January 8, the team announced it would align with Robby Gordon
Robby Gordon
Robert W. "Robby" Gordon is an American racecar driver who currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as an owner-driver, driving the No. 7 Speed Energy Dodge Charger for Robby Gordon Motorsports, and also competes part-time in the Nationwide Series...

 for the 2010 season. The join contract stated that RGM/BAM would have at least one car present at each race and would jointly field Robby's #7 Toyota at certain races with sponsorship from WMN. However BAM had not been seen on track since the Daytona 500, and it was later announced that the RGM/BAM partnership had dissolved and that RGM is exploring taking legal action against BAM Racing and Warner Music Nashville. The team hasn't been heard from since February 2010. Their website is outdated, and there has been no word about them competing in the 2011 NASCAR season.

Car #59/#70 History

The team fielded a second car for Klaus Graf
Klaus Graf
Klaus Graf is a German race car driver. He is the son of rally driver Peter Graf. He lived in the United States while competing in the American Le Mans Series, Trans-Am, and in certain NASCAR and ARCA races. He is considered a Road Course Ringer in the world of NASCAR.Graf has won championships...

 at Infineon
Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip located on the landform known as Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains near Sonoma, California, USA. The course is a complex series of twists and turns that go up and down the hills...

 in 2004, the #59 SEM Products/Color Horizons Dodge. He finished 17th. The team attempted a number of races later in the year, but failed to qualify for all of them. Larry Foyt
Larry Foyt
Larry Joseph Roberds Foyt is a semi-retired NASCAR and IndyCar driver. He is the biological grandson and adopted son of A. J. Foyt, and a biological cousin of A. J. Foyt IV. His biological mother is Terry Lynn Foyt, daughter of A. J. Foyt, who divorced his biological father Larry Gene Roberds...

 also attempted a number of races late in the 2004 season, instead running the #70. The team shut down at the conclusion of the 2004 season.

Car #49 History

The team was created in 2000 from the remnants of the ISM Racing
ISM Racing
ISM Racing is a former autoracing team owned by Bob Hancher. The team fielded entries in the Indy Racing League and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.-Indy Racing League:...

 NASCAR Winston Cup Series team. Tony Morgenthau gave the team as a birthday present to his wife, Beth Ann, whose initials comprised the name of the team. BAM Racing attempted 6 races late in the 2000 ARCA Season with Matt Mullins. The team would have a best start of 10th at Charlotte in October and a best finish of 13th at Pocono in June. The team ceased operations upon BAM's move to Winston Cup.

Car #69/#99 History

BAM Racing returned to ARCA in 2004 as part of Klaus Graf's development program. The German driver made his debut in the #69 BAM Racing Dodge at Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway is a motor racing complex located in Gladeville, Tennessee , United States, about 30 miles southeast of Nashville. On August 2, 2011, it was announced that Nashville Superspeedway will not host any NASCAR events in 2012. It is a concrete oval track 1 1/3 miles in...

in October, starting 5th and finishing 3rd. He ran a second race in the #99 BAM Racing Dodge at Talladega in October, where he started 7th and finished 29th after a crash.

External links

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