CARL HAAS IN NASCAR

Prior to entering the Bush Series in 2007, Carl Haas’ first run as a NASCAR team owner began in the year 1999, when he joined Travis Carter to run a two-car effort in the Winston Cup Series. With “Mr. Excitement” Jimmy Spencer and the legendary Darrell Waltrip wheeling the #26 and #66 cars, respectively, the two achieved a number of top-20 finishes, with Spencer scoring a half-dozen top-fives. Waltrip would spend his retirement season driving his final competitive laps in a Cup Car with the team in the year 2000. By 2003, the operation had come to a close, but in 2007 a new partnership was forged with the help of Mari Hulman George, chairman of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Kyle Krisiloff, grandson of Mari, was called up from the truck series to run his first full season in the Busch Series driving the #14 car. Sponsorship came from Clabber Girl, Eli Lilly and Company, and Walgreens. Throughout the season the team achieved mixed results with the rookie but secured two major points hauls, which helped Krisiloff to finish 18th in the standings at year’s end. Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR’s most fearsome and chaotic track, has a knack for providing up-and-comers the opportunity to impress; at the Aaron’s 312, the team secured a remarkable 5th place behind Cup regulars Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart, Casey Mears, and David Ragan.

Later in the season, Krisiloff exhibited his road-racing abilities at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for the inaugural NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge, bringing the car across the line in 6th place. The rookie would also achieve top-20 finishes at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez for the Telcel-Motorola Mexico 200 and the Winn Dixie 250 at Daytona.

The car on offer was a part of this Busch Series effort during the 2007 season and features a Roush Yates Racing-prepared Ford V-8 engine under the hood. While no specific race history exists for the chassis, the Hoosier Tire decal on the rear spoiler provides evidence that the car may have been prepared for the ARCA Series after its NASCAR career.