Bahre Racing
| Owner(s) |
Dick Bahre / Chuck Rider (Bahari) Jack Birmingham (Eel River) |
|---|---|
| Series |
Winston Cup Series Busch Series |
| Car numbers | No. 23 / No. 30 (Bahari) No. 27 (Eel River) |
| Race drivers | Geoff Bodine, Michael Waltrip, Johnny Benson, Jr., Kenny Wallace, Jeff Fuller, Rick Mast, Mike Bliss |
| Manufacturer | Pontiac |
| Opened |
1981 (Bahari) 1999 (Eel River) |
| Closed |
1999(Bahari) 2001 (Eel River) |
| Career | |
| Debut |
1981 Daytona 500 (Daytona) (Bahari) 1999 (Martinsville) |
| Latest race |
1999 Checker Auto Parts 500 (Phoenix) (Bahari) 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 (Richmond) (Eel River) |
| Races competed |
Bahari: 426 (Cup) 81 (Busch) Eel River: 58 (Eel River) |
| Drivers' Championships | 0 |
| Race victories | 0 |
| Pole positions | 5 (Bahari) |
Eel River Racing was a NASCAR Winston Cup team that operated from 1981 to 2001. The team's history of drivers include Geoff Bodine, Michael Waltrip, Johnny Benson, Kenny Wallace, Jeff Fuller, Rick Mast, and Mike Bliss, among others. The team mainly ran Pontiac Grand Prixs, although they did run other manufacturers as well. The team was also known as Bahre Racing and Bahari Racing prior to its purchase by Jack Birmingham in 1999, where it acquired its final name.
The team originally started as the Bahre Racing No. 23 Pontiac owned by Dick Bahre in 1981. The team ran part-time until 1986. Chuck Rider entered the fold in 1987. The team at that point was renamed Bahari Racing, using the first two letters of each of the three principal owners' surnames (Dick BAhre, Lowrance HArry, & Chuck RIder). Waltrip, who ran a few races in late 1985 for the team, ran for Rookie of the Year in 1986 in a car sponsored by Hawaiian Punch.
1987 saw the team switch numbers from 23 to 30 and manufacturers from Pontiac to Chevrolet. Hawaiian Punch left the team, resulting in a revolving door of sponsors before All Pro Auto Parts came on for the rest of the season.
1988 saw the team switch back to Pontiac and acquire sponsorship from Country Time Lemonade. Waltrip then proceeded to miss the field for the 1988 Daytona 500. The team bought the Mueller Brothers' No. 89 entry and ran that car in the race to a 22nd-place finish. The June race at Pocono saw Waltrip bring the No. 30 home in 2nd place, in addition to two other top-10 finishes that season. 1989 saw an additional five top-10's for the team, while 1990 (which saw Maxwell House join the team as a co-sponsor to Country Time) saw Waltrip pick up five top 5's and five more top-10's in addition. However, at the end of the season, both Country Time and Maxwell House left the No. 30 for full-time sponsorships on other cars (the No. 68 for Tri-Star Motorsports and the new No. 22 for Junior Johnson Motorsports, respectively).
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