Front Row Motorsports Team
Front Row Motorsports with Yates Racing is team that competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup & Nationwide Series. 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. In 2010, Doug Yates will become part owner of the team. The team fields the #34 Long John Silvers Ford Fusion for Travis Kvapil, #37 Extenze Ford for rookie Kevin Conway and the #38 Taco Bell/Mahindra Tractors Ford for David Gilliland, John Andretti, and Robert Richardson, Jr. in the Sprint Cup Series. They also field the #34 Chevrolet for Tony Raines in the Nationwide Series in association with Tri-Star Motorsports.
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 In the fall of 2005, their website announced that the team was up for sale, but that was quickly rescinded.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.
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.
