Nascar team Rick Ware Racing has announced a new partnership, working through IndyCar team Dale Coyne Racing to partner with Formula 1 powerhouse Mercedes-AMG F1.
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“This is a game-changer for us here at Rick Ware Racing”, said RWR spokesman Jay Stephens. “To have one of the most-successful race teams of the past decade working with us, there’s no reason why we can’t challenge for top-30 finishes on a regular basis going forward.”
The partnership came about thanks to the help of former F1 driver Romain Grosjean.
“Romain was really the lynchpin in this deal”, Stephens explained. “We partnered with Dale Coyne Racing in Indycar to field an entry with a 5 in the number, as is required by law. Then, Romain was able to get a demonstration and test session with Mercedes-AMG F1. So as you can see, Cody Ware is practically a co-worker of Lewis Hamilton.”
Stephens said that they plan to follow in the footsteps of Stewart-Haas Racing, another team that has a partnership—albeit more concrete—with a Formula 1 squad.
“Oh, SHR, there’s a good bunch, but we feel like we can improve on that”, Stephens boasted. “I mean, we’re with the best team in all of F1—who’s SHR with? Haas, the worst team in F1. Haas has an all-rookie lineup this year—heck, even we wouldn’t do that in Nascar.”
The RWR-Mercedes partnership is expected to yield immediate dividends for the independent Nascar squad.
“We’re already working on some commemorate merchandise”, Stephens said, while holding up a mock-up of the partnership’s new logo. “Besides that, we’re looking at incorporating Mercedes’ F1 pit strategy into our Nascar race plans—just think what we could do with a sub-3-second pit stop. Really, the sky is the limit for RWR/Mercedes going forward.”
When reached for comment, a Mercedes-AMG F1 Team spokesman repeatedly asked if the interviewer was high.