Mark Martin to Yates No. 88

UPDATE #2 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." Scenedaily.com

09/07/06 This rumor is downgraded to 'false' today. Benny Ertel, who is Mark Martin's business manager, went Internet surfing Wednesday morning and found some interesting "fiction" on various racing Web sites. The stories indicated Martin would be buying into Robert Yates Racing and the veteran would drive the No. 88 Ford, which will be abandoned by Dale Jarrett at season's end. "Wishful thinking," Ertel said. "I read that online. There's no truth to it."

09/05/06 Mark Martin's farewell tour will be extended yet another year when he drives the #88 Ford next year for Robert Yates Racing. Martin originally said last year would be his final as a full-time driver in the Nextel Cup Series, but he changed his mind to return to his familiar #6 Ford at Roush Racing this season. Now it appears he will keep going, but for a new team. Three different sources close to Ford Racing said Martin will take over for Dale Jarrett at Yates after Jarrett moves into a new Toyota Camry at Michael Waltrip Racing in 2007, Morris News Service has learned. Martin said Friday he won't drive the #6 Ford at Roush next year – a ride he's had since the 1988 season – and most people believed that meant he finally planned to start his planned retirement. Robby Gordon confirmed this week he attempted to buy half of Robert Yates Racing recently, but the deal apparently fell through in the last couple weeks. Sources close to Yates confirmed Sunday that Martin – apparently with support of Jack Roush – also tried to buy Yates during the summer. Negotiations went so far that Yates had an inventory completed to show the exact worth of his racing operation. Robert Yates Racing said they would make an announcement on a new driver in about a week. They've already hinted it would be a veteran racer. Athens Banner-Herald