By Brit Fryer

RICHMOND, Va. — The state of Robert Yates Racing unfolded in strange fashion in a one-day span. But as the Nextel Cup Series left Richmond Int’l Raceway, three things were clear:
• Robert Yates intends to retire at the end of the season, with certain elements of the team being transferred to a new company operated by his son, Doug Yates. The organization will be known as Yates Racing.
• David Gilliland and current Craftsman Truck driver Travis Kvapil will pilot the team’s two Fords in 2008, with the cars carrying the Nos. 38 and 88.
• And the supposed partnership with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing of the Champ Car World Series is no longer.
“What’s going to make this work is that this is my company moving forward and this is my plan,” Doug Yates said Saturday. “I don’t have a B plan. There’s only an A plan, and we’re going to make it work.”
Yates said the relationship with Roush Fenway Racing, one that includes everything from engines to marketing support, is key to his team’s success.
“Jack is going to help us with all the hardware,” Yates said. “At the end of the day, Ford Motor Company has really helped me personally. They told me, ‘Doug, if you do this, we’re behind you.’ With Jack’s support, I think we can make it work.”
Dan Davis, the director of Ford Racing Technology, agreed.
“Philosophically,” Davis said, “the partnership with Newman/Haas/ Lanigan had merit. However, there’s no question that partnering with Roush Fenway Racing will provide more immediate technical and operating support, leading to improved on-track performance.”
Since the elder Yates formed the team in 1989, it has posted 57 victories and 48 poles to go along with the 1999 championship with driver Dale Jarrett. It’s an organization steeped in history, fielding cars for the likes of Davey Allison, Ernie Irvan and Kenny Irwin.
“I’m closing this chapter of my life,” Robert Yates said in a statement, “and I cannot wait to see what is in store for me next. (Wife) Carolyn and I look forward to watching Doug build Yates Racing into a championship-caliber team.”
“It’s just taken him until now for him to say, ‘Hey, you’ve got a vision here. You carry it out and you go after it’,” Doug Yates said of his dad.