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NASCAR WCUP: MidWest Transit Race Team Moves To North Carolina

4 March 1999

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Midwest Transit Racing is closing its race shop here and is in the process of moving to Mooresville, N.C.

"This is something we did not want to do," said Mike Witters, who co-owns the NASCAR Winston Cup Series race team with Hal Hicks. "It was costing us tens of thousands of dollars not being based in the Charlotte, N.C., area."

Witters, who has a home and other business interests in Daytona Beach, said the move was a matter of racing logistics since most Winston Cup parts, technology and mechanics are based in the Charlotte area.

"Everybody we do business with, or get stuff from, or get something fixed by was up there, " said Witters. "So to buy something or get it worked on, we had to send a transporter to Charlotte, then have a guy wait a day or two then drive it back here. It was just awful."

The team began moving equipment and supplies from Daytona Beach to Mooresville late last week in addition to testing Danny Pardus at Atlanta Motor Speedway and preparing two Chevrolet for Sunday's Las Vegas 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Pardus is running for Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors with Midwest Transit. Ron Hornaday has been signed by Midwest Transit to race the Billy Bob's Roadhouse Grill-sponsored Monte Carlo at Las Vegas. This is only a one- race agreement. Pardus will start the car at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Hicks and Witters were hoping to base their race team in Daytona Beach, the home of NASCAR's world headquarters and Daytona International Speedway. But it just didn't work.

"We'd be pulling cars up and down the road every day if we didn't move," said Witters. "It just got to the point where the running around and the flurry of trying to get something done was taking more time than the getting something done."

Meanwhile, Midwest Transit Racing has purchased two Chevrolets previously raced by three-time Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon. Midwest Transit has an agreement to run Hendrick's motors for the next two seasons.

"We're absolutely delighted to have Hendrick working with us," said Witters. "You know, not every Winston Cup team will sell you their cars. Hendrick has been more than fair with us."