Snickers, Mars to leave Yates team

One might wonder if this Sunday in the Pennsylvania 500 marks the last time a No. 38 NASCAR Nextel Cup car emblazoned with brightly-colored M&Ms characters will compete at Pocono Raceway. There's been NASCAR garage buzz recently that Mars Inc. Mars Snack Food U.S., the company that produces M&Ms in Hackettstown, is considering leaving Robert Yates Racing.

Yates, which fields the Ford that will be driven by David Gilliland on Sunday, has carried the M&Ms brand on the No. 38 since 2002, when Elliott Sadler came on board.

Sadler left the team after the 22nd race last year. Yates replaced him in the M&Ms car with Gilliland

When Dale Jarrett left Yates at the end of last year, he carried his long-time sponsor UPS with him to Michael Waltrip's fledgling Toyota team.

Yates was hard-pressed to find a replacement sponsor for his second Ford. A two-or-more-car team is essential for success in today's NASCAR.

Yates a veteran car owner and builder with 57 victories but only one since 2004, tearfully announced he was going to sell the team last November after UPS left.

But Mars came to the rescue with an 11th-hour bailout, sponsoring the second car for Ricky Rudd this year with its Snickers candy bar.

Rudd's No. 88 Ford will be sponsored by Mars' Combos snacks at Pocono.

Mars is reportedly still unhappy with the abrupt departure by the popular Sadler. Reports have leaked out that the program is under sponsor review. PennLive.com