Undoubtedly, Jennifer Jo Cobb was one of the major story lines this past weekend at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (BMS). Just minutes before the start of the Scotts EZ Seed 300, Cobb alleges that her former car owner, Rick Russell, of 2nd Chance Motorsports was forcing her to start and park her No. 79 Ford Mustang after qualifying on-time for her BMS Nationwide debut earlier in the day.
Cobb, a native of Kansas City, Kansas refused to obey her car owners command and walked away from the situation taking an initiative and stand to save her integrity and career. Of course, the “he said, she said” games have played through the media, but one thing is for certain both Cobb and 2nd Chance Motorsports will be at Auto Club Speedway this upcoming Saturday for the Royal Purple 300. They just won’t be on the same team.
CATCHFENCE.com learned late Sunday night that Cobb will drive the No. 41 Ford Mustang for Rick Ware Racing (RWR) who stepped up to the plate and offered to help the NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year contender. For now, the arrangement is a one-race deal but Cobb is exploring options for the remainder of the season, not only with Rick Ware Racing, but other Nationwide teams as well.
“Rick Ware Racing came to the rescue and is really softening the blow,” said Cobb, who started off her 2011 NASCAR season with an impressive sixth place run in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. “Yes, they start and park some cars, but it is for the sake of having competitive cars. They are here to race and they are giving me the opportunity to do that and I am extremely grateful!”
Rick Ware Racing currently operates one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team with Jeffrey Earnhardt and has two cars in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Rookie, Timmy Hill, is the full-time driver in the No. 15 Lilly Trucking Ford Mustang with the No. 41 being shared with a variety of drivers, now including Cobb.
This past weekend, Carl Long drove the No. 41 at Bristol, and with sponsorship from Greetingexpress.com he qualified 22nd and finished 28th completing 294 of the 300 laps. While sponsorship has yet to be announced for ACS, many assume that Cobb’s new ride will be decked out with some sponsorship from both Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing (JJCR) and Rick Ware Racing. A formal announcement is expected within the coming days.
While Cobb will once again be forced to make her way into the show based on her qualifying speed, the equipment that RWR has been utilizing in Nationwide should easily allow Cobb to make her inaugural debut at two-mile Auto Club Speedway for round five of the 2011 season.
Her sudden decision on Saturday afternoon immediately drew attention via the Social Media network. From Facebook to Twitter and even personal blogs, the feedback has mainly been positive. It also initiated spikes in her support and followers from her official Facebook and Twitter outlets. Praises also filtered in from the NASCAR community including props from 2010 Nationwide champion Brad Keselowski.
2nd Chance Motorsports’ Facebook page was taken down Saturday afternoon, after a slew of nugatory posts forced those officials to withdraw their page before resurfacing Sunday night focusing on California with their new driver, Tim Andrews.
Despite her disagreement with Russell, Cobb wished her former owner well in his future endeavors. “There’s no problem. There’s only things to overcome which is just wish him well, you stay away from me and I’ll stay away from you. You do your thing and I’ll do mine.”
When the going gets tough, the tough gets going! It’s not a surprise that Jennifer Jo Cobb will be racing in a couple of days. I’ve seen, read and heard it all about the situation over the last two days. In the end and no matter whose side you are on, Cobb’s dream lives on thanks to another team stepping up to the plate and wanting to help another RACER.
Good deal.
Editor’s Note: Please also read, Jennifer Jo Cobb Stands For What She Believes; Walks Away Before Start Of Bristol Event
