Robert Yates Racing is prepared to lose Dale Jarrett to Toyota, but the organization doesn't plan to lose Jarrett's sponsor or teammate Elliott Sadler to the manufacturer set to enter Nextel Cup in 2007.
Michael Waltrip, who will field two Toyota cars next season, is scheduled to make a live announcement Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on SPEED regarding the future of his organization.
According to a source close to the situation, Waltrip plans to announce a deal with a current Cup driver.
Jarrett admitted last week at Richmond that he'd had discussions with Waltrip and that it was just a matter of finalizing details before he announced his future plans.
Eddie D'Hondt, the general manager at RYR, said Thursday there have been talks with Jarrett about him leaving the organization with which he won a championship in 1999 and has been with since 1995.
He would not speculate on who might replace Jarrett.
"We're as far as we can be with things,'' he said. "There have been talks about a whole bunch of things.''
But D'Hondt was optimistic that UPS will remain with the company.
"We are working through that with them,'' he said. "They're a great sponsor and we hope to continue with them for a lot of years.''
D'Hondt reminded that Sadler, reportedly a target for a Toyota team sponsored by Team Red Bull, is in the first of a three-year extension with RYR and his sponsors.
Meanwhile, D'Hondt said crew chief Richard "Slugger'' Labbe would accompany Jarrett to Darlington for Saturday night's race.
NASCAR on Tuesday suspended Labbe for four weeks and fined him $25,000 for using an unapproved rear sway bar mounting that was discovered during pre-race inspection.
RYR's appeal will be heard by the National Stock Car Racing Commission on Wednesday. Labbe will be allowed to remain with the team until the appeal is heard.
"The area in question is a gray area,'' D'Hondt said. "We feel like it isn't clearly written. It needs to be interpreted a little clearer.''
