Hall of Fame Racing (#96) Shuts Down and will not race in 2009

According to sources close to the situation, Hall of Fame Racing has shut its doors. Just days before the holiday season, team personnel were reportedly told the team would close shop. The team has reportedly been contacting other organizations indicating their equipment is now for sale.

Losing their affiliation with Joe Gibbs Racing, without a full-time sponsor secured for 2009 and with no driver to pilot the ride, owners Tom Garfinkel and Jeff Moorad have apparently decided to cut their losses and call it quits.

Brad Coleman, who looked to be the future of Hall of Fame Racing, was signed by Joe Gibbs Racing to help pilot the No. 20 Nationwide Series ride last Friday. Layoffs cut the staff of the team and according to many reports team?s lease on their race shop expires this month.

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Permalink Reply by Lance on January 2, 2009 at 9:55am

Is DLP out of the sport or will they come back with another team? They seemed to be putting a lot of money into the sport with the in car cams and all those commercials.

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Permalink Reply by Matt on January 2, 2009 at 11:39am

Gibbs has them.

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Permalink Reply by Ms Gibby on January 2, 2009 at 2:03pm

HOF folds...which just goes to show how much better and smarter Robby is at this Nascar game. RGM still alive and kicking!!

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Permalink Reply by LongTime on January 2, 2009 at 9:05pm

Just saw an article on azcentral.com saying that Jeff Moorad ( co owner of HOF) resigned as CEO of the Arizona Diamondbacks and is deep in negotiations to purchase the San Diego Padres. Maybe Closing up HOF is to free up some cash for the purchase.

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Permalink Reply by Keith on January 6, 2009 at 8:57am

Latest from JAYSKI...

"Hall of Fame Racing done? hearing from many sources that Hall of Fame Racing, which ran many drivers in the #96 Toyota in 2008, is selling off cars and equipment and most of the work force has been laid off and is not expected to start the season, if run at all.(1-6-2009)"

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Permalink Reply by Bigzoom on January 6, 2009 at 5:07pm

Hall of Fame Racing will compete in the Daytona 500 and race during the 2009 Sprint Cup season, according to a team co-owner. Tom Garfinkel, an Arizona Diamondbacks executive who owns the single-car organization along with Jeff Moorad, said in an e-mail that Hall of Fame "will be racing at Daytona and in 2009." Speculation has swirled around the #96 operation since the team cut ties with Joe Gibbs Racing -- with which it had a technical alliance -- laid off several employees, and reportedly slowed production. The team has sponsorship from DLP, but that deal is not believed to be for the entire season. Moorad, formerly chief executive officer of the Diamondbacks, resigned from that position this week to spearhead an ownership bid for the San Diego Padres. It is unclear whether Moorad's move will affect the race team. Garfinkel, the Diamondbacks' executive vice president, said more details on Hall of Fame Racing's 2009 plans will follow in the coming weeks

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Permalink Reply by Garrett Gleason on January 6, 2009 at 5:28pm

from Jayski^^^^

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Permalink Reply by gorobbygo7 on January 7, 2009 at 8:29pm

UPDATE 2: Hall of Fame Racing will compete in the Daytona 500 and race during the 2009 Sprint Cup season, according to a team co-owner. Tom Garfinkel, an Arizona Diamondbacks executive who owns the single-car organization along with Jeff Moorad, said in an e-mail that Hall of Fame "will be racing at Daytona and in 2009." Speculation has swirled around the #96 operation since the team cut ties with Joe Gibbs Racing -- with which it had a technical alliance -- laid off several employees, and reportedly slowed production. The team has sponsorship from DLP, but that deal is not believed to be for the entire season. Moorad, formerly chief executive officer of the Diamondbacks, resigned from that position this week to spearhead an ownership bid for the San Diego Padres. It is unclear whether Moorad's move will affect the race team. Garfinkel, the Diamondbacks' executive vice president, said more details on Hall of Fame Racing's 2009 plans will follow in the coming weeks.(NASCAR.com)(1-6-2009) Comment here