| A 6-11 former high school and college all-American, | | | | Council with NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian |
| as well as five-time NBA all-star, is a stock car | | | | France in 2000, and has been an active proponent |
| racer at heart. His love for NASCAR was the initial | | | | of the initiative. He has also held a position on the |
| pull that got Brad Daugherty into racing circles as | | | | sport's Rules and Competition Committee. As a |
| a partial Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series | | | | youngster growing up in the North Carolina |
| owner, and later as a racing analyst for weekly | | | | mountains, his dad and uncle built and raced hot |
| NASCAR coverage on ESPN/ABC. What brings | | | | rods for local, non-sanctioned races. Brad has also |
| him further is his inner driver for diversity. | | | | built cars and enjoys the mechanical side of racing. |
| Daugherty, who donned the No. 43 jersey in high | | | | He intends to fund a Sprint Cup Series ride in '09 |
| school and the NBA in honor of NASCAR legend | | | | as well as two Nationwide cars, and aims to |
| Richard Petty (he lost a coin flip for the 43 at | | | | continue his broadcasting career. The No. 47 Little |
| North Carolina), has purchased a 33-percent share | | | | Debbie Ford will be piloted in the Cup series by |
| of JTG Racing, located in Harrisburg, N.C. The | | | | Australian driver Marcos Ambrose. The 43 |
| famed Wood Brothers operation was part of the | | | | number is already taken by Petty Enterprises' |
| team until the early 2008 season. | | | | Bobby Labonte. |
| The JTG team currently fields two Nationwide | | | | Ambrose currently steers the No. 59 Kingsford |
| Series cars and has also run a truck in the motor | | | | Charcoal Ford in the Nationwide Series. Little |
| sport's third-tier series. The Black Mountain, N.C., | | | | known Kelly Bires drives the 47 car sponsored by |
| native has partnered with former advertising | | | | Clorox. Ambrose has had a top-five and three |
| executive Tad Geschickter and his wife Jodi to | | | | top-10 finishes in the Nationwide Series prior to |
| fulfill one of his long range ambitions of becoming | | | | last weekend. |
| a Cup series owner. By the end of this season, | | | | Guiding one of the two Nationwide cars next |
| the new team name will be JTG/Daugherty | | | | season will probably be Coleman Pressley, a |
| Racing. | | | | 19-year-old JTG employee and weekend racer in |
| Daugherty is the second prominent minority to | | | | late model cars, and the son of former NASCAR |
| become involved in NASCAR ownership this year. | | | | driver Robert Pressley, a long-time personal friend |
| NFL All-Pro Randy Moss announced the formation | | | | of Daugherty who was born and reared in |
| of a Truck series team in April, and plans to hire a | | | | Asheville, N.C. Pressley drove a Daugherty car to |
| driver to race later this season and run full time in | | | | victory in the 1989 Busch (now Nationwide) |
| '09. The team is called Moss Motorsports, LLC. | | | | Series. Two years earlier, Kenny Irwin Jr.-who |
| The truck is expected to be No. 81, the same | | | | was later killed in a '00 crash during a practice run |
| number Moss wears with the '08 Super Bowl | | | | at New Hampshire-drove a Daugherty Ford to |
| runner-up New England Patriots. | | | | two wins in the Truck series for what was called |
| Daugherty, 42, co-founded NASCAR's Diversity | | | | Liberty Racing. |