Truck champ Ted Musgrave’s team closes doors

UPDATE The following statement from Ford Racing is in regard to the closing of Ultra Motorsports, which the team announced on Friday, Jan. 6. Statement attributable to Greg Specht, Performance Operations Manager, Ford Racing Technology.

"All of us at Ford Racing are surprised and disappointed to hear that Ultra Motorsports decided to close its shop last Friday. We understood they were having some sponsorship difficulties, but we were prepared to support them based on the agreement that we were working out with Jim Smith. Contrary to published reports, we were planning to support their efforts as a manufacturer. When we first started speaking with Jim last year, the plan was for them to have a two-truck operation, and we were prepared to support that level of operation. When it became clear that there would be only one truck for this year, we did propose to cut that support back proportionally to help them with a one-truck operation. Our support for the Ultra Motorsports program was going to be equal to our other factory-backed teams in the series. At no time did we ever plan on cutting support for them completely, but we are not a team sponsor. We provide manufacturer support in ways that a traditional sponsor would not, and we were very willing to provide that support for this year. "

01/06/06 It appears the 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion is without a ride for this season, at least for now. Ted Musgrave, who won last season's championship with Ultra Motorsports, has been talking with other Truck teams about a ride for the 2006 season opener at Daytona Beach, Fla., next month, The Observer has learned.

Among the teams Musgrave has had contact with is Billy Ballew Motorsports, sources said. Ballew is already fielding the No. 15 Chevrolet for rookie Kyle Krisiloff this season.
Ultra, owned by Jim Smith, has fielded teams in the series since its inception in 1995, but Musgrave's title was the first for Smith. At the end of the 2005 season, Smith announced he had re-signed the primary sponsor for Musgrave's No. 1 Dodge and the team was planning to switch from Dodge to Ford.

The team apparently closed its doors on Friday. Calls went unanswered top Ultra's shop.
Ford officials said Friday their manufacturer support was not the issue behind any changes at Ultra Motorsports. By JIM UTTER/The Charlotte Observer