WoO: Cormack Hires Herrera to Drive #1BK Sprinter
11 December 1998
By Richard Day 
|
EAGLE, NE - Craig Cormack ended weeks of speculation by hiring Johnny Herrera to drive his #1BK DOCC Motorsports sprinter, the car owner/race promoter announced Wednesday.
"I met Johnny several years ago, and I've always felt comfortable with him," said Cormack, a Burger King franchisee and owner of Eagle Raceway. "When he was racing for Jeff Gilliam (in 1994), we helped sponsor the car."
Cormack had Joey Saldana, a good friend of Herrera's, driving the #1BK during the Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series final five races of the 1998 season. When Saldana decided to stay with Mox Motorsports, he mentioned the #1BK to Herrera, who left the #47 Casey's General Stores team following the Channellock Fall Classic at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Herrera called Cormack, who was considering several drivers, and they decided to go racing together.
"Right now, our agreement is to race at Knoxville Raceway and with the Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series," Cormack said. "We'll probably be able to run 60 or 70 races with the World of Outlaws while we race for the Knoxville track championship. After the Nationals (Amoco Knoxville Nationals, August 11-14), we'll see where we stand in the Knoxville points. We hope to have the championship locked up and be able to go west with the World of Outlaws.
"We're going to evaluate where we are all the time. I told Johnny that if we run in the top four in a World of Outlaws (preliminary) race on a Friday, I don't think it will make sense to go and run Knoxville. We don't let a good opportunity go. I want to win the Knoxville championship, but our first goal is to run well. I want to build a good relationship so we can be strong in the future.
"I've been watching Johnny for several years and I've always thought he raced extremely well. Hopefully, we'll be able to qualify well. We were in three Channellock Dashes in the five races we ran at the end of the year.
"We're ordering parts and should be ready to start the 1999 season with the Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series. We have two more Klein engines coming and we're going to stay with Eagle chassis. Davey Whitworth will be our crew chief. We're excited about this. We're definitely going to race with the World of Outlaws full-time in 2000."
Herrera, who won the Knoxville Raceway championship in 1995, is happy about driving for Cormack.
"This is a good opportunity for me," said Herrera, who finished eighth in the Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series point standings the last two years he drove the #47.
Cormack said his car would continue to be black with yellow trim and, unless he and his marketing people we able to secure additional sponsorship, his team would be sponsored by Burger King, Dr Pepper and Networks Bank Cards.
