Doug Yates
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Robert Douglas Yates (born September 18, 1967 in Charlotte, North Carolina) is a race car engine builder and a former NASCAR team owner and mechanic. He is the son of championship team owner Robert Yates and, along with Max Jones, formerly operated Yates Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. Yates currently heads Roush Yates Engines, the primary builder of Ford engines in the top-three NASCAR series including all the Cup teams, as well as the Ford teams of the United SportsCar Championship.[1]
Biography
Personal
Doug Yates grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, the hub for NASCAR. He graduated from North Carolina State University in 1990 with a degree in mechanical engineering.[2] Yates has a wife Whitney[3] and four children.[4]
Engine building
Doug worked in his father Robert's race shop during summers in between semesters, then joined organization full-time in 1992 as the team's engine builder. Doug's engines led to several wins as well as the 1999 Cup Series Championship with driver Dale Jarrett.[2]
In 2004, with the support from Ford, the Yates and their rival Jack Roush of Roush Racing combined engine departments to form what is now Roush Yates Engines, with Doug Yates becoming CEO and President.[1][2] The company builds over 1,000 engines annually in their 75,000 square foot shop. Yates started Roush Yates Performance Parts in 2008, an outlet for new and used engine and chassis parts. He became co-owner of the company in 2009 after he bought out his father's share of the company.[2]
Yates won NASCAR's 2011 engine builder award. Yates described the process of building the loud and powerful engines as "somewhat relaxing" in a 2012 interview.[4]
Car owner
Yates gained control of Robert Yates Racing at the end of the 2007 season, after his father retired. Unlike the success of the organization with his father, the team struggled to find sponsorship and consistency with drivers David Gilliland and Travis Kvapil. In spite of the uncertanty they expanded to a third team for 2009, adding Paul Menard's 98 car, and fielding 2000 Champion Bobby Labonte in an alliance with Hall of Fame Racing.[5] Gilliland was released and his team shut down, Kvapil's 28 car was parked early in the season due to lack of funding,[5] and Labonte was replaced with Erik Darnell late in the season in an attempt to attract sponsorship. The team closed after the 2009 season, merging with Richard Petty Motorsports.[6]
References
- ^ a b "History". roushyates.com. rRoush & Yates Racing Engines, LLC. 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Doug Yates". roushyates.com. ROUSH & YATES RACING ENGINES, LLC. 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
- ^ Gilbert, Eric (October 10, 2005). "Victory lane: wife of Doug Yates, Whitney joins in the celebrations". motorsport.com. motorsport.com. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
- ^ a b Newton, David (March 7, 2012). "Doug Yates' influence writ large". ESPN NASCAR. Mooresville, North Carolina: ESPN. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
- ^ a b Edelstein, Robert (2012-02-28). Nascar Legends: Memorable Men, Moments, and Machines in Racing History. Overlook. pp. 61–. ISBN 9781468300871. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
- ^ Spencer, Reed (September 10, 2009). "Petty, Yates to merge, switch to Fords". Sporting News. Sporting News. Retrieved 24 August 2014.