Did Troy Aikman Own a NASCAR Team? What Is Ex-Cowboys QB’s Racing Connection?

NASCAR has a history of attracting prominent sports personalities from other major sports. We’ve seen that come true with basketball legends like Michael Jordan and Brad Daugherty’s involvement as team owners. MJ co-owns 23XI Racing alongside veteran driver Denny Hamlin, whereas Daugherty has been active with HYAK Motorsports and his broadcasting duties. But, apart from the NBA, the NFL personalities and legends have also contributed to the growth of NASCAR.

Although former Washington Redskin’s coach Joe Gibbs’ ownership stint stands out, he isn’t the only NFL personality to be linked with NASCAR. Former Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks, Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach, also had a good run as owners of the Hall of Fame Racing team. Let us dive deep into the team’s inception story and uncover the reason behind their exit from the sport in 2009.

Troy Aikman and Hall of Famer Racing’s NASCAR story

In addition to Aikman and Staubach, veteran Trans Am driver Bill Saunders was part of the ownership group at HOF Racing. The team made its debut in 2006 with the help of a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champ, Terry Labonte. He was the one who piloted the team’s No. 96 entry backed by Chevrolet for the first five races.

Right from the get-go, Troy Aikman and his partners had ambitious plans to compete against the big boys. Setting out realistic expectations from their debut run, Aikman stated, “I’m guarded about saying, well, if we can be in the top 25 or the top 20 at the end of the season, we’d really be pleased, because we’d all like to win. That certainly is the objective. Next year, our goals would obviously enhance.”

However, Labonte only ran a limited race for the team with Tom Raines taking over after Bristol. It was all a part of the plan, and Labonte would return for a couple of road course races in between the season. This was a vision Aikman was trying to put in motion since 2003, and it was finally up and running. At the end of the 2006 season, the team finished 26th in the overall standings, hitting their realistic expectations mark.

Raines had never won a race at the Cup or the Busch Series level, but he tried his best, and in 2007 he ran the whole schedule. Ron Fellows did join in for the two road course races at Sonoma and Watkins Glen. They bettered their overall standing tally and ended the season 25th, but this was the best they could conjure. The following year, the team decided to partner with Joe Gibbs Racing, moving to the Toyota camp. This was the beginning of the end for Troy Aikman’s dream of running a successful NASCAR team.

Here’s what led to the downfall of the Hall of Fame Racing Team

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The team thought they would be in a better spot competition-wise to strike a partnership with a premier NASCAR team. Their alliance with JGR sorted out their issue for a driver with J.J. Yeley joining them; he was contracted to pilot the #96 car until 2010. However, this partnership quickly turned into a nightmare as Yeley wasn’t able to deliver consistent results and failed to qualify for four races.

Trying to salvage the season, the owners brought in P.J. Jones, Brad Coleman, Ken Schrader, and Joey Logano. But, despite the switch, there wasn’t a significant improvement in the results, and at the end of the season, they finished 39th. This was a big decline from the last two years, and as it turns out, there was more going on behind the scenes in terms of ownership changes. Jeff Moorad and Tom Garfinkle had joined in as investors, and they were the ones calling the shots for the entirety of the 2008 season. Which also includes the decision to join forces with Joe Gibbs Racing.

As it turns out, ahead of the 2008 season, both Aikman and Staubach had kind of pulled the plug on their ownership venture. With the new investors joining in, they were limited to the role of minority stakeholders of the team. However, it was later announced that after the 2008 season, the two partners would be leaving the team to follow their passion project. The HOF Racing continued to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series with Yates Racing and Bobby Labonte. But this project was also scrapped after the 2009 season as Yates Racing joined with Richard Petty Motorsports and Front Row Motorsports.

And this is how the story of the #96 single-car entry in NASCAR came to an end.