News

June 24, 2009 - Specialty Racing is proud to announce that Matt Carter will immediately take over the driving duties of the No. 61 Ford in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Carter, who replaces Brandon Whitt, will make his debut with the team this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the running of the Camping World RV Sales 200 presented by Turtle Wax.

"Everyone at Specialty Racing is excited about Matt Carter joining our team," said team co-owner Doug Taylor. "Matt comes from a family rich in racing history and has had a good amount of success himself so far in his career. We feel that this is a perfect fit for our race organization at this time and we look forward to some great things ahead for all of us."

Specialty Racing has competed in all 15 NASCAR Nationwide Series races so far this season and currently sits 27th in the owners point standings.

"I want to thank Doug Taylor, Charles Shoffner and the entire Specialty Racing team for this opportunity," stated Matt Carter. "It has been awhile since I have been in the seat but I expect to get up to speed fairly quickly. Specialty Racing has a good group of guys assembled and that will help me a lot. I actually ran a Nationwide race with this team back in 2007 at Memphis so that will help all of us speed up the process. I look forward to getting back in a race car and having some solid runs in this No. 61 Ford."
Carter will be making his second career start in the NASCAR Nationwide Series with his lone other start being with Specialty Racing during the 2007 season. He also has one career start in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and 22 career starts in the ARCA RE/MAX Series where he finished third in the final point standings last season.
The Camping World RV Sales presented by Turtle Wax can be seen live on Saturday, June, 27th on ABC with coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. EDT. The event can also be heard live on PRN Radio as well as Sirius XM Satellite Radio, channel 128.

June 16, 2009 -  Specialty Racing is proud to announce a partnership with the Hilton Garden Inn Milwaukee Park Place for the upcoming NASCAR Nationwide Series event at the legendary Milwaukee Mile on Saturday June 20, 2009.  The Hilton Garden Inn Milwaukee Park Place logo will adorn the No. 61 Specialty Racing Ford driven by Brandon Whitt for the 250 lap event.

“We are very appreciative of the support that Hilton Garden Inn Milwaukee Park Place has extended to our team,” said team co-owner Doug Taylor. “Our sport thrives with the support of companies such as this and we look forward to entertaining their guests for the race and putting on a good show for them.  The whole team at Specialty Racing looks forward to our stay in Milwaukee.”

Specialty Racing has competed in all 14 NASCAR Nationwide Series races so far this season with driver Brandon Whitt sitting 17th in the overall drivers point standings.

“The staff at the Hilton Garden Inn Milwaukee Park Place is proud of our association with Specialty Racing and Brandon Whitt,” stated Daryl Johnson, General Manager.  “We look forward to hosting the team at our hotel.  We also are looking forward to Saturday’s race and being a part of their team for the night. The Hilton Garden Inn Milwaukee Park Place has just introduced the new bar and restaurant Allgauer’s in the Park and we look forward to seeing the team there.” 

The Hilton Garden Inn Milwaukee Park Place hotel is located northwest of downtown Milwaukee near Menomonee Falls and Germantown, in a garden setting perfect for intimate weddings, family reunions, family getaways/ getaways. The 184-room hotel includes a newly remodeled Allgauer’s full service bar and restaurant plus over 7,000 square feet of banquet and meeting space. For more information, visit them at www.hiltongardeninn.com.

The NorthernTool.com 250 can be seen live on Saturday, June, 20th on ESPN2 with coverage beginning at 8:00 p.m. EST. The event can also be heard live on MRN Radio as well as Sirius Satellite Radio, channel 128.

June 15, 2009 - Brandon Whitt, Driver of the No. 61 Ford Fusion for Specialty Racing, continued his climb in the NASCAR Nationwide Series standings, after his finish in Saturday's Meijer 300 presented by Ritz at the Kentucky Speedway. Whitt moved up two spots to 17th in the 2009 Official Driver Standings. The results also improved Specialty Racing's position to 26th in the 2009 Owner Standings.

"Our week-to-week consistency continues to improve, which is reflected in our climb in both the Driver and Owner Standings," said Co-Owner Doug Taylor. "Brandon is within striking distance of reaching the top-15 in the Driver Standings and the team is on the verge of breaking into the top-25 in the Owner Standings."

The NASCAR Nationwide Series move on to The Milwaukee Mile for Saturday's running of the NorthernTools.com 250. Specialty Racing will carry sponsorship for this race by the Hilton Garden Inn Milwaukee Park Place. The race will be televised on ESPN2, with coverage starting at 7:30 PM EDT.

June 8, 2009 - After starting 37th in Saturday's Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville Superspeedway, Brandon Whitt raced on to finish 20th in the No. 61 Ford Fusion for Specialty Racing. Whitt, who picked up his second consecutive top-20 finish of the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule, now sits 19th in the Official Driver Standings. The driver's finish also moved the team up three positions to 27th in the 2009 Owner Standings.

The team looks to capitalize on the past two finishes, as the series moves to Kentucky Speedway for this weekend's Meijer 300 presented by Ritz

June 3, 2009 - As part of this weekend's NASCAR Nationwide Series race at the Nashville Superspeedway, Brandon Whitt and the Specialty Racing crew will visit the Tennessee Air National Guard base in Nashville on Thursday, June 4th. TSgt. Monna L. Mosser and SMSgt. Mark A. Harris will accompany Whitt and the team on the tour the 105th Airlift Squadron base. The 105th Airlift Squadron files the C-130H Hercules.

"We are honored to have this visit scheduled with the Nashville base for the Tennessee Air National Guard," said Brandon Whitt. "It will be a privilege to meet the members of the 105th Airlift Squadron. It is their work and that of all of the United States Armed Forces that affords us the opportunity to enjoy the freedom we have, which allows me to pursue my dream to race in NASCAR."

May 14, 2009 - To help celebrate NASCAR Day, Specialty Racing's NASCAR Nationwide Series Driver Brandon Whitt will attend the Victory Junction's NASCAR Day Celebration. Brandon will join NASCAR President Mike Helton, Richard Petty, Victory Junction Campers and others for a pancake breakfast and special unveiling during the event. Brandon will join others in serving pancakes to those in attendance.

The NASCAR Foundation and Victory Junction are celebrating the sixth annual NASCAR Day, with the NASCAR Foundation being honored for joining Victory Junction's elite founder list. The event will take place at Victory Junction on Friday, May 15, 2009 from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM. Tickets to the event are $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for children under 18. Admission to the event includes the pancake breakfast and a NASCAR Day pin. Victory Junction is located at 4500 Adams Way, Randleman, NC 27317.

April 27, 2009 - A cut rear tire caused Brandon Whitt to spin in turn two on lap 96 of the Aaron's 312 at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, dashing the driver's chance for his best finish of the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series season. Whitt, who ran as high as 17th and turned the fastest lap of the race on three occasions during the day, appeared positioned to secure a top-15 finish, until the incident forced him onto pit road for the unscheduled stop to change tires. The day to the point of the spin had otherwise gone as planned, with Whitt patiently moving the No. 61 up through the field and putting himself in position for a late race push towards the front.

Whitt's day ended on a high note, with the driver moving up one position to 21st in the 2009 Driver Standings.

April 21, 2009 - After the first seven events on the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule Specialty Racing remains in the top-30 in the Owner Standings, a run that has continued since the fourth event of the 2008 season. The team is currently 27th in the Owner Standings and only 124 points out of the top-20.

"We had a couple opportunities for great finishes slip away from us that would otherwise have us in the top-20 in Owner Standings," said Co-Owner Doug Taylor. "Everyone at the shop and on the crew continue to make improvements to further advance our on-track performance to push us up in our finishes and in the standings."

Brandon Whitt, driver of the No. 61 Ford Fusion for Specialty Racing, is currently 22nd in the 2009 Driver Standings. On a year-to-date average, Whitt has managed to finish better than his starting position for each race. His consistency this year has him a mere 15 points out of the top-20 in Driver Standings

The NASCAR Nationwide Series heads this week to the high-banks of the Talladega Superspeedway for Saturday's running of the Aaron's 312.

April 6, 2009 - Brandon Whitt's 23rd place finish in Saturday's O'Reilly 300 at Texas Motor Speedway moved the driver up two positions to 23rd in the 2009 Driver Standings. Whitt's fourth top-25 finish in as many races improved Specialty Racing's position to 26th in the 2009 Owner Point Standings. As the NASCAR Nationwide Series heads to Nashville for this weekend's Pepsi 300, the sixth event on the series' schedule, the top-30 locked into the event will be based on the 2009 Owner Standings, further solidifying the team's progress this season.

"We are very pleased with Brandon's consistency to start the season, which has led to the team to move up in the 2009 Owner Standings and ensures our starting spot for this weekend's event, the first of the year based upon this year's standings," said Co-Owner Doug Taylor. "We have recently added more cars to our stable, including the car we ran for the first time this weekend at Texas. We focused on our race run set up throughout the practice sessions and Brandon and the team did a great job to get the car ready for its first race. With the additional cars in our inventory we will be able to be more aggressive as needed throughout any given race weekend. The team has been very busy, both on and off the track, working on our entire package, and we expect our performance to continue to improve as the season progresses."

The Pepsi 300 will be televised on ESPN Saturday at 3:00 PM Eastern.

March 23, 2009 - Brandon Whitt, driver of the No. 61 Ford Fusion for Specialty Racing, finished 24th in Saturday's Scotts Turf Builder 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway, his third top-25 finish in as many races. Whitt, who started 41st after being the first car out for qualifying on the cold track earlier in day, overcame an early race spin to move into the top-25 in the unofficial 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series Driver Standings. The driver's finish moved Specialty Racing into the coveted top-30 in the unofficial 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series Owner Standings.

The team will spend the off week preparing the No. 61 for the April 4th event at Texas Motor Speedway.

March 3, 2009 - For the second time in two events Brandon Whitt, driver of the No. 61 Ford Fusion for Specialty Racing, had the opportunity slip away for a top-15 finish, or better, in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Whitt, who qualified 36th, methodically worked through the field, got back on the lead lap, and ran as high as 12th place during the Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas on Saturday. On lap 105, with Whitt running in the 15th position, the caution waived for an accident between Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick. As Whitt slowed for the caution he was hit from behind and pushed into the back of another car. Whitt came down to pit road, where the Specialty Racing crew made quick work of the damage on the front and rear of the No. 61, sending Whitt back on the track without losing a lap. As green flag racing resumed Whitt felt a vibration that worsened over the next three laps. Whitt wheeled the No. 61 to the garage, where the crew went to work to identify the cause of the vibration. The crew found the left axle had broken as a result of the rear-end impact from the pervious caution period. The crew replaced the axle in 27 laps and Whitt returned to the race to finish 24th.

"We qualified on sticker-tires, while many of the other teams were running scuffs, so we knew the lack of grip with the newer tire would hamper our qualifying run," said Co-Owner Doug Taylor. "At the same time however, we were confident the car would race very well, which was reflected in Brandon's ability to drive up to the 12th spot as the race progressed. I hate it for Brandon and the crew that we were caught up in something other than our own doing, but they all reacted quickly to get the problem solved and Brandon continued to race hard until the end. Everyone on the team is working really hard and has great chemistry, which translates to how well we've been running to start off the season. The racecars are rolling off the hauler ready to go and we're making only slight adjustments here and there to dial the car in for the race. We will just keep doing what we're doing and we'll get a finish that is equivalent to how we have been running during the race."

The NASACAR Nationwide Series has the next two weeks off before heading to the Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 21st.

February 22, 2009 - Brandon Whitt and the Specialty Racing crew worked through early race adversity to bring the No. 61 Specialty Racing Ford Fusion to a 23rd place finish in Saturday's Stater Bros. 300. Whitt, looking to capitalize on his 20th starting position, was involved in a pit-road incident with the No. 99 driven by Michael Waltrip during the first round of green flag pit stops on lap 41. As a result of the incident the No. 61 received damage to the right front end, requiring Whitt to return to the pits for repairs. The Specialty Racing crew successfully cleared the damage, affording Whitt with the opportunity to complete the race. Whitt raced on to finish 147 laps of the 150-lap event. Although a possible top-15 finish was missed the 23rd place finish moved Specialty Racing up three positions in the Owner Point Standings for 2009.

The Specialty Racing team heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for Saturday's running of the Sam's Town 300.

February 14, 2009 - Brandon Whitt, driver of the No. 61 Ford Fusion for Specialty Racing, had his run in Daytona's NASCAR Nationwide Series season opener today interrupted by a trip to the garage near the mid-point of the race, a result of a wheel bearing failure. The Specialty Racing crew went to work on the No. 61 and replaced the left front spindle. Whitt returned to the track 18 laps down and completed the remainder of the Camping World 300 finishing 37th.

"I felt a vibration start in the front end and we decided to pit to change tires hoping it was just a loose lug nut," said Whitt. "As I returned to the track the vibration continued to increase through the steering wheel and pedals and quickly got to the point where the car was no longer handling properly." Whitt returned to pit road, where the crew identified the left front bearing had failed and the call was made to go to the garage for repairs.

"It was really unfortunate because we felt we could have easily had a top-25 finish or better," said Co-Owner Doug Taylor. "We knew the car wasn't the fastest by itself, but in the draft the car was actually turning lap times consistent with the lead packs," Taylor continued. "We just needed to have our race strategy play out to the point in the race where we could get Brandon the track position he needed to run closer to the front and use the draft to his advantage. The crew did a great job to get the car repaired quickly and Brandon stayed focused to finish the race out in the best position, given the circumstances. Even though the day didn't go the way we wanted we have a better start to this season than last year and we'll go at it hard each week to continue the improvement."

The team will leave their Statesville, NC shop on Wednesday for the next two stops on the Nationwide Series schedule in Fontana, CA and Las Vegas, NV.

February 9, 2009 - Specialty Racing left their Statesville, NC shop today to head to Daytona International Speedway for the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series season opener. The No. 61 Ford Fusion and driver Brandon Whitt are entered in this weekend's Camping World 300 at the storied track. The team, which finished in the top-30 in the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Owner Standings, has a secured starting spot for the first five events of the season.

"We are excited to start the 2009 season," said Co-Owner Doug Taylor. "With our finish in the 2008 Owner Standings we look forward to kicking off the season better positioned than after the first event last year. From a cost standpoint we have put together a really good package this year, which will better enable us to invest in the on-track performance and look to make positive progression in this year's Owner Standings."

Specialty Racing currently plans to run the full 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule.

December 27, 2008 - Brandon Whitt, driver of the No. 61 for Specialty Racing, will be live-on-the-air on Sirius NASCAR Radio channel 128 at 2:00 PM on Sunday, December 28, 2008. Whitt will join Rick Benjamin and Nate Ryan, who host the show "The Back Stretch". Listeners can call-in to the show at 1-866-PIT-LANE (866-748-5263).

November 14, 2008 - Reproduced from The Frontstretch.com and authored by Bryan Davis Keith. The original Frontstretch.com article can be found Here

Doug Taylor has been doing this for a long time.

He fielded his first entry in the Nationwide (then Busch) series in 1994, and continued racing through the 1998 season. That was a banner year for Taylor as a car owner, as driver Kevin Lepage delivered the then-Doug Taylor Motorsports team a pole at Dover and a Busch win at the Bristol Motor Speedway.

"We were able to average a 12th place starting spot and 11th place finish [in 1998]," recalls Taylor, who finished seventh in the owner's championship that season.

Fast forward ten years. With co-owner Charlie Shoffner and the same driver that scored him his only career win as an owner, Taylor returned to full-time Nationwide Series competition in "08 under the banner of Specialty Racing. And while the No. 61 car is not contending for wins, or even Top 10s just yet, the season can't be considered anything short of a success. After failing to qualify for the season opener at Daytona, the team has qualified for every race since, racing its way into the Top 30 in owner points and a "locked in" starting spot in the Nationwide field.

That's an impressive record for a single-car team with no sponsors. More impressive? They're ready to go full-time again, sponsor or no sponsor, in 2009. In a period of economic turmoil that has seen far better-funded Nationwide teams closing their doors, this relatively unknown team has no qualms talking about being at Daytona this coming February.

That's not to say there haven't been bumps in the road. The team's most publicized episode on track this season came not on the heels of a Top 10 run, but after Kevin Lepage had a momentary lapse of concentration at Talladega. Unfortunately, that brief moment destroyed the team's primary superspeedway car and triggered a massive multi-car pileup that left fans and fellow drivers alike scratching their heads.

"With Kevin's age and everything, all I kept hearing was age is a factor," says Taylor of his dealings with potential sponsors throughout the season. "I kept telling them experience will beat that a lot of times, and the sponsors just didn't want to hear it." "So we just decided we're better off with a 25 year old, probably the equivalent in capability [to Lepage]."

Unfortunately, Lepage didn't take it so warm and fuzzy, filing a lawsuit in July against the team in an attempt to freeze its assets. The outcome is still unclear, as Specialty keeps going to the track each week with Whitt.

How They've Done It

The plight of independent Nationwide Series teams out there has been well publicized throughout the 2008 season. Baker/Curb Racing was forced to park its second No. 37 car for lack of sponsorship. Team Rensi's longtime No. 25 entry is losing their primary sponsor after Homestead, and likely won't be returning to the Nationwide Series in 2009. And numerous other teams, including JD Motorsports and Stanton Barrett's team, have had to resort to running second-tier, start and park efforts just to make ends meet.

Numerous other unsponsored cars have chosen to start and park simply for profit. Mike Harmon's No. 84, along with Phil Parsons' dilapidated MSRP Motorsports effort, have led the charge of S & P operations this season that have made no secret of their intent never to complete a race they qualify for.

Specialty Racing has broken this mold, running the distance week in and week out despite having no sponsorship. And while "perseverance" is the first word out of Taylor's mouth when describing how the No. 61 team has managed to compete in 2008, there's also a lot of tangible practices that have allowed these guys to contest every race with no decals on the hood.

"We'll run a set less of tires during the race and keep our crew costs down as low as we can," says Taylor when asked how the team has managed to afford to race. But the big cost for this race team, as with most, is in the engine department. And here, the team again has found a way.

Says Taylor, "We can't afford to lease a motor every week. [So] we went ahead and worked out a purchase agreement with Yates (the team campaigns Fords) where we own a couple motors that are last year's engines and then we race them out to extend the mileage to the end of the mileage on everything — and then, I am responsible for it. Fortunately, Roush/Yates builds a good engine that allows us to put 1,000 miles on the motor, which is three races basically, and we'll go through the valve springs and what not, cut our costs everywhere we can there."

Specialty also makes its shop services available to fellow race teams. "We're a full-service facility," says Taylor when speaking of his operation. "We've helped Travis Carter run his boy [Matt Carter] in the ARCA Series, so we help them from time to time with bodies and stuff like that, it keeps the guys busy. So I can keep the guys busy this winter doing some work for other people, and I don't have to round up a crew come Daytona."

Operating in this fashion does not have the team contending for the checkers on race day. But it does have them racing, and racing competitively.

"We're racing for 20th probably right now, [that's] the best we've been this year. It's just going to take money to get past that. But we're pretty proud of the fact that we have at times been around 20th in time on the track."

And while that's not what Taylor and his team wants to settle for, he is adamant, be it for first or 21st, when he says, "I can't stand not to race."

What's Next

In the eyes of Specialty Racing, all signs point to Daytona 2009. They're hanging onto a Top 30 spot in owner points, and with that a spot in the field for the first five races of 2009. And though their driver has changed, their goal has not.

Taylor, as car owner, states "Our goal, as with Kevin [Lepage], is to put together a sponsor and Brandon for a long-term situation and get the cars running up front where the sponsors will stay. A good-long-term commitment from a sponsor…that\'s what we're here for. We've got to survive, and the sponsor's got to stick with us and then we've got to stick with our sponsors and with our driver and our crewmen. Once we get running like I'd like to, and that's running up front with a shot at winning every week I think all of that will snowball and keep us going."

"We're working with sponsors right now, and I think when the economy turns around, we'll get the right people in front of us. I have faith."

Even with this at the forefront of the team's mind, don't doubt for one second that Taylor isn't aware of what is going on in the Nationwide garage at large around him. He's aware of the talk, the tension, the uncertainty that surrounds NASCAR's second-tier series today.

Yet Taylor doesn't see the Cup driver influx in the series as an issue. In fact, he encourages the companion races, stating "If we don't race with the Cup drivers in the field in 75-80% of our races, its going to cut our income down significantly. And I really believe that the controversy over racing with the Cup guys and all that is misspoken, because if we didn't have them there we wouldn't be getting the crowds and the purses that we're getting."

Nor does he see the purses as the problem. "Thanks to NASCAR, we've got the ability, now, to make it week to week, just on a shoestring, and the purses are good enough now where you can [do that]," he claims. "You've just got to watch every penny."

So, in Taylor's mind, what is the most pressing issue facing the Nationwide field? Simply, "The sport needs more sponsorship." And it is here that Taylor's views take a surprising turn.

When asked about the struggle that so many teams are having with the offseason impending to secure sponsor dollars for 2009, Taylor doesn't point the finger at the receding economy, or NASCAR for that matter. Rather, it goes right back to the teams themselves.

Question: Walking through the garage, we're seeing a lot of independent teams that don't have sponsorship on the hood. Rensi, they've been around forever, they're struggling to find sponsorship. Do you see this as a product of the economy, or is this becoming a major problem that NASCAR needs to step in and address?

"My personal opinion is that it's mismanagement. That's my opinion. I believe that if, an entity, a business, our business is racing cars. And if we don't survive, then I'm the one to take the fall. That's my opinion."

_ I think, in my opinion, what's hurting the sport is the owners that have taken the sponsor's money in the past and bought snakeskin boots and Rolex watches, and they don't put tires on their darned race car, and they hired a driver every other week, and they blame the driver, and they never fixed the problem._

Unexpected, loaded, indicting; these words may come to mind when considering such a stance. But there is no doubt that Taylor as an owner can't rightfully talk such talk. Because when it comes to being a successful and responsible car owner, he also walks the walk.

The example of the No. 61 team this season is one that needs to have more attention drawn to it. Relying almost entirely on purse money, Specialty Racing has made full-time competition in the Nationwide Series happen in 2008. They've raced within their means, taken care of the equipment and resources they have, and re-established themselves on the circuit. Doug Taylor and his No. 61 crew may be racing for 20th, but they are racing.

And that's more than can be said for a lot of teams and owners these days.

November 3, 2008 - A fuel pump failure on Specialty Racing's No. 61 piloted by Brandon Whitt ended the day for the team on lap nine of Saturday's O'Reilly Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway. After spending several laps working to resolve the fuel delivery problem the team was unable to continue for the remainder of the race and finished 40th. It was a rare mechanical issue that ended a string of six top-30 finishes for the team, which has run the same car all season, aside from the road course and super speedway races.

"We have demanded a lot from this one car during the year," said Co-Owner Doug Taylor. "Our driver and crew have done a fantastic job of caring for and maintaining this car all season. While it is disappointing to have our day shortened by a mechanical failure, we take a lot of pride in our ability to turn this car around each week. Overall, we have experienced great mechanical performance for the majority of the year, which speaks volumes about our organization's ability to prepare our equipment week in and week out."

The team will depart their shop in Statesville, NC on Tuesday afternoon to head to Phoenix for the next race on the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule. Saturday's Hefty Odor Block 200 will be televised on ESPN2 at 4:00 PM EST.

October 20, 2008 - As the NASCAR Nationwide Series enjoyed a week off, Brandon Whitt looked towards the next stop on the calendar at Memphis Motorsports Park, the site where the driver secured his first NASCAR win. Starting on the pole for the Craftsman Truck Series event that July, Whitt led the first 46 laps and raced on to take the checkered flag. The driver looks to leverage his experience at Memphis to grab his best finish of the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule.

"Having a win at Memphis provides one more piece of confidence heading into this weekend's event," said driver Brandon Whitt. "We had our best finish of the season together at Lowe's weekend before last and we'll take that momentum to do our best at moving up even higher in the finishing order. As I've stated previously, the team has improved the car each week and I look for more of the same this weekend. Last year's event had a tremendous number of incidents on the track, so it is important to get a good starting position, keep the car out of trouble spots and move forward as much as possible. If we can duplicate last week, where we were faster with each stint, we'll have a shot at a great finish."

October 14, 2008 - Brandon Whitt raced to finish 21st in last Saturday's Dollar General 300 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, bringing home his third top-25 finish in the last five events on the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule. Whitt's efforts continue to solidify Specialty Racing's place in the top-30 in the series' 2009 Owner Point standings.

"Co-Owner Doug Taylor and the crew have made progressive improvements to the car each week and it has translated into a steady climb through the field with our finishes," said driver Brandon Whitt. "We had a little bit of damage from getting caught up in the accident that brought out the second caution, but the guys did a great job to fix up the front end and we were faster with each stint. Doug made the right calls on each stop and the car felt great throughout the night. We just missed getting back on the lead lap, which is unfortunate because we had a car that was easily capable of racing to a top-20 finish."

The NASCAR Nationwide Series enjoys a rare week off before heading to Memphis for the 32nd stop on the 2009 schedule. "We have the weekend off, but there is still plenty of work being done," said Whitt. "We'll be in the shop prepping the car for Memphis, there is a radio promo I'm working on with Coop De Ville and our friends at 105.1 KARL up in MN, and obviously we spend a significant amount of time each week reaching out to potential sponsors."

September 22, 2008 - Brandon Whitt raced to a 23rd place finish in Saturday's Camping World RV Sales 200 Supporting the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma at the Monster Mile of Dover International Speedway. Starting 26th, Whitt's finish provided the Specialty Racing team with its second top-25 finish in the past three events on the NASCAR Nationwide Series Schedule.

"Our tire pressures were off the slightest bit for the first stint, which caused us to fall back a few spots at the start of the race, but the crew made some adjustments during our first stop and we were able to gain the spots back," said driver Brandon Whitt. "The first caution didn't come out until lap 71, so we had to hold on for quite a while before we could make the necessary changes or face falling further back by coming in under green flag conditions."

The team remains in the top-30 in Owner points with six events remaining in the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Schedule.

STATESVILLE, NC (July 8, 2008) - Specialty Racing has signed Brandon Whitt to pilot their NASCAR Nationwide Series entry for the balance of the 2008 racing season. Whitt will make his Nationwide Series debut in the #61 Specialty Racing Ford at Chicagoland Speedway this weekend.

"I am very excited to be a part of the Specialty Racing organization," Whitt remarked. "(Specialty Racing Co-Owner) Doug Taylor has a long history in NASCAR racing and I can't wait to work with him. The direction this team is taking is really positive and racing in the Nationwide Series will be a great opportunity for me."

February 10, 2008 - Specialty Racing's Matt Carter, who is driving for Larry Clement in Clement's owned 46 car in the ARCA RE/MAX series for 2008, finished 13th in the ARCA 200 at Daytona International Speedway Saturday afternoon. Carter, who qualified in the seventh position for his first race at Daytona International Speedway, continued to prove he has the abilities to meet each new level of challenge presented to him. Matt spent much of the evening running in the top-five and top-ten before registering his 13th place finish.

Everyone at Specialty Racing congratulates Matt on his performance over the entire weekend and wishes him continued success in his ARCA season.

MILLINGTON, TENN. (October 27, 2007) - Matt Carter and Specialty Racing finishes 39th in a cautioned-filled NASCAR Busch Series Sam's Town 250 at Memphis Motorsports Park today. Carter, who was caught-up in an accident in front of him on the track, completed 129 of the 253-lap event. A broken oil line resulting from the accident ended the day for the team.

"Certainly, we had hoped for a better finish and our goal was to stay on the lead lap for the entire event," said Doug Taylor, Co-Owner, Partner and Crew Chief for today's event. "Matt did a great job qualifying the car in the field on time and ran very consistent times while on the track. We overcame a couple of mistakes, including a single-car spin and on pit road, where the catch can left pit road with the car, but the team stayed focused and Matt was able to regain the positions. We used a strategy to come in a bit early for fuel and tires and planned to stay out the remainder of the event. By our estimations we would have been running in the top-five after the cycle of pit stops for the field, had we not been caught up in an accident in front of us. While disappointed with the finish we are pleased with the overall weekend results in our return to the NASCAR Busch Series. The car, driver and team showed we can compete with the rest of the Busch Series teams and we look forward our future in this series."

"I want to thank NASCAR and Specialty Racing for the opportunity to run in my first Busch Series race," said Matt Carter, Driver of Specialty Racing's entry in the event. "The car felt good and the race strategy would have had us in position to run for a good finish. I had hoped to capitalize on a good qualifying session and run the full-length of the event to gain as much Busch Series seat time as possible. I'm obviously disappointed with the finish and I'm ready to run more Busch Series events to fully display my abilities."

Specialty Racing is currently working on their 2008 plans for the NASCAR season and is working towards running a full-time Nationwide Series schedule, with plans to include ten Sprint Cup events during the year.

MILLINGTON, TENN. (October 27, 2007) - Matt Carter, in his NASCAR Busch Series debut, qualified for the Specialty Racing's entry in today's Sam's Town 250 at Memphis Motorsports Park. Matt, who needed to qualify on time, lapped the .75-mile track in 23.457 seconds at 115.104 miles per hour. Starting 31st, Matt is the highest qualifier of all other drivers making their Busch Series debut at Memphis today.

STATESVILLE, N.C. (October 8, 2007) - Specialty Racing announced today they would make their 2007 NASCAR Busch Series debut at Memphis Motorsports Park in the Sam's Town 250 on Saturday, October 27th. Matt Carter, who is currently in contention for the Hooter's ProCup Series Championship, has been signed as the driver for the race.

"We are excited to return to the NASCAR Busch Series and look forward to running again in this competitive series," said Team Co-Owner and Partner Doug Taylor. "Our car has tested well on the track and in the wind tunnel and we believe Matt will do a great job behind the wheel."

Specialty Racing is owned by Doug Taylor and Charles Shoffner and was reestablished in 2006 from the Doug Taylor / Specialty Motorsports NASCAR team of the 1990's. During their last full season in the NASCAR Busch Series Specialty Racing gained one win (Bristol Motor Speedway), one pole, seven top-five starts, seven top-five finishes, ten top-ten finishes and finished seventh in the points championship.