Yates-Newman/Haas/Lanigan merger off

UPDATE The decision against hiring J.J. Yeley to drive the No. 88 Ford by Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing executives was really all Doug Yates needed to see. It wasn't a deal breaker, per se, but from his estimation was a stark indicator of the commitment level of his new partners.

Yates really liked Yeley, and felt he was a talented and quite marketable young man. But Newman/Haas/Lanigan dragged its feet, prompting Yates to change direction toward an alignment with Roush Fenway Racing.

"All three of those guys are great people. We had good intentions," Yates said of team owners Paul Newman, Carl Haas and Mike Lanigan. "The deal was a handshake deal and a letter of intent, and there wasn't enough commitment there.

"Some things came about that we really needed to make decisions on and nobody would move on it. In this sport windows of opportunity open and close quickly, and some key ones came and went and it just wasn't moving fast enough. ESPN.com

09/07/07 In an article related to this rumor, Robert Yates announced Friday he’ll retire at the end of the season with his son, Doug, taking over the racing operations in a new company called Yates Racing. The move means a planned merger with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing will not take place. Yates Racing instead will operate in association with Roush Fenway Racing. Doug Yates said his team would welcome the opportunity to work with Newman/Haas/Lanigan in the future. But the team will “have full support from Roush Fenway Racing, including hardware, engineering, marketing and operational practices" from the Roush Fenway team. The Yates and Roush operations previously combined their engine operations.