Former NASCAR team
Innovative Motorsports
Owner(s)
| George DeBidart
|
---|
Base
| Charlotte, North Carolina
|
---|
Series
| Winston Cup
,
Busch Series
,
Craftsman Truck Series
|
---|
Race drivers
| Andy Santerre
,
Mike McLaughlin
,
Chad Little
,
Kenny Wallace
,
Shane Hmiel
,
Robert Huffman
,
Hank Parker Jr.
|
---|
Sponsors
| Little Trees
,
Gould Pumps
,
Mike's Hard Lemonade
,
Toyota Tundra
|
---|
Manufacturer
| Chevrolet
,
Toyota
|
---|
Opened
| 1998
|
---|
Closed
| 2005
|
---|
|
Drivers' Championships
| 0
|
---|
Race victories
| 2
|
---|
Innovative Motorsports
(
IMI
)
[1]
is a former
NASCAR
team. It was owned by
George DeBidart
and began racing in the
Busch North Series
in the mid-1990s, before moving to the
Busch Series
in
1998
.
Winston Cup
[
edit
]
Innovative ran four Cup races during its tenure. Using the No. 98 Chevy purchased from
Michael Waltrip Racing
, Kenny Wallace ran the
Pepsi 400
, the
Tropicana 400
, the
Brickyard 400
, and the
Sirius at the Glen
. His best finish was 29th.
Car No. 98 results
[
edit
]
Busch Series
[
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]
Car No. 47 history
[
edit
]
Innovative debuted on the Busch Circuit at the 1998
NAPA Auto Parts 300
.
Andy Santerre
was the driver of the car, the No. 47
Monro Muffler and Brake
Chevrolet Monte Carlo
, and finished 25th. Santerre was the driver for the whole season, grabbing two top-tens, a pole at
Richmond
, and
NASCAR Busch Series Rookie of the Year
honors. The next season, Santerre suffered a broken leg in a crash at Daytona, and missed half of the year.
Elliott Sadler
filled in for him, posting two top-ten finishes. Santerre returned and won his first career race at
Pikes Peak International Raceway
. Santerre struggled making the field, and was released.
Hermie Sadler
finished the year, his best finish a 22nd at
Phoenix
.
Sadler took over the car full-time in
2000
, as it was renumbered the No. 30 and receiving sponsorship from
Little Trees
. Sadler struggled making races as well, and would soon be released.
Chad Little
replaced him, but when his performance didn't improve over Sadler's, Sadler came back to finish the year, and posted a seventh-place run at Pikes Peak.
After the team did not run in
2001
, it returned in
2002
as the No. 47 with rookie
Shane Hmiel
driving with sponsorship from
Mike's Hard Lemonade
. Hmiel had two poles, eight top-tens and a sixteenth-place points finish, finishing behind
Scott Riggs
and
Johnny Sauter
for Rookie of the Year. The team closed after that.
Car No. 47 results
[
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]
Car No. 48 history
[
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]
The second Innovative car made its debut in 2000 at Daytona with
Mike McLaughlin
, sponsored by
Goulds Pumps
. He wrecked and finished 26th. McLaughlin struggled through the course of the season, and had six top-tens en route to a 24th-place points finish. Just before the 2001 season, McLaughlin quit the team for
Joe Gibbs Racing
, and was replaced by
Kenny Wallace
. Wallace had two poles as well as a victory in
North Carolina Speedway
, finishing 10th in points. After Stacker 2 came on as a sponsor, Wallace improved to seventh in points in 2002 and had thirteen top-tens, but did not win. After the No. 47 team closed its doors, Hmiel moved to the 48 and had ten top-tens and was in eighth in points, when he was suspended by NASCAR for violating its drug policy.
Jeff Green
,
Todd Bodine
,
Carlos Contreras
,
Randy LaJoie
, and
Kerry Earnhardt
finished out the year for the team.
Car No. 48 results
[
edit
]
Craftsman Truck Series
[
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]
In 2004, Innovative closed its Busch teams, and signed with
Toyota
to field entries in the
Craftsman Truck Series
, the No. 12 driven by
Robert Huffman
and the No. 21 driven by
Hank Parker Jr.
Huffman, a rookie, had six top-tens, but failed to finish nine races and ended up twenty-third in points. Parker Jr. had four top-tens and finished 17th in points. Due to a lack of funding, Innovative closed up for good at the end of the season, with Huffman's team being sold to
Darrell Waltrip Motorsports
, and Parker's team to
Capital Motorsports
.
Truck No. 12 Results
[
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]
Truck No. 21 Results
[
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]
References
[
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]
External links
[
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]