Evernham Motorsports
Evernham Motorsports became Gillett Evernham Motorsports in 2007. It then merged with Petty Enterprises to form Richard Petty Motorsports.
The Evernham Motorsports team was founded in 1999 by Ray Evernham. Evernham’s mission was to help bring Dodge back into the limelight of NASCAR racing – a goal which he has certainly achieved through excellent management, good cars and skilled driving. Today Evernham Motorsports is recognized as being one of NASCAR’s premier racing teams and it currently fields full-time Dodge motor vehicles in the NEXTEL Cup, the Craftsman Truck Series and the Busch Series. It also fields a part-time Dodge Charger in the ARCA RE/MAX Series.
Evernham, himself a driver, started to enjoy great racing success shortly after partnering with Jeff Gordon. Under Evernham’s leadership, the two were able to win 47 Winston Cup races and three Winston Cup championships. Not long afterwards, Dodge approached Evernham with a massive challenge – help Dodge return to NASCAR Winston Cup racing in just 500 days. Prior to this, Dodge had not been involved in the Winston Cup for roughly twenty years. It was a challenge that Evernham was ready to accept. Working with the same determination and passion that had characterized much of his racing career, Evernham met the challenge with success. What’s more, he has continued to oversee the operation of his various race teams up to the present.
Evernham Motorsports accredits much of its success to the high level of innovation and technology which it supports. The team currently produces it’s own chassis and its engines are both powerful and reliable – so much so, in fact, that other Dodge teams often make use of Evernham Engines in their own vehicles. Evernham Motorsports’ most recent successes include the 2006 NEXTEL Cup Season wherein the team won six races in their number 9 car with Kasey Kahne behind the wheel. They also enjoyed 13 top-five and 29 top-ten finishes as well as two wins in the Busch Series that same year. Current drivers include Kasey Kahne, Elliot Sadler, Scott Riggs and female driver Erin Crocker. Crocker’s signing with the team is part of their driver development programme which continues to help talented and aspiring drivers achieve greater measures of success. Crocker, who has been driving since she was seven, is the first woman to join the Evernham team. Fans can be sure that as long as Ray Evernham is behind the wheel at Everham Motorsports, they will see many more great Dodge successes in years to come.