Red Bull Racing Team
# Red Bull Racing Team

Red Bull Racing Team, also known as Team Red Bull, was a NASCAR team owned by Red Bull founders Dietrich Mateschitz and Chaleo Yoovidhya. The team was based in Mooresville, North Carolina in the United States and was managed by Jay Frye. The team suspended operations on December 8, 2011 and their cars were sold to BK Racing.

## History

### Origins

After moving to a newer location, Roger Penske decided to sell his old facility. Then, on January 26, 2006, the newly formed team said that they would purchase the facility, and would hire 75 workers. However, the team was not allowed to race in the 2006 season because their manufacturer, Toyota, was not cleared to race, so the team decided that they would drive Dodges during the season. The team didn't have any materials to make their race cars, so they purchased multiple cars from Bill Davis Racing.

### 2006 season

The team was officially started in January, but they would not choose a driver until June 25, 2006, when Brian Vickers announced his decision to drive for the team on Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain. A couple months later, the team made their first NASCAR appearance with Bill Elliott as the driver, at Lowe's Motor Speedway in the No. 83 Victory Junction Gang Dodge, but they failed to qualify for the race. On October 24, 2006, the team chose former Champ Car driver A. J. Allmendinger as the second driver. They also made two other appearances at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway, which like their first, they failed to qualify for both races. Then, announced on December 6, 2006, former Cup Series champion crew chief Doug Richert would serve as the crew chief for Vickers.

### 2007 season

During the 2007 season, the team moved to Toyota as the manufacturer. Both Vickers and Allmendinger failed to qualify for the 2007 Daytona 500. Allmendinger, in the first duel race, crashed with fellow competitor Robby Gordon on lap 24, causing heavy damage to both their race cars. Vickers blew a right rear tire on lap 51 in the second duel race, ending his chances of making the Daytona 500. One week later, Vickers qualified for the 2007 Auto Club 500, which resulted in the team receiving their first top-ten. After failing to qualify for four consecutive races, Allmendinger qualified for the 2007 Food City 500 held at Bristol Motor Speedway. During the 2007 Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR's longest race, Vickers was able to finish in the top-five. On October 5, 2007, the team's development driver, Scott Speed finished seventh in an ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway. Allmendinger's team had a forty-third-place finish in the final owners' standings and had 19 DNQ's. Despite Vickers ending the season with five top-ten finishes with one being a top-five in the Coca-Cola 600, where he led seventy-six laps and finished 5th, Vickers still failed to qualify for 13 races. Vickers' team ended the season with a 38th owners' standings position.

### 2008 season

In 2008, Kevin Hamlin became the crew chief for Vickers. Hamlin's past crew chief roles include stints with Dave Blaney's No. 22 Toyota, preceded by nine years of crew chief duties with Richard Childress Racing drivers including Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, and Dale Earnhardt. Hamlin has amassed nine previous Cup wins; five of those with Earnhardt Sr. Said Sawyer of hiring Hamlin: "Finding the right crew chief for the 83 team was a pivotal decision in an effort to restructure the foundation on that team. We need a crew chief with not only the right experience and background to work effectively with our driver and crew, but someone who also shares the same vision for success. We found that package with Kevin Hamlin. Our focus between now and Daytona is not only getting our cars up to speed for the season opener, but also getting Kevin up to speed working with Red Bull, Brian (Vickers) and the 83 team." Due in large part to the additions of Frye and Hamlin, the No. 83 team has been shown to be the most improved in the series, qualifying for all the current races and secured a Top 35 exemption following the spring race at Bristol. Also in 2008, Allmendinger failed to make the first three races of 2008 and was replaced by Mike Skinner on a temporary basis starting with the spring Atlanta race. Allmendinger returned at the Aaron's 499 at Talladega with a new silver paint scheme, and won the Sprint Showdown two weeks later, making him eligible for the All-Star Race. Allmendinger also recorded a 10th-place finish at the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. In May, even though Vickers had not won a race for the team prior to Sprint All-Star Race XXIV, they won the All-Star Pit Crew Competition. Later in the season, Allmendinger announced that he was going to leave Red Bull to race for Richard Petty Motorsports in 2009.

### 2009 season

2009 ended up being a high-water mark for the team, as Vickers scored the team's first victory, and the second of his career, at Michigan in August. This was part of a strong late-summer run that resulted in Vickers taking the last spot in the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup at Richmond in September, also a first for the Red Bull team. Unfortunately, an underwhelming Chase performance resulted in Vickers finishing 12th in the final points. Meanwhile, the team signed Scott Speed to replace Allmendinger in the renumbered 82 car. However, Speed could manage only a distant second to Joey Logano in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings.

### 2010 season

For the 2010 season, Speed and Vickers remained with the team, but on May 21, Vickers experienced medical problems, which resulted in him missing the rest of the season. His replacements were Casey Mears, Reed Sorenson, Mattias Ekstrom, Boris Said, and Kasey Kahne. Speed was let go at the end of the season, and he in turn filed a lawsuit against Red Bull.

### 2011 season

For the 2011 season, Kahne became a full-time driver for the team, driving car No. 4 (formerly No. 82), and Vickers returned to drive the No. 83 car. On June 20, 2011, the Associated Press reported that Red Bull was planning to leave NASCAR at the end of the season. The team's on-track struggles, combined with a lackluster outreach to the 18–34 demographic, forced their departure. Despite this, Kahne scored the team's final victory at the November race at Phoenix, while Vickers struggled for most of the year, resulting in a 25th-place points finish. Kahne finished the season in 14th. The team fielded a third car, numbered 84, in the final two races of the season, with development driver Cole Whitt behind the wheel. Whitt finished 25th at Phoenix, but crashed out just past halfway at Homestead, finishing 37th. The team officially closed on December 8, 2011. The team's cars, owners points, and equipment were purchased by former TRG Motorsports executive Ron Devine to form BK Racing.

### Team results

**No. 4/82/84 car**

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series results :

| Year | Driver | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | NSCC | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2006 | A. J. Allmendinger | 84 | Dodge | DAY | CAL | LVS | ATL | BRI | MAR | TEX | PHO | TAL | RCH | DAR | CLT | DOV | POC | MCH | SON | DAY | CHI | NHA | POC | IND | GLN | MCH | BRI | CAL | RCH | NHA | DOV | KAN | TAL | CLT | MAR | ATL DNQ | TEX DNQ | PHO | HOM | NA | - |
| 2007 | A. J. Allmendinger | 84 | Toyota | DAY DNQ | CAL DNQ | LVS DNQ | ATL DNQ | BRI 40 | MAR 38 | TEX DNQ | PHO DNQ | TAL DNQ | RCH 32 | DAR 36 | CLT 31 | DOV 33 | POC 39 | MCH 31 | SON DNQ | NHA DNQ | DAY DNQ | CHI DNQ | IND DNQ | POC DNQ | GLN DNQ | MCH DNQ | BRI 35 | CAL 18 | RCH 23 | NHA 33 | DOV 43 | KAN DNQ | TAL DNQ | CLT 15 | MAR 35 | ATL 16 | TEX 39 | PHO DNQ | HOM DNQ | 43rd | 1165 |
| 2008 | A. J. Allmendinger | 84 | Toyota | DAY DNQ | CAL DNQ | LVS DNQ | | | | | | TAL 30 | RCH 39 | DAR 27 | CLT 20 | DOV 37 | POC 12 | MCH 19 | SON 37 | NHA 43 | DAY 42 | CHI 13 | IND 10 | POC 19 | GLN 11 | MCH 28 | BRI 34 | CAL 14 | RCH 43 | NHA 38 | DOV 16 | KAN 9 | | | | | | | | 36th | 2436 |
| 2008 | Mike Skinner | 84 | Toyota | | | | ATL 27 | BRI 40 | MAR 31 | TEX 29 | PHO 28 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | TAL 31 | CLT 39 | | | | | | 48th | 734 |
| 2008 | Scott Speed | 84 | Toyota | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | MAR 30 | ATL 34 | TEX 33 | PHO 41 | HOM 16 | 55th | 366 |
| 2009 | Scott Speed | 82 | Toyota | DAY 35 | CAL 41 | LVS 21 | ATL 35 | BRI 28 | MAR 39 | TEX DNQ | PHO 34 | TAL 5 | RCH 33 | DAR DNQ | CLT 18 | DOV 37 | POC 32 | MCH 37 | SON DNQ | NHA 36 | DAY 31 | CHI 36 | IND 31 | POC 23 | GLN 22 | MCH 34 | BRI 15 | ATL 24 | RCH 36 | NHA 31 | DOV 25 | KAN 27 | CAL 21 | CLT 28 | MAR 31 | TAL 27 | TEX 18 | PHO 33 | HOM 27 | 35th | 2690 |
| 2010 | Scott Speed | 82 | Toyota | DAY 19 | CAL 11 | LVS 22 | ATL 10 | BRI 31 | MAR 33 | PHO 21 | TEX 16 | TAL 15 | RCH 35 | DAR 28 | DOV 23 | CLT 30 | POC 20 | MCH 28 | SON 18 | NHA 27 | DAY 10 | CHI 30 | IND 25 | POC 26 | GLN 43 | MCH 25 | BRI 33 | ATL 34 | RCH 24 | NHA 36 | DOV 32 | KAN 19 | CAL 24 | CLT 19 | MAR 23 | TAL 29 | TEX 27 | PHO 35 | HOM 23 | 30th | 3178 |
| 2011 | Kasey Kahne | 4 | Toyota | DAY 25 | PHO 6 | LVS 14 | BRI 9 | CAL 9 | MAR 39 | TEX 21 | TAL 37 | RCH 3 | DAR 4* | DOV 36 | CLT 22 | KAN 14 | POC 12 | MCH 28 | SON 20 | DAY 4 | KEN 13 | NHA 6 | IND 18* | POC 28 | GLN 26 | MCH 7 | BRI 11 | ATL 34 | RCH 38 | CHI 12 | NHA 15 | DOV 4 | KAN 2 | CLT 4 | TAL 6 | MAR 25 | TEX 3 | PHO 1 | HOM 7 | 14th | 1041 |
| 2011 | Cole Whitt | 84 | Toyota | DAY | PHO | LVS | BRI | CAL | MAR | TEX | TAL | RCH | DAR | DOV | CLT | KAN | POC | MCH | INF | DAY | KEN | NHA | IND | POC | GLN | MCH | BRI | ATL | RCH | CHI | NHA | DOV | KAN | CLT | TAL | MAR | TEX | PHO 25 | HOM 37 | 49th | 26 |

**No. 83 car**

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series results :

| Year | Driver | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | NSCC | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2006 | Bill Elliott | 83 | Dodge | DAY | CAL | LVS | ATL | BRI | MAR | TEX | PHO | TAL | RCH | DAR | CLT | DOV | POC | MCH | SON | DAY | CHI | NHA | POC | IND | GLN | MCH | BRI | CAL | RCH | NHA | DOV | KAN | TAL | CLT DNQ | MAR | ATL | TEX | PHO | HOM | NA | - |
| 2007 | Brian Vickers | 83 | Toyota | DAY DNQ | CAL 10 | LVS DNQ | ATL 42 | BRI 15 | MAR DNQ | TEX 14 | PHO DNQ | TAL DNQ | RCH DNQ | DAR 43 | CLT 5 | DOV 19 | POC 35 | MCH 41 | SON DNQ | NHA DNQ | DAY 29 | CHI DNQ | IND 21 | POC 29 | GLN 41 | MCH 8 | BRI DNQ | CAL 8 | RCH 24 | NHA 43 | DOV 16 | KAN DNQ | TAL 39 | CLT DNQ | MAR DNQ | ATL 10 | TEX 23 | PHO 21 | HOM 42 | 38th | 2065 |
| 2008 | Brian Vickers | 83 | Toyota | DAY 12 | CAL 11 | LVS 24 | ATL 9 | BRI 39 | MAR 23 | TEX 16 | PHO 25 | TAL 5 | RCH 28 | DAR 25 | CLT 42 | DOV 13 | POC 2 | MCH 4 | SON 14 | NHA 16 | DAY 11 | CHI 6 | IND 42 | POC 28 | GLN 18 | MCH 7 | BRI 20 | CAL 12 | RCH 36 | NHA 35 | DOV 31 | KAN 15 | TAL 35 | CLT 18 | MAR 11 | ATL 21 | TEX 18 | PHO 42 | HOM 32 | 19th | 3580 |
| 2009 | Brian Vickers | 83 | Toyota | DAY 39 | CAL 10 | LVS 8 | ATL 5 | BRI 29 | MAR 33 | TEX 16 | PHO 19 | TAL 8 | RCH 15 | DAR 31 | CLT 5 | DOV 25 | POC 21 | MCH 9 | SON 16 | NHA 35 | DAY 7 | CHI 7 | IND 5 | POC 6 | GLN 11 | MCH 1 | BRI 12 | ATL 7 | RCH 7 | NHA 11 | DOV 18 | KAN 37 | CAL 29 | CLT 34 | MAR 11 | TAL 13 | TEX 26 | PHO 38 | HOM 20 | 12th | 5929 |
| 2010 | Brian Vickers | 83 | Toyota | DAY 15 | CAL 12 | LVS 31 | ATL 7 | BRI 15 | MAR 6 | PHO 37 | TEX 38 | TAL 29 | RCH 20 | DAR 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 40th | 1158 |
| 2010 | Casey Mears | 83 | Toyota | | | | | | | | | | | | DOV 22 | CLT 29 | POC 23 | MCH 36 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 36th | 1573 |
| 2010 | Mattias Ekström | 83 | Toyota | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | SON 21 | | | | | | | | | | RCH 31 | | | | | | | | | | | 58th | 175 |
| 2010 | Reed Sorenson | 83 | Toyota | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | NHA 24 | DAY 8 | CHI 27 | IND 35 | POC 32 | | MCH 26 | BRI 15 | ATL 14 | | NHA 27 | DOV 16 | KAN 30 | CAL 27 | CLT 18 | | | | | | 39th | 1355 |
| 2010 | Boris Said | 83 | Toyota | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | GLN 38 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 52nd | 448 |
| 2010 | Kasey Kahne | 83 | Toyota | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | MAR 14 | TAL 26 | TEX 13 | PHO 30 | HOM 6 | 20th | 3961 |
| 2011 | Brian Vickers | 83 | Toyota | DAY 31 | PHO 30 | LVS 10 | BRI 36 | CAL 8 | MAR 17 | TEX 27 | TAL 38 | RCH 10 | DAR 34 | DOV 5 | CLT 18 | KAN 16 | POC 22 | MCH 10 | SON 36 | DAY 12 | KEN 27 | NHA 34 | IND 15 | POC 39 | GLN 18 | MCH 15 | BRI 21 | ATL 11 | RCH 33 | CHI 13 | NHA 5 | DOV 14 | KAN 19 | CLT 20 | TAL 5 | MAR 30 | TEX 21 | PHO 23 | HOM 17 | 25th | 846 |

**Nationwide series**

NASCAR Nationwide Series results :

| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | NNSC | Pts | Ref |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2010 | Cole Whitt | 84 | Toyota | DAY | CAL | LVS | BRI | NSH | PHO | TEX | TAL | RCH | DAR | DOV | CLT | NSH | KEN | ROA | NHA | DAY | CHI | GTY | IRP | IOW | GLN | MCH | BRI | CGV | ATL | RCH | DOV | KAN | CAL | CLT | GTY | TEX | PHO 15 | HOM 17 | 107th | 118 | |
