BAM Racing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Owner(s) Name | Beth Ann Morgenthau, Tony Morgenthau |
| Racing Series | NEXTEL Cup |
| Number of Championships | 0 |
| Car Number(s) | #49 |
| Driver(s) | Mike Bliss |
| Primary Sponsor(s) | WhatsOnline.com |
| Shop Location | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Homepage | BAM Racing |
BAM Racing is a NASCAR racing team based in Charlotte, North Carolina owned by Beth Ann and Tony Morganthau. The team's #49 WhatsOnline.com Dodge Charger is driven by Mike Bliss in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. The team's current primary sponsor changes on a race to race basis.
The team was created in 2001, when they ran the ARCA RE/MAX Series with Andy Hillenburg. They attempted their first cup race at the Pepsi 400 with Hillenburg, but failed to qualify. They also attempted the Pennsylvania 500 and the Brickyard 400 with Hillenburg, as well as the Pennzoil Freedom 400 with Rich Bickle, but did not qualify for any of those races.
BAM made its first Cup race in 2002 with Shawna Robinson as its driver. It was announced that she would compete in 24 races, but struggled and her last race for the season was at the second Daytona race where she would finish 40th. Kevin Lepage, Stuart Kirby, Ron Hornaday, Stacy Compton, and Derrike Cope would finish out the season with a best finish of 22nd at Talladega. For the 2003 season it was announced that Ken Schrader would drive #49 1-800-CALL-ATT Dodge. This sponsorship was only for a quarter of the season and again the team had to run without sponsorship for multiple races. The team qualified for 32 races and had a best finish of 8th at Michigan. In 2004, it was announced BAM Racing had secured a deal with Schwan Food Company for multiple years. They were able to achieve a best finish of 6th during the season, had three less DNF's, and improved their average finish by two places. The team also ran a second car for Klaus Graf at Infineon and he brought the #59 SEM/Color Horizons Dodge home in 17th place. Schwan's and Schrader again returned for the 2005 season and BAM had it's best season to date with three top tens and an average finish of 25th place.
After the conclusion of the 2005 season, Ken Schrader left to join Wood Brothers/JTG Racing. For 2006, Schrader was replaced by Brent Sherman who brought along sponsorship from Serta. He was to run for the Rookie of the Year award, however after struggling through the start of the season Jimmy Spencer was hired by BAM Racing being to race at Martinsville Speedway. Spencer was also be an advisor for BAM and was a mentor for Sherman during his time there. Another driver change was announced in May, as Mike Wallace raced the #49 at Richmond. In May 2006, Kevin Lepage left Front Row Motorsports to take over the #49, before he was replaced by Mike Bliss in October. Chris Cook was hired to drive for the team to run the road course events, but failed to qualify for both events.
