TRG Motorsports
Updated: 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
TaxSlayer to serve as primary sponsor for Bobby Labonte at AMS: As tax season gets into full swing, TaxSlayer.com has decided to add the Kobalt Tools 500 to its list of primary sponsorship races for the No. 71 TRG Motorsports team and NASCAR Champion Bobby Labonte, who returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway as the track's most winning active driver. TaxSlayer.com made its debut in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series last year at Watkins Glen International Raceway and served as the primary sponsor of the No. 71 a total of six times in 2009 before signing on for a multi-race sponsorship in 2010. Jimmy Rhodes, President of TaxSlayer.com, has seen a tremendous upswing in the company's business since joining the ranks of NASCAR sponsors. "We've seen that the power of sponsorship really does work since we've joined forces with TRG as the primary sponsor on the No. 71," Rhodes said. "This is always our busiest time of year, but we're really seeing a return on our investment in the sport and believe that adding the Atlanta race to our primary sponsorship schedule can only serve to grow our business further."(TRG Motorsports)
Thuesday, February 11, 2010
TRG Motorsports form alliance with RCR: TRG Motorsports announced a strategic alliance with Richard Childress Racing for its 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup program. In this new agreement, RCR will provide cars, chassis repairs and testing resources for TRG's Sprint Cup Series operations. TRG will team with Stewart-Haas Racing for Pit Crew support to coordinate faster pit stops. "All of these new partnerships are really a great thing for us as an organization," Team Owner Kevin Buckler said. "As a one-car team, our resources have been limited in the past. This is really the best of both worlds for us to work with strong, successful organizations like RCR and Stewart-Haas." After its first full year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, TRG Motorsports begins 2010 with Championship-winning driver Bobby Labonte in the No. 71 Chevy, Crew Chief Doug Randolph, a new executive team led by Torrey Galida and Grand-American Championship-winning Driver/Owner Kevin Buckler, the organization will build on its winning history for a successful future and is poised as a serious competitor. Despite being a one-car operation in a sport filled with multi-car teams, TRG Motorsports brings a new business plan and organizational outlook, positioning itself to successfully go toe-to-toe with the powerhouses of NASCAR. With a solid strategic alliance with Richard Childress Racing and engine program through Earnhardt-Childress Racing Technologies, TRG will begin its second year of Cup competition with a strong stable of Chevrolet Impalas and a vision to succeed. Sponsor TaxSlayer.com makes its return to NASCAR with TRG as the primary sponsor for a portion of the 2010 season. TaxSlayer.com made its debut in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series last year at Watkins Glen International Raceway and served as the primary sponsor of the No. 71 a total of six times in 2009.(TRG)
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Labbe and TRG Motorsports part ways: Official Statement from TRG Motorsports Regarding Former Crew Chief Slugger Labbe: TRG Motorsports today released Slugger Labbe as crew chief of the No. 71 Cup car. TRG appreciates Slugger's dedication in its first year as a Cup organization where he helped guide the team to 35 consecutive starts and TRG's first top-10 finish in the Sprint Cup Series. TRG Motorsports will, as planned, compete full time in 2010 with Bobby Labonte behind the wheel of the No. 71 with TaxSlayer.com on-board for a good portion of the season and is currently in negotiations with several top-level crew chiefs.(TRG Motorsports PR)
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Labonte signs one-year deal with TRG Motorsports: Bobby Labonte has signed a one-year contract to drive TRG Motorsports' car in 2010 -- and at least for the season-opening Daytona 500 he'll have a teammate in TRG's hoped-for full-time second car. On Saturday morning at Phoenix International Raceway, TRG owner Kevin Buckler and Labonte announced the deal and a 12-race primary sponsorship with TaxSlayer.com, a provider of online tax preparation software, that Buckler hopes will be the first of several.
One of the biggest short-term decisions TRG must make is which car manufacturer to align itself. Buckler said he hopes to have that decision made right after Homestead. "We're talking to several manufacturers right now, we're in the middle of some strong negotiations with them, and as usual we have to do what's best for the team," Buckler said. "I tend to be very, very loyal about stuff, maybe too much so; but I've got a lot of partners and other people to consider here, and our final decision needs to be based on what's best for TRG Motorsports."(NASCAR.com)
TRG Motorsports announces Bobby Labonte in the No. 71 full-time in 2010: TRG Motorsports announced NASCAR Cup Series Champion Bobby Labonte will be the full-time driver of the No. 71 TRG Motorsports Chevy for the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Additionally, TaxSlayer.com has signed a multi-race primary sponsorship agreement with TRG for 2010. "I'm really excited about the opportunity that I'll have next year with both TRG Motorsports and TaxSlayer.com as a sponsor," Labonte said. "Each time I've run with the team this year I've enjoyed the experience, and I'm looking forward to filling the seat full time next year and really building on what we've started. I have gotten to know the management team at TaxSlayer and they are great people. I am looking forward to representing them next season." TaxSlayer.com made its debut in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at this year's race at Watkins Glen International Raceway, and will have served as the primary sponsor of the No. 71 a total of six times in 2009, including the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. "Everyone at Taxslayer.com is very excited to continue our relationship with TRG Motorsports and Bobby Labonte," stated Eubanks. "TRG and TaxSlayer both exhibit a phenomenal product and unbelievable quality. Headed in to next season, we're looking forward to showcasing our service to the entire NASCAR community, especially as tax season approaches."(TRG Motorsports)
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Latest on Bobby Labonte's future plans: Former Cup champion Bobby Labonte said he has liked working with the TRG Motorsports team in the few races he has run in the No. 71 Chevy this year and it has shown him enough to make that car a possible seat for him in 2010. Now whether he actually drives for the team, which has indicated it wants to sign him for 2010, is still to be determined. Labonte, whose car will be sponsored by CBR MotorCars this weekend, said he wasn't sure when he would know what he's doing in 2010, but he felt confident he would have a Sprint Cup ride. Labonte is still considered to have a chance at the No. 1 Earnhardt Ganassi car and the 2000 Cup champion's name is often mentioned with any other possible opening [rumored to be Jamie McMurray as the new driver]. He drove most of this year with Hall of Fame Racing, which has used Yates Racing to field its cars this year. He will run the final three races this season for TRG Motorsports, where he has had four starts.(SceneDaily)
Monday, November 2, 2009
TGR wants Labonte to return? Torrey Galida, a former Ford and Roush Fenway Racing executive who most recently was president of the motorsports division for sports marketing company Millsport, has taken a new job as executive vice president and chief marketing officer of TRG Motorsports. One of his main priorities will be finding sponsorship so the team can race every race in 2010. Galida said the team plans to make its first partial-season sponsorship announcement in a few weeks. TRG Motorsports has run the full season, mostly with David Gilliland and Bobby Labonte in the driver's seat. Galida said the team would like for Labonte, the 2000 Cup champion, to drive next year.(SceneDaily)
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Bliss in the No. 71 at Charlotte: Mike Bliss and TRG Motorsports are ready to tackle the NASCAR Banking 500 only from Bank of America at Lowe's Motor Speedway to be run Saturday night, October 17. Bliss will pilot the TRG Motorsports No. 71 TaxSlayer.com Chevy for the second time this season, the first was at Richmond]. Bliss qualified seventh at Lowe's in the May race and won the Nationwide event on the same weekend. "We will be running the same car that we ran last weekend at California," TRG Motorsports team principal Kevin Buckler said. "That is a good thing. The car was fast in California and the guys had a good setup on it, even though we could not afford to run the complete race. We did have the opportunity to prove the setup which we hope will be a key to first qualifying strong and then running good in the race. Once again we will have a strong contingent of TaxSlayer.com folks at the track and we hope to give them a good showing."(TRG Motorsports)
Wednesday , Sept. 30, 2009
Labonte in the No. 71 at Kansas: Bobby Labonte will run a brand new No. 71 TRG Motorsports Chevy at this weekend's Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway. Team principal Kevin Buckler received a shiny new Chevrolet Impala SS that the TRG Motorsports team will run this weekend. This will be the first time that crew chief Richard "Slugger" Labbe will have an all updated car to race this season. "Kevin and the partners really stepped up," Labbe said. "Most of our cars are at least one year old. We've seen this season that the guys who run up front keep developing their cars. We just can't afford to keep up with that as a new team on a race-to-race budget. It will be fun to see what we can put under Bobby for this weekend with a brand new piece." The team will have support from Club Motorsports, Adobe Road Winery, RaceHost.com as well as TaxSlayer.com for this weekend's race.(TRG Motorsports)
Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009
TGR Motorsports wants two Cup teams in 2010: Team Owner Buckler was hoping to run up to three Truck Series entries this season, but that was "before the economy took a dump." The No. 7 truck has made only six starts this season, four with driver J.R. Fitzpatrick. There will likely be no TRG Motorsports truck next season because of sponsorship issues, but Buckler hopes to expand into a two-car Cup operation in 2010. Buckler's plan is to find success by becoming the exact opposite of stock-car behemoth Hendrick Motorsports. "It's very exciting," Buckler said. "Everybody feels it. We got a little buzz going. We're trying to position ourselves to be sort of the new, small, and efficient, lean, and mean business model. "We want to establish a new way of doing things. I'm not out to compete today with a Hendrick, but what I want to be the toughest dog in the fight."(Daytona Beach News Journal)
Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009
Gilliland to debut new sponsor and car # at Watkins Glen: David Gilliland is ready for The Glen and to debut his new TaxSlayer.com colors on the No. 70 TaxSlayer.com Chevy in this weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen to be run Sunday, August 9. Gilliland will be going back to the track where he had one of his worst racing accidents. He will also have a teammate for the first time this year with TRG's sports car ace Andy Lally. New sponsor TaxSlayer.com will ride with David for the first time this weekend. Gilliland: "Watkins Glen will be a good debut for TaxSlayer.com on the car. The car really looks great. It has a medieval feel to it, which is cool. I am looking forward to meeting those folks and working with them over their six race term." TaxSlayer Pro's computerized tax return system, which was introduced to professional tax practitioners in 1992, is the first chapter in the company's story. More info at taxslayer.com andwww.taxslayerracing.com.(TRG Motorsports)
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Racehost.com to sponsor Gilliland: TRG Motorsports' welcomes Racehost.com onboard the No. 71 Chevy of David Gilliland this weekend for the Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Race Host, founded in 1996, was the first racing website design company to work exclusively in the racing, motorsport and automotive industry. "We're excited about our new team partner Racehost.com and are looking forward to working together long into the future," Buckler continued. Gilliland qualified the No. 71 Racehost.com/TRG Motorsports Chevy in 37th for the race.(TRG)
Monday, July 6, 2009
Gilliland will start-and-park at Chicagoland: Kevin Buckler, owner of TRG Motorsports, which fields a Chevrolet for driver David Gilliland, said he is ready to run the whole distance every race, but sometimes can't afford it. Gilliland tried to run the whole race Saturday at Daytona, but next week at Chicago, they will start-and-park. "We have a limited amount of money, and we pick the races where we go the whole distance," he said. The other option, he said, "is to not race at all. Do I like it? No."(Orlando Sentinel)
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
CompUSA to sponsor No. 71: David Gilliland and TRG Motorsports are ready to tackle 600 miles of racing at Lowe's Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600. The team was able to take away a lot data from last weekend to apply to race this Sunday. The key component will be a different No. 71 CompUSA/TRG Motorsports Chevy than the team ran in the Open. Kevin Buckler, TRG Motorsports team principal, is forging ahead with limited resources to keep this team going on the track. "The Coca-Cola 600 is one of the biggest races on the schedule and I wanted to make sure we put our best stuff on the track," Buckler said. "The car we ran in the Open we didn't think was going to do we needed in the 600 so we brought a different one. We have very limited resources with this team so we are picking our battles very carefully and trying to perform at a very level on selected stages. We still need to land that sponsor/partner that can help us take this great little team forward into the future."(TRG Motorsports PR)
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Gilliland still working on sponsorship: David Gilliland, the NASCAR Sprint Cup driver who used to reside in Chino Hills, has become a media darling as his team struggles to stay afloat in stock car's premier series. The TRG Chevrolet is 36th in owners points and trails rookie Joey Lagano by a mere 23 points in the race to stay in the top 35, which guarantees a weekly starting spot. "Kevin (Buckler, team owner) is trying to secure funding. We're so close to the top 35," crew chief Slugger Labbe said on Sirius Radio's "The Morning Drive" on Monday. "It helps that they say the No. 8 car is shut down. He's 37th in points. The next three guys behind us all missed the race at Texas this weekend, so we're in a unique situation that we have to go."(San Bernardino Sun)
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Gilliland in the No. 71: TRG Motorsports will run their No. 71 Chevy in the next four Sprint Cup Series rounds at the Auto Club Speedway, Las Vegas, Atlanta and Bristol. Kevin Buckler, TRG Motorsports team principal, is working hard to get sponsorship while the team focuses on accruing enough points to be in the top 35 in owner points going into the fifth race at Bristol. "We are pulling out all of the stops to make the next four races," Buckler said. "We want to be in the top 35 in owner points by the time we finish Bristol. We have singed-up David Gilliland and Slugger Labbe to help us accomplish that goal. The water is deep in NASCAR and we are not afraid to dive in with the sharks, but we have a very steep learning curve ahead of us and we will do our best. The team did not hesitate after Daytona getting ready for California. I met with Richard Childress about an engine package and we had a good backup car in the trailer that suits California, Las Vegas and Atlanta. It was just a matter of jumping in with both feet and moving forward. We took a big hit a Daytona by not making the race, but we have taken that and turned it into determination. Everyone involved sees the upside and wants to keep our foot firmly planted on the accelerator to turn this into a full season. With that kind of attitude and a strong team behind the 71, I think we can push it into the field on Friday."(TRG Motorsports PR)
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