Ranier-Lundy

Ranier Racing with MDM
Owner(s) Lorin Ranier
Mike Hillman
Doug Fuller
Base Mooresville, North Carolina
Series Camping World Truck Series
K&N Pro Series East
ARCA Racing Series
Car numbers 8, 10, 15, 20, 28, 31, 32, 40, 41, 54, 68, 71, 88
Race drivers Camping World Truck Series:
71. Brandon Jones (part-time)
K&N Pro Series East:
40. Kyle Benjamin
41. Spencer Davis
ARCA Racing Series:
8. Brandon Jones, Harrison Burton, Travis Miller (part-time)
28. Kyle Benjamin (part-time)
Sponsors 28. TBA
Manufacturer Chevrolet
Opened 1967
1983 car, driven by Cale Yarborough.

Ranier Racing with MDM is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The team formerly competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing team until 1987, fielding Cale Yarborough during the 1980s late in its operations. The team later became Robert Yates Racing after Yates, an engine builder and crew chief with the operation, bought the team in 1988. The team largely fielded General Motors vehicles for its various drivers until switching to Fords in 1985.

The team won the 1980 Daytona 500 with Buddy Baker and 1983 and 1984 Daytona 500 with Yarborough.

The team was based in Charlotte[1] and co-operated by Harry Ranier (c. 1930s – July 21, 1999)[2] and J.T. Lundy.[3] who left in 1987[3] Ranier was a Kentuckian[1] coal mining magnate.[2][4] Ranier's entry into the sport predates magnates such as J.D. Stacy and Billy Hagan.[5]

History

1967–1980

Harry Ranier started entering racecars into NASCAR's top division sporadically starting in 1967 and consistently starting in 1978 with driver Lennie Pond and later Buddy Baker.[6]

In 1978, Ranier's team won its first race[6] at the Talladega 500 with Pond[7][8] after other key leading cars were slowed when Bill Elliott's car blew a tire and spreading debris.[8]

Buddy Baker drove for the team starting in 1979.[6] In 1980, Waddell Wilson was crew chief and engine builder.[1] Baker won the 1980 Daytona 500 for the team.

1983–1988

In 1983, Yarborough moved to the No. 28 Hardee's Chevrolet owned by Harry Ranier, competing in 16 events. He won four races, including his third Daytona 500, his sixth Atlanta Coca-Cola 500, and swept both events at Michigan, along with three poles.[9] In 1984 he repeated by winning his fourth Daytona 500, becoming the second driver to score back-to-back wins, the Winston 500 at Talladega, a race that featured 75 lead changes, and the Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500, along with four poles.[10] In 1985 after his team switched to a Ford, he won his first Talladega 500 and scored his final win in the Miller High Life 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.[11]

1987–1988

Prior to the 1987 season, car owner Ranier tapped Davey Allison to replace veteran driver Cale Yarborough in the Ranier-Lundy No. 28 Ford Thunderbird. Yarborough was leaving the Ranier-Lundy team to start his own operation along with the team's sponsor, Hardee's.[3] Ranier negotiated a sponsorship deal with Texaco's Havoline motor oil brand,[3] a deal that was signed during the Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway. He also hired Robert Yates as his engine builder and Joey Knuckles as the No. 28's crew chief,[3] who paired with Allison for years.

On qualifying day, Allison signalled that he was in Winston Cup to stay when he qualified an unmarked, but Texaco-Havoline painted No. 28 Thunderbird second for the 1987 Daytona 500, becoming the first rookie ever to start on the front row for NASCAR's most prestigious event. A pit miscue which allowed a rear tire to fall off on the track ended his hopes of a good finish in the race, but success for Davey Allison would be just around the corner.

Allison drove full time in the Texaco/Havoline #28 for Ranier in 1987 and 1988. Ranier sold his team to Yates prior to the 1989 season. Allison would have most of his success driving for Yates Racing. Ranier did not field a car again until the fall of 1996.

1996–1998

Ranier returned to run a limited schedule in the 1996 Busch Series with IRL star Tony Stewart driving the No. 15. Ranier also fielded a Cup entry with Elton Sawyer driving the No. 20 in the season finale at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Ranier moved to Cup full time in 1997 with former partner Hardee's returning to sponsor the No. 20 and Greg Sacks driving the car. However, after missing several early-season races, the team switched to part time, and eventually shut down.

2016–present

On February 4, 2016, MDM-Hillman Racing joined Lorin Ranier to create a driver development team that would compete in the ARCA Racing Series, K&N Pro Series East and Camping World Truck Series.[12] The team hired Brandon Jones to drive the No. 99 Truck on a part-time basis.[13] The team originally attempted to run the No. 28 Truck (the same number as the car number Ranier-Lundy is most famously known for), but was changed to No. 99, possibly due to FDNY Racing already gain the rights to use the number. The team also has Kyle Benjamin in the No. 40 Chevrolet and Spencer Davis in the No. 41 Chevrolet in the K&N Pro Series East. The team was forced to withdraw from the Dover race after rain of threats which would make them DNQ the race. Rainier now leases the 71 points from Carlos Contreras's team Contreras Motorsports during the races Jones is scheduled to run.

References

  1. 1 2 3 http://blogs.thatsracin.com/scuffs/2006/02/even_with_10_gr.html
  2. 1 2 http://kahamilton.tripod.com/obits/july_obits_1999.htm
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 http://www.stockcarracing.com/featurestories/scrp_0604_davey_allison/viewall.html
  4. ↑ http://www.earnhardtganassi.com/ViewArticle.aspx?articleid=4268
  5. ↑ http://randyayersmodeling.com/modelingforum/viewtopic.php?t=29286
  6. 1 2 3 http://www.racing-reference.info/owner/Harry_Ranier
  7. ↑ http://www.racing-reference.info/drivdet/pondle01/1978/W
  8. 1 2 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2011/10/MRN-Flashback--Talladega-Triumph.aspx
  9. ↑ "Cale Yarborough 1983 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2012-01-04.
  10. ↑ "Cale Yarborough 1984 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2012-01-04.
  11. ↑ "Cale Yarborough 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2012-01-04.
  12. ↑ Collier, Kyle (February 4, 2016). "Ranier Racing returning to the asphalt". WYMT-TV. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Brandon Jones to Run Some Truck Races". Star-News. February 6, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
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