According to NBC Sports’ NASCAR Talk, RAB Racing with Brack Maggard has decided to withdraw their No. 29 Toyota from this weekend’s CampingWorld.com 500k at Phoenix International Raceway so that they can take an overall look at their Sprint Cup program. As a result, Reed Sorenson will be spending the weekend on the sidelines. RAB Racing with Brack Maggard’s withdrawal drops the number of entries for this weekend’s race to 45.
Team co-owner Robby Benton stated in an e-mail that the team needs to regroup after failing to qualify for the first three races of the season.“After having missed the first three events (failed to qualify in each), there’s no need to chase points,” Benton told NASCAR Talk’s Jerry Bonkowski in the aforementioned email. “We don’t have sponsorship for every event, we just wanted to attempt the first three to see how points worked out. After missing Las Vegas, it made sense to skip Phoenix and take the added time to better prepare for California (Auto Club) Speedway. That’s a home race for TRD (Toyota Racing Development) and very important for us.”
While the team is withdrawing from this weekend’s action at Phoenix International Raceway, they will remain on the entry list for next weekend’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway in California. After the Auto Club 400, the team’s schedule will likely be more limited in nature.
“The more support we secure, the more events we’ll run,” Benton explained in a matter-of-fact fashion. “The [Sprint Cup Series] is tough right now with the rule changes and number of teams vying for a spot (on the 43-car race grid).”
For RAB Racing with Brack Maggard, just being able to qualify for a Sprint Cup race has been a tough task. Since 2012, they have attempted seven races with five different drivers (Sorenson, Justin Marks, Joe Nemechek, Matt Crafton and Kenny Wallace), failing to qualify for all seven of them.
Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He's the manager of the site's FREE e-mail newsletter that publishes Monday-Friday and occasionally on weekends. He keeps TV broadcasters honest with weekly editions of Couch Potato Tuesday and serves as the site's Sports Car racing editor.
Outside of Frontstretch, Phil is the press officer for Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y. He covers all the action on the high-banked dirt track from regular DIRTcar Modified racing to occasional visits from touring series such as the Super DIRTcar Series.