Red Bull Racing Team

Red Bull Racing Team, also known as Team Red Bull, was a NASCAR team owned by Red Bull founders Dietrich Mateschitz and Chaleo Yoovidhya. The team was based in Mooresville, North Carolina in the United States and was managed by Jay Frye. The team suspended operations on December 8, 2011 and their cars were sold to BK Racing.

History

Origins After moving to a newer location, Roger Penske decided to sell his old facility. Then, on January 26, 2006, the newly formed team said that they would purchase the facility, and would hire 75 workers. However, the team was not allowed to race in the 2006 season because their manufacturer, Toyota, was not cleared to race, so the team decided that they would drive Dodges during the season. The team did not have any materials to make their race cars, so they purchased multiple cars from Bill Davis Racing.

2006 season The team was officially started in January, but they would not choose a driver until June 25, 2006, when Brian Vickers announced his decision to drive for the team on Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain. A couple months later, the team made their first NASCAR appearance with Bill Elliott as the driver, at Lowe's Motor Speedway in the No. 83 Victory Junction Gang Dodge, but they failed to qualify for the race. On October 24, 2006, the team chose former Champ Car driver A. J. Allmendinger as the second driver. They also made two other appearances at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway, which like their first, they failed to qualify for both races. Then, announced on December 6, 2006, former Cup Series champion crew chief Doug Richert would serve as the crew chief for Vickers.

2007 season

During the 2007 season, the team moved to Toyota as the manufacturer. Both Vickers and Allmendinger failed to qualify for the 2007 Daytona 500. Allmendinger, in the first duel race, crashed with fellow competitor Robby Gordon on lap 24, causing heavy damage to both their race cars. Vickers blew a right rear tire on lap 51 in the second duel race, ending his chances of making the Daytona 500. One week later, Vickers qualified for the 2007 Auto Club 500, which resulted in the team receiving their first top-ten. After failing to qualify for four consecutive races, Allmendinger qualified for the 2007 Food City 500 held at Bristol Motor Speedway. During the 2007 Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR's longest race, Vickers was able to finish in the top-five. On October 5, 2007, the team's development driver, Scott Speed finished seventh in an ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway. Allmendinger's team had a forty-third-place finish in the final owners' standings and had 19 DNQ's. Despite Vickers ending the season with five top-ten finishes with one being a top-five in the Coca-Cola 600, where he led seventy-six laps and finished 5th, Vickers still failed to qualify for 13 races. Vickers' team ended the season with a 38th owners' standings position.

2008 season

In 2008, Kevin Hamlin became the crew chief for Vickers. Hamlin's past crew chief roles include stints with Dave Blaney's No. 22 Toyota, preceded by nine years of crew chief duties with Richard Childress Racing drivers including Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, and Dale Earnhardt. Hamlin has amassed nine previous Cup wins; five of those with Earnhardt Sr. Said Sawyer of hiring Hamlin: "Finding the right crew chief for the 83 team was a pivotal decision in an effort to restructure the foundation on that team. We need a crew chief with not only the right experience and background to work effectively with our driver and crew, but someone who also shares the same vision for success. We found that package with Kevin Hamlin. Our focus between now and Daytona is not only getting our cars up to speed for the season opener, but also getting Kevin up to speed working with Red Bull, Brian (Vickers) and the 83 team." Due in large part to the additions of Frye and Hamlin, the No. 83 team has been shown to be the most improved in the series, qualifying for all the current races and secured a Top 35 exemption following the spring race at Bristol. Also in 2008, Allmendinger failed to make the first three races of 2008 and was replaced by Mike Skinner on a temporary basis starting with the spring Atlanta race. Allmendinger returned at the Aaron's 499 at Talladega with a new silver paint scheme, and won the Sprint Showdown two weeks later, making him eligible for the All-Star Race. Allmendinger also recorded a 10th-place finish at the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. In May, even though Vickers had not won a race for the team prior to Sprint All-Star Race XXIV, they won the All-Star Pit Crew Competition. Later in the season, Allmendinger announced that he was going to leave Red Bull to race for Richard Petty Motorsports in 2009.

2009 season 2009 ended up being a high-water mark for the team, as Vickers scored the team's first victory, and the second of his career, at Michigan in August. This was part of a strong late-summer run that resulted in Vickers taking the last spot in the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup at Richmond in September, also a first for the Red Bull team. Unfortunately, an underwhelming Chase performance resulted in Vickers finishing 12th in the final points. Meanwhile, the team signed Scott Speed to replace Allmendinger in the renumbered 82 car. However, Speed could manage only a distant second to Joey Logano in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings.

2010 season For the 2010 season, Speed and Vickers remained with the team, but on May 21, Vickers experienced medical problems, which resulted in him missing the rest of the season. His replacements were Casey Mears, Reed Sorenson, Mattias Ekstrom, Boris Said, and Kasey Kahne. Speed was let go at the end of the season, and he in turn filed a lawsuit against Red Bull.

2011 season

For the 2011 season, Kahne became a full-time driver for the team, driving car No. 4 (formerly No. 82), and Vickers returned to drive the No. 83 car. On June 20, 2011, the Associated Press reported that Red Bull was planning to leave NASCAR at the end of the season. The team's on-track struggles, combined with a lackluster outreach to the 18–34 demographic, forced their departure. Despite this, Kahne scored the team's final victory at the November race at Phoenix, while Vickers struggled for most of the year, resulting in a 25th-place points finish. Kahne finished the season in 14th. The team fielded a third car, numbered 84, in the final two races of the season, with development driver Cole Whitt behind the wheel. Whitt finished 25th at Phoenix, but crashed out just past halfway at Homestead, finishing 37th. The team officially closed on December 8, 2011. The team's cars, owners points, and equipment were purchased by former TRG Motorsports executive Ron Devine to form BK Racing.

Cup Series results

#83 Car results NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 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 Pts 2006 Bill Elliott 83 Dodge DAY 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 CLTDNQ MAR ATL TEX PHO HOM NA - 2007 Brian Vickers Toyota DAYDNQ CAL10 LVSDNQ ATL42 BRI15 MARDNQ TEX14 PHODNQ TALDNQ RCHDNQ DAR43 CLT5 DOV19 POC35 MCH41 SONDNQ NHADNQ DAY29 CHIDNQ IND21 POC29 GLN41 MCH8 BRIDNQ CAL8 RCH24 NHA43 DOV16 KANDNQ TAL39 CLTDNQ MARDNQ ATL10 TEX23 PHO21 HOM42 38th 2351 2008 DAY12 CAL11 LVS24 ATL9 BRI39 MAR23 TEX16 PHO25 TAL5 RCH28 DAR25 CLT42 DOV13 POC2 MCH4 SON14 NHA16 DAY11 CHI6 IND42 POC28 GLN18 MCH7 BRI20 CAL12 RCH36 NHA35 DOV31 KAN15 TAL35 CLT18 MAR11 ATL21 TEX18 PHO42 HOM32 20th 3628 2009 DAY39 CAL10 LVS8 ATL5 BRI29 MAR33 TEX16 PHO19 TAL8 RCH15 DAR31 CLT5 DOV25 POC21 MCH9 SON16 NHA35 DAY7 CHI7 IND5 POC6 GLN11 MCH1 BRI12 ATL7 RCH7 NHA11 DOV18 KAN37 CAL29 CLT34 MAR11 TAL13 TEX26 PHO38 HOM20 12th 5929 2010 DAY15 CAL12 LVS31 ATL7 BRI15 MAR6 PHO37 TEX38 TAL29 RCH20 DAR10 25th 3502 Casey Mears DOV22 CLT29 POC23 MCH36 SON21 RCH31 Reed Sorenson NHA24 DAY8 CHI27 IND35 POC32 MCH26 BRI15 ATL14 NHA27 DOV16 KAN30 CAL27 CLT18 Boris Said GLN38 Kasey Kahne MAR14 TAL26 TEX13 PHO30 HOM6 2011 Brian Vickers DAY31 PHO30 LVS10 BRI36 CAL8 MAR17 TEX27 TAL38 RCH10 DAR34 DOV5 CLT18 KAN16 POC22 MCH10 SON36 DAY12 KEN27 NHA34 IND15 POC39 GLN18 MCH15 BRI21 ATL11 RCH33 CHI13 NHA5 DOV14 KAN19 CLT20 TAL5 MAR30 TEX21 PHO23 HOM17 25th 846

#84/#82/#4 car results NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 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 Pts 2006 84 Dodge DAY 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 ATLDNQ TEXDNQ PHO HOM NA - 2007 Toyota DAYDNQ CALDNQ LVSDNQ ATLDNQ BRI40 MAR38 TEXDNQ PHODNQ TALDNQ RCH32 DAR36 CLT31 DOV33 POC39 MCH31 SONDNQ NHADNQ DAYDNQ CHIDNQ INDDNQ POCDNQ GLNDNQ MCHDNQ BRI35 CAL18 RCH23 NHA33 DOV43 KANDNQ TALDNQ CLT15 MAR35 ATL16 TEX39 PHODNQ HOMDNQ 43rd 1601 2008 DAYDNQ CALDNQ LVSDNQ TAL30 RCH39 DAR27 CLT20 DOV37 POC12 MCH19 SON37 NHA43 DAY42 CHI13 IND10 POC19 GLN11 MCH28 BRI34 CAL14 RCH43 NHA38 DOV16 KAN9 35th 2705 Mike Skinner ATL27 BRI40 MAR31 TEX29 PHO28 TAL31 CLT39 Scott Speed MAR30 ATL34 TEX33 PHO41 HOM16 2009 82 DAY35 CAL41 LVS21 ATL35 BRI28 MAR39 TEXDNQ PHO34 TAL5 RCH33 DARDNQ CLT18 DOV37 POC32 MCH37 SONDNQ NHA36 DAY31 CHI36 IND31 POC23 GLN22 MCH34 BRI15 ATL24 RCH36 NHA31 DOV25 KAN27 CAL21 CLT28 MAR31 TAL27 TEX18 PHO33 HOM2736th2635 2010 DAY19 CAL11 LVS22 ATL10 BRI31 MAR33 PHO21 TEX16 TAL15 RCH35 DAR28 DOV23 CLT30 POC20 MCH28 SON18 NHA27 DAY10 CHI30 IND25 POC26 GLN43 MCH25 BRI33 ATL34 RCH24 NHA36 DOV32 KAN19 CAL24 CLT19 MAR23 TAL29 TEX27 PHO35 HOM23 31st 3178 2011 Kasey Kahne 4 DAY25 PHO6 LVS14 BRI9 CAL9 MAR39 TEX21 TAL37 RCH3 DAR4* DOV36 CLT22 KAN14 POC12 MCH28 SON20 DAY4 KEN13 NHA6 IND18* POC28 GLN26 MCH7 BRI11 ATL34 RCH38 CHI12 NHA15 DOV4 KAN2 CLT4 TAL6 MAR25 TEX3 PHO1 HOM7 14th 1041

Third car results NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 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 Pts 2008 Scott Speed 82 Toyota DAY CAL LVS ATL BRI MAR TEX PHO TAL RCH DAR CLT DOV POC MCH SON NHA DAY CHI IND POC GLN MCH BRI CAL RCH NHA DOV KAN TAL CLT MAR ATL TEX PHO HOM 2011 Cole Whitt 84 Toyota DAY PHO LVS BRI CAL MAR TEX TAL RCH DAR DOV CLT KAN POC MCH INF DAY KEN NHA IND POC GLN MCH BRI ATL RCH CHI NHA DOV KAN CLT TAL MAR TEX PHO25 HOM37 49th 26

Nationwide Series

Cole Whitt drove the No. 84 for the final two races of the 2010 season, finishing in the top-twenty in both.

No. 84 Results NASCAR Nationwide Series results Year Team 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 Pts Ref 2010 Cole Whitt 84 Toyota DAY CAL LVS BRI NSH PHO TEX TAL RCH DAR DOV CLT NSH KEN ROA NHA DAY CHI GTY IRP IOW GLN MCH BRI CGV ATL RCH DOV KAN CAL CLT GTY TEX PHO15 HOM17 70th 118

Red Bull Racing Team

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