FONTANA, Calif. — Hall of Fame Racing, a single-car team built by two former NFL quarterbacks, now has backing from baseball.
Two executives with the Arizona Diamondbacks have purchased majority interest in the Nextel Cup team owned by Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach.
Jeff Moorad, chief executive officer of the Diamondbacks, and Tom Garfinkel, the chief operating officer, were introduced Sunday at California Speedway as the controlling owners of Hall of Fame Racing.
“Hall of Fame has assembled a special group of people and created a foundation for success that we hope to build on,” Moorad said. “You win with people, and we want to add resources and opportunity for the people who are here.”
Aikman and Staubach, both Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks with the Dallas Cowboys, formed the team in 2003 along with three business partners. They’ll retain minority interest, as will Bill Saunders, Paul Whitman and Mark Griege.
Hall of Fame is in its second season. Its No. 96 DLP HDTV-sponsored Chevrolet is driven by Tony Raines, who finished 27th Sunday night. Raines’s best showing came last fall at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, where he finished seventh.
Many NASCAR teams have been actively pursuing partners in an effort to stay ahead. Boston Red Sox owner John Henry aligned with Roush Racing at the start of the season, and Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillett took controlling interest of Ray Evernham’s operation last month.