Robert Yates Racing co-owner Doug Yates says he hasn’t talked with Mark Martin, but he certainly would like to have him in the team’s No. 88 Ford next season. But first he needs to land sponsorship for the team.

Yates admitted that courting a driver at this point would be “putting the cart before the horse.” He expects to finalize sponsorship plans for the team, which is losing UPS in 2007, in the next three to four weeks.

“We need the sponsorship in place to be able to go after these guys,” Yates said. “Guys like Mark and these guys are going to want to make some good money in their last year, which they deserve, and we need some good people on the car to be able to do that.”

Yates was then asked if the No. 88 would definitely be back next season.

“Well, I hope so,” he said after a pause. “That’s our plan.”

Earlier in the day Martin said he has no plans to buy the RYR team next season and that he has not given serious consideration to driving for the organization and Doug Yates did not contradict those statements Friday afternoon at Richmond International Raceway.

“We haven’t really talked to him about it yet,” Yates said. “I don’t know what his plans are.”

He did say, though, that with sponsorship approval he’d be very interested in the driver. He also said the team would be interested in Ricky Rudd.

Martin says he’d like to compete with a 12-race limited schedule in 2007. Yates said any partial or full-time driver decisions would be made by the future sponsor.

“At the end of the day it’s the sponsor’s decision,” Yates said. “They have to be willing to like that situation. But that would be something I’d be interested in.”

Yates added that it makes sense to have a rookie driver with one team and a veteran in the other car. David Gilliland has already signed to compete in the No. 38 next year.

“Of course Mark Martin is in that mix,” he said. “Who wouldn’t want Mark Martin driving their car? But it’s got to be right for Mark and of course be right for us.”

SceneDaily

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