BACE Motorsports Searches for Sponsorship for 2004 Season

MOORESVILLE, NC (April 27, 2004) -- BACE Motorsports, who fields the #74 Busch Series ride for Tony Raines, is looking for primary sponsorship to finish out open dates on the 2004 Busch Series schedule.

In its second year with BACE, The Outdoor Channel expanded its partial schedule from 13 to 20 races in key markets, leaving a block of high-visibility Busch Series events open to corporations looking for a cost-effective entry into NASCAR with a championship-caliber team.

BACE will take a two-week hiatus from the series, returning to carry The Outdoor Channel colors in Richmond on May 14th. Richmond will be one of the 12 events remaining on The Outdoor Channel schedule, and they are anxious to return to a venue that saw Raines charge to a 3rd place finish from his 28th place starting spot.

“When Bill and Brian (Baumgardner) approached me about returning to the seat, we discussed that we would only run races in which we had sponsorship,” said Raines. “With no legitimate shot at a championship this season, we will only compete in events where we are partnered with a corporation. Everyone here wants to be at the track competing every weekend, but we need additional sponsorship to be able to do that.”

The Memorial Day weekend event in Charlotte and the night race in Daytona headline an attractive block of races available to sponsors interesting in partnering with the three-time Busch Series champs. Indianapolis, the Richmond return, Kansas, Memphis, Atlanta and Phoenix are also available.

“I have really enjoyed our affiliation with The Outdoor Channel over the past two season,” Raines said. “The network is growing rapidly and motorsports has been at the core of that growth, with their expansion of the Busch program and their role as primary broadcast partner for The World of Outlaws Sprint Series. They’ve also enhanced our team off the track, with a sizable media package available to sponsors that join us,” he added.

In just 16 Busch Series starts over the past two seasons, Raines has piloted The Outdoor Channel Chevrolet to two top-five and six top-10 finishes, including a second place finish at Bristol in March 2003. With crew chief Mark Tutor returning for his second season at BACE and virtually the same supporting cast, Raines is focused on turning top-10s and 5s into wins for BACE in 2004.

This team is a contender with very talented personnel and a winning history,” Raines said. “We can win races this year. If I didn’t believe that, there’s no way I’d be behind the wheel. Our mission now is to focus on getting this team back in the win column while we look for additional sponsorship.

“We’ve proved time and time again that we are a threat every time we unload the car,” he said. “Mark and I worked well together from the very start and showed that with a second-place finish in Bristol in just our second start. This year was no different – we were 6th in Bristol the first time I returned to the seat and we’ve been in the top-10 each race that we haven’t been caught up in someone else’s mess, like Talladega.”

After Richmond, Raines remaining scheduled races in the #74 will be at Nashville Superspeedway (6/12) followed by Kentucky (6/19), Chicago (7/10), Michigan (8/21), Bristol (7/27), California (9/4), Dover (9/25), Charlotte (10/15), Darlington (11/13) and Homestead-Miami (11/20), with an additional race to be determined.

In addition to its search for sponsorship for remainder of the 2004 Busch Series schedule, BACE continues to pursue the corporate partnerships that will return the #74 NEXTEL Cup Series entry to competition. In 2003 Raines posted an impressive rookie campaign. BACE scored 15 top-25 finishes in 35 starts, highlighted by a 6th-place finish at Rockingham and 13th-place run in the season finale in Miami.

“Without a doubt I would love to get back behind the wheel of a Cup car,” said Raines. “The Baumgardners are still committed to returning to the NEXTEL Cup Series to pick up where we left off last season – running competitively in the top-20 and threatening the top-10 as we build our program. The cars are ready at the shop and we discussing the most appropriate races to run later this season to assist our efforts in attracting a sponsor a return to a full NEXTEL Cup schedule in 2005.”

For sponsorship inquiries, please contact BACE Motorsports at 704-944-7619.