1996 Past News & Sources
January
January 14
Still Searching for sponsor, hires Dallenbach for Testing
Statesville Record
Longtime Winston Cup team owner Bud Moore continues to keep his garage doors open despite a so-far fruitless search for a primary sponsor.
But Moore remains optimistic enough to have hired former Winston Cup regular Wally Dallenbach Jr. as test driver for the Ford tests this month at Daytona International Speedway.
Greg Moore, Bud’s son and the team manager, said, “We think a lot of Wally and we know there is a lot of talent there. We think it would make for a very good package if we can get everything worked out.”
“This is a great opportunity to drive for Bud Moore,” Dallenbach said. “I sure hope it turns into a full-time deal.”
Still, finding a sponsor remains a key to any deal.
“We know we have to get ready to go racing, and with that thought in mind, we have been talking with Wally,” Greg Moore said. “We actually are in great shape car-wise and engine-wise, depending on what NASCAR does with the rules. We just need to know what color to paint these cars and what (sponsor) name to put on them.”
January 28
Bodine shops around, lands QVC as sponsor
Goldsboro News-Argus
Driver-car owner Geoff Bodine of Julian, announced last weekend at the annual National Motorsports Press convention, that his No. 7 Ford Thunderbird team, based in Harrisburg, will be sponsored by QVC, the cable-television home shopping network, for the next two seasons.
Bodine, who also operates a NASCAR SuperTruck Series team for driver Dave Rezendes, has had Exide Batteries as his primary sponsor for the past two years since he brought the team from the estate of Alan Kulwicki, the 1992 Winston Cup champion. Exide Batteries officials decided to pull their sponsorship of Bodine, at the end of this past season, taking it to Jack Roush’s third Thunderbird team with third-year driver Jeff Burton.
Reportedly, Bodine, 46, oldest of the Bodine Brothers, that includes Brett and Todd, had been close to securing other sponsorship before signing-on with QVC which rivals the Home Shopping Network, a similar cable-television program.
According to the announcement, QVC also will sponsor Rezendes in Bodine’s F-150 Ford Pickup truck, too.
Recently, Matthew Bodine, oldest of Geoff’s two sons who works with his father’s team as a fabricator-body man, announced he would be running a Late Model Stock Car schedule this year, securing the help of two sponsors. Matthew says he’ll continue to work for his father’s team at the same time.
Brett Bodine, the middle of the three sons, completed the purchase of Junior Johnson’s No. 11 Lowe’s Home Improvement Thunderbird team at the end of this past season, moving it to his Mooresville shop. While the two older Bodines now have their own Winston Cup teams, Todd, the youngest, has returned to the NASCAR Busch Grand National circuit after losing his Winston Cup ride at the end of the season to Morgan Shepherd.
Geoff Bodine won three races in 1994 in the first year as the owner-driver of his own team, but failed to register a victory this past season. In fact, Bodine’s best finish in 1995 was one fifth-place, his only top-five finish all season. He did manage three other top-10 finishes, but five did-not-finishes relegated Bodine to 16th-place in the final 1995 Winston Cup standings.
With last weekend’s announcement that Geoff and QVC would team together for the new season, Bodine is hoping this is the sponsor that will help him get back on track.