Ginn Racing
Ginn Racing was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series team based in Mooresville, North Carolina, near the sport's hub in Charlotte. Its principal owners in its final season, 2007, were resort and real-estate developer Bobby Ginn (the Ginn family Owned 80%) and longtime team director Jay Frye (20%). The team's original name was MB2 Motorsports, formed by the last names of the team owners Read Morton, Tom Beard, and Nelson Bowers. Bowers was the longest tenured of the original owners, and the listed owner of the teams' entries when Bobby Ginn bought out the team. The Valvoline corporation co-owned the #10 (later the #14) car with the principal owners from 2001 to 2005 as MBV Motorsports, while the #36 entry (later the #13) was co-owned by Centrix Financial, LLC owner Robert Sutton as MB Sutton Motorsports in 2005.
NEXTEL Cup Series
Car #01 / #36 history
The #01 car started out as the #36 Pontiac in 1997 with sponsorship from M&M-Mars through its Skittles candy brand, and driver Derrike Cope. Cope finished 27th in the final point standings. Veteran driver Ernie Irvan took over from Cope in 1998. The season was highlighted by Irvan's pole win at the Brickyard 400. M&M's replaced Skittles as the team's sponsor in 1999. Irvan retired from racing in September following a crash at Michigan International Speedway. Dick Trickle temporarily replaced Irvan before the driving chores were permanently turned over to journeyman Jerry Nadeau.