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Robert Yates NASCAR team owner, engine builder



NASCAR: Robert Yates battling cancer

Monday, 31 October 2016
RACER Staff

NASCAR engine builder and former team owner Robert Yates has begun treatment for liver cancer, his family has announced.
News of Yates's illness was revealed by his son Doug via Twitter on Monday.
Yates spent 21 years as a team owner at NASCAR's top level, earning 57 race wins, 49 poles, and the 1999 championship with Dale Jarrett in the No.88 Ford Thunderbird. His cars also won the Daytona 500 three times – twice with Jarrett (1996 and 2000), and once with Davey Allison (1992).
He also enjoyed immense success as an engine builder: cars fitted with his motors made 77 visits to Victory Lane, and helped Bobby Allison to the 1983 title with DiGard Racing.
Roush Yates Engines, headed by Doug Yates, operates in present-day Cup as the engine supplier to Ford teams.

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[h=2]Robert Yates 1943-2017[/h] Tuesday, 03 October 2017


By Kelly Crandall / Image by Jon Ferrey/Allsport & ISC archives/Getty Images



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NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, championship car owner and engine builder Robert Yates has died at age 74.

"It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our founder, Robert Yates, who was a leader and legendary NASCAR figure," a statement from Roush Yates Engines said. "Robert passed away peacefully on the evening of Oct. 2, 2017 surrounded by his family and loved ones. His light and passion will always lead us."
Yates had been battling liver cancer since October 2014.
Rising from an engine builder with Holman-Moody Racing in 1968 to a car owner, Robert Yates Racing was one of the most recognizable organizations in the sport. Yates fielded cars for drivers such as NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett, Davey Allison, Ricky Rudd and Elliott Sadler among others. As a team owner from 1989 to 2007, Yates' teams earned 48 poles and 57 wins, including three in the Daytona 500. The first came in 1992 with Davey Allison, who won 15 races for Yates. He also won both the Coca-Cola 600 and the Brickyard 400 twice.
In 1996, his operation grew to a two-car team with Dale Jarrett and Ernie Irvan, with Jarrett earning Yates' second Daytona 500 win that same season (and his third in 2000). Jarrett also delivered Yates his first and only car owner title in 1999. He retired in 2007 and handed over the operation to his son, Doug Yates.
Yates’ legacy will also include his accomplishments as an engine builder. Building engines for some of the sport’s biggest names, Yates powered NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison’s championship season in 1983. As an engine builder, Yates scored wins in the 1962 and 1982 Daytona 500s. He was also the engine builder for NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty’s 199th and 200th victories.
A partnership with Jack Roush and Ford in 2003 led to the formation of Roush Yates engines. To this day, the company continues to supplies engines to all Ford-back entries in each of NASCAR’s national divisions.
“Robert Yates knew the value of hard work and earned everything he achieved in life,” said Dave Pericak, global director, Ford Performance. “Not only was Robert a legendary engine builder and championship car owner, but he was a husband, father, grandfather and loyal Ford man who left an unmeasurable impact on those who knew him.
“He was a respected and valued member of the Ford family and co-founder of Roush Yates Engines, and while we’ll miss the wisdom he possessed for working on engines and race cars, we will miss his caring demeanor and friendship even more. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Robert’s wife, Carolyn, his two children, Doug and Amy, and his eight grandchildren.”
Three times in the last five years, he barely missed the cut for the NASCAR Hall of Fame. But his name was the first one called by NASCAR vice chairman Mike Helton for the 2018 class.
"Right now, I feel like I could take a jack and jump over the wall and I'd be on the right side [of the car] like I used to be," said Yates at the Hall of Fame annoucement. "I don't even know if I'll sleep tonight. I'm so honored."
On Labor Day weekend, Stewart-Haas Racing honored Yates with a throwback paint scheme on the No. 10 of Danica Patrick, resembling the No. 88 Quality Care car Dale Jarrett drove for Yates from 1996 through 2000.
"I'm pulling for Danica to do something outstanding there," Yates said of the Sept. 3 race. "I've always pulled for her. And in the respect of some people saying she doesn't deserve to be out there, I stand up and advocate for her.
"I hope she wins. I hope she makes (everyone) completely wrong and she's come close to it. I pull for her."
NASCAR offered condolences in a statement, calling Yates a "giant."
“Robert Yates excelled in multiple NASCAR disciplines, earning the respect of an entire industry and an everlasting place in the hearts and minds of the NASCAR fanbase," NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France said. "His excellence spanned decades, from the 1983 championship powered by his engines and the 1999 title captured by the cars he owned, both of which helped earn him a deserved spot in the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2018.
“And though he was a master at his craft, it was Robert’s passion and character that endeared him to every single person he encountered and will ensure that his memory will live on for generations. On behalf of my family and all of NASCAR, I extend heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of a NASCAR giant, whose legacy will impact an entire industry forever.”