FANTASY NASCAR Racin

STAVOLA BROTHERS -
was a NASCAR racing team, owned by Bill and Mickey Stavola, and operating NASCAR Cup Series teams from 1984 through 1998. The team started out with Bobby Hillin Jr driving the #8 Tap Rock Industries machine and also drive for the Stavola Brothers in 1985; only posting three Top 10 finishes during that span. In 1986 Bobby Allison was brought on board as the team expanded to a two car operation. Allison would win the spring race at Talladega; while Hillin would win the Fall event. Allison would win at Daytona in the 400 the following season; but Hillin would go win-less. The team won the 1988 Daytona 500 with Bobby Allison behind the wheel of the #12 Miller High Life Buick; but things would take a turn for the worse several weeks later at Pocono. Allison spun on the opening lap, and then was slammed very hard in the

driver's door by Jocko Maggiacomo. Allison was severely injured, and as a result, lost all memory of the 1988 season, including his fairytale win in the Daytona 500, where he led his son, Davey, in a father-son 1-2 finish. Mike Alexander would be hired to finish out the season. He would have a good remainder of the season posting nine Top 15 finishes in the 16 races he ran. Hillin remained on for 1989 and Dick Trickle was brought in to drive the second car; replacing Alexander. In 1989 Dick Trickle was named NASCAR Rookie of the Year while driving for the

team. He would have six Top 5 finishes; three times finishing third. Hillin would post only one Top 5. In 1990 Trickle left to go drive for Cale Yarborough and the Stavola Brothers ran with just a one car team; with Hillin still their driver. He again only had one Top 5 finish and was released at the end of the year. The following season with Hillin gone; Rick Wilson took the wheel,with sponsorship from Snickers, and the team switched to a Ford Thunderbird after Buick pulled out of NASCAR . It was a disappointing season as he had a best finish of 12th. Wilson ran the season opening Daytona 500 in 1992 and finished 23rd. Dick Trickle was hired back on board to

finish out the season. He ended the season with two Top 5 and eighth Top 10 finishes. The team again switched drivers, as Sterling Marlin drove for the team in 1993 with new sponsorship from Raybestos, finishing second at the Pepsi 400 in July. It was his only Top 5 finish. Once again the team looked for another driver and Jeff Burton was brought on board for the next two seasons. He posted two Top 5 finishes the first season and won Rookie of the Year. However, he only posted three Top 5 finishes over those

two seasons; and also did not qualify for three events. He was hired by Jack Roush for 1996; and Hut Stricklin came to the team to wheel their machine. In 1996 Hut Stricklin was hired to drive with Circuit City replacing Raybestos, which had become an associate sponsor for Robert Yates Racing. Stricklin finished second at the Mountain Dew Southern 500 in September. In 1998 the team switched to a Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Stricklin was released in May, after failing to qualify for five of the season's first 11 races, and Circuit City left to become an associate sponsor for Joe Gibbs Racing and driver Bobby Labonte. During a five race

partnership with Buckshot Racing, Buckshot Jones finished eighth during the MBNA Platinum 400. Morgan Shepherd would make the organizations final start at Atlanta of that same year. The race was on November 8, 1998 at Atlanta Motor Speedway during the NAPA 500 in a Nokia/Kendall Motor Oil-sponsored car. Shepherd was running up front before he blew a tire and crashed out on lap 197. After this race the team shut down. For it's career, the team fielded cars for 524 races and had four wins. They also had 36 Top 5's