Front Row Motorsports

Front Row Motorsports

Owner(s) Name(s)	Bob and Brad Jenkins
Racing Series	Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series
Number of Championships	0
Car Number(s)	#34 (Sprint Cup) #37 (Sprint Cup) #34 (Nationwide Series)
Driver(s)	Travis Kvapil (#34-Sprint Cup) Kevin Conway (#37-Sprint Cup) TBA (#34-Nationwide)
Primary Sponsor(s)	Taco Bell (#34-Cup) Long John Silver's (#34-Nationwide) ExtenZe (37-Cup)
Shop Location	Statesville, North Carolina
Homepage	Front Row Motorsports

Front Row Motorsports is team that competes on NASCAR Sprint Cup & Nationwide Series circuits. The team began running part-time in 2004 as Means-Jenkins Motorsports under a partnership with Jimmy Means and restaurant entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, with Jenkins becoming the full team owner in 2005. The team fields the #34 Ford and the #37 Ford in the Sprint Cup Series, and the #34 Chevrolet in the Nationwide Series.

Cup Series

Car #34 History

The 34 car made its debut on 2004 at Atlanta Motor Speedway with Todd Bodine driving the car as the #98 Lucas Oil Ford. At the time, the team was owned by Chris Edwards and was known as Mach 1 Racing. He finished 41st after dropping out within sixteen laps. Bodine drove in eight races with the team that year, as well as his brother Geoffrey, Larry Gunselman, Randy LaJoie, Chad Chaffin, and Derrike Cope filling out the driving duties that year, driving a total of 26 races.

In 2005 the team changed numbers to #34 and planned to run full time, but due to sponsorship limitations and lackluster performance by LaJoie, the team only ran a limited schedule. Although it attempted many races, two drivers (Ted Christopher and P. J. Jones) qualified for a race with the team that year, each with a start apiece. In the fall of 2005, their website announced that the team was up for sale, but that was quickly rescinded. Later that year, Front Row Motorsports moved into their shop to operate the #34 in addition to their current team. In January 2006, it was announced the team's remaining equipment will be auctioned off.

The 34 car at Daytona in 2008.

The combined team began running at the 2006 Daytona 500. Randy LaJoie attempted but failed to qualify for the first two races. The team ran as #64 at Daytona but switched back to #34 for the second race at California Speedway. Lajoie and teammate Chad Chaffin swapped rides the next week in Las Vegas and Chaffin would drive for the next eight races. Chaffin would then return to FRM's other car after Kevin Lepage's departure for BAM Racing one week after FRM purchased the owner points from Peak Fitness Racing and renumbered the #92 to #61. Chad Blount would then take over the #34 car for two races, however he was unable to get into the field and was released. Carl Long, Greg Sacks, Mike Skinner would attempt the next three races with Skinner making the 3M Performance 400 and finishing 37th on the lead lap. Johnny Miller returned to FRM to run the road course at Infineon. After Blount's release, Long, Sacks, Chaffin, Brian Simo, Kertus Davis, Skinner, and Joey McCarthy attempted races for the team, with Long qualifying at Bristol. Lepage drove the car for the rest of the season and made Martinsville.

The car attempted full time status in 2007 with Lepage, but after missing the first 4 races, the team decided to go part time with John Andretti and Chad Chaffin. Lepage swapped places with Andretti and Lepage at the #37 so that Lepage could continue full time. Chaffin later left the team in early 2007. They tried to make another attempt to run the #34 at Texas Motor Speedway with myAutoloan.com as the sponsor, but they failed to qualify for the race.

The 2008 season began with the #34 planning to run a full season. They made the Daytona 500 with Andretti behind the wheel and Makoto's Ginger Dressing brand as the associate sponsor, and manufacturer's support From Chevrolet. Andretti left the team to race in the Indianapolis 500 with Roth Racing and eventually decided to continue in the Series. Tony Raines qualified for his first race of the season in the #34 Chevrolet Impala SS at Dover but finished 40th after transmission failure. The #34 Chevy ran part-time after that, with Chad Chaffin attempting the final races for the team in 2008.

In 2009, John Andretti has been announced as the full-time driver for the car, and the team entered into a partnership with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. The #34 team received owner's points from EGR's defunct #15 team. For the Daytona 500, Window World joined as the primary sponsor, EGR's Steve Lane would be the crew chief for the team, and some of EGR's crewmen tended to the car. The team finished 19th in the race. It was later revealed that the team would retain the owners points and Window World and jumped on for the first five races. The team only ran EGR engines at the Daytona 500 and at the spring Atlanta race, the team used engines from Pro Motors Engines otherwise. Steven Lane served as the full-time crew chief and some of the EGR crew became permanent employees. With the exception of the first five races with Window World, the team ran mostly unsponsored with team owner Bob Jenkins has used the space on the #34 Chevrolet Impala SS to advertise his Taco Bell restaurants while seeking to obtain a new primary sponsor. Andretti missed two races while he ran the Indianapolis 500, and teammate Tony Raines took his place for those events. Raines quickly earned the team's best solo effort finish to that point with a 25th place at Darlington. With John back at the wheel, the team had earned 16th at the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, along with numerous other top-30 finishes throughout the year. At Michigan, race sponsor Carfax jumped aboard the #34 Chevrolet as the primary sponsor. The team was able to finish better than the #82 Red Bull Racing Toyota and driver Scott Speed, and the team remained in the top-35 for the entire season which guarantees the team starts the first five races of 2010. Travis Kvapil announced he will be the driver of the #34 and it was also announced the team will switch to Ford.

Car #37 History

FRM fielded the #92 Chevy for multiple drivers in 2005. It debuted at the 2005 Daytona 500 with Stanton Barrett driving, but it did not qualify. After missing the next three races, the team finally got into a race at the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, where Barrett finished 41st after suffering oil pressure problems. After the spring Dover race, Tony Raines drove the car at the Chevy American Revolution 400 at Richmond International Raceway, finishing 35th. Then Hermie Sadler and Eric McClure began sharing the ride, although McClure did not qualify for a race in the car. Johnny Miller ran the car at Watkins Glen, finishing 29th. Another driver, Chad Chaffin, also took over driving duties, failing to qualify in his initial attempt at Martinsville Speedway, and then qualifying 43rd the next week at Atlanta Motor Speedway before surrendering the car to Bobby Hamilton Jr.. Late in the year, the team formed an equipment-sharing partnership with Mach 1 Racing, and that eventually turned into the team moving into Mach 1's shop and hiring their old crew.

Chad Chaffin began the 2006 season with the #92 team, however after two races he was moved to the #34 team. Chad Blount would then take over the car until Talladega where FRM decided the team shut down the #92 operation. The team just made one of the eight races it attempted and cited lack of performance as a reason for the team's shut down. In April 2006, Front Row Motorsports purchased the owner points of Peak Fitness Racing, and renumbered the #92 to Peak's #61. The team originally hired Peak's driver Kevin Lepage to drive however, after just one race, Lepage left Front Row Motorsports, heading to BAM Racing. Chad Chaffin took over the #61 car after Lepage's departure. Brian Simo drove the #61 car for the road course at Infineon. At the second road course of the season at Watkins Glen, Front Row Motorsports lease out the #61 owner points to No Fear Racing and entered the #92 with Johnny Miller , but he failed to qualify. After Watkins Glen, the team ran as #61 for the remainder of the season. Chaffin ran most of the rest of the races with Stanton Barrett driving the car at Dover and Lepage made the race at Atlanta.

The team partnered with #37 of R&J Racing in 2007, however the deal fell through early in the season, although Front Row retained the team's owner's points and car number. Bill Elliott attempted Daytona for the team and John Andretti and Chad Chaffin planned to race the car full time. After race 4, Front Row Motorsports announced the #34 would run full time, and that Andretti and Chaffin would swap positions with Lepage so that Lepage could continue full time. Lepage failed to qualify twenty-five times and left before the end of the season. The 37 attempted the 2008 Daytona 500 with Eric McClure and sponsor Hefty, but the team failed to qualify.

The team returned to the track for the 2009 Daytona 500 with Tony Raines driving, inheriting the points from the #34 from the year before as a result of the merger with EGR, but did not qualify. The team has attempted other races since then, making the race at Richmond, and finished the race in 41st only after running 74 laps. They were awarded no points for the race because of being a late entry. The team also made Dover, however a flat tire early in the race ended the teams run and they finished 42nd. Kevin Hamlin attempted to make his Sprint Cup debut in the #37 at Kansas, however did not qualify for the race. Travis Kvapil DNQ'd at Lowes Motor Speedway. The #37 was mostly a start and park entry in 2009, although the team ran the full race at Daytona with Tony Raines when they picked up sponsorship from Gander Mountain, and also Homestead with Travis Kvapil when Miccosukee Indian Gaming & Resort sponsored the team after David Stremme failed to qualify in the Phoenix Racing entry. Scott Egglestion crew-cheifed the car for the majority of 2009, with Buddy Sisco acting as chief during the Coke Zero 400 and Peter Sospenzo joining the team during the second half of the season. Kevin Conway will drive the #37 in 2010 with sponsoship from ExtenZe and the team will also switch to Ford.

Nationwide Series

In 2008, Front Row Motorsports focused their efforts to the Nationwide Series, with Eric McClure driving the #24 Hefty Chevrolet, with a best finish of 15th at Talladega Superspeedway. The team also attempted to buy out the fledging Specialty Racing team, for a time fielding the #61 Cone Solvents Chevrolet with driver Kevin Lepage. However, after the July race at Daytona, Specialty Racing hired Brandon Whitt to drive the #61, and returned to Ford, disregarding the supposed buyout, leading Front Row Motorsports & Kevin Lepage to file a lawsuit against the team. McClure, meanwhile, finished the year 21st in points. McClure left the team at the end of the 2008 season, bringing sponsor Hefty and the #24 to Rensi/Hamilton Racing.

In 2009, Front Row Motorsports ran the #34 Chevrolet Impala SS with veteran Tony Raines returning to the series full time. Scott Eggleston crew-cheifed the car, who has been with FRM since 2007. The entry was mostly unsponsored, with Jenkins advertising his Long John Silver's franchises on the car. Raines and his team were able to drive to 4th at the Aaron's 312 at Talladaga Superspeedway, FRM's first ever top-ten or top-five in either series, in addition to a fifteenth place finish at Las Vegas and Richmond. Later in the season, he had a sixth place finish in the rain at the NAPA Auto Parts 200, and a strong 10th place finish at Lowes Motor Speedway, finishing the year 12th in drivers points.

References

External links

• Official Front Row Motorsports Web Site
• Jayski Team 34 News
• Jayski Team 37 News
• Bob Jenkins Sprint Cup Owner Statistics