No Fear Racing

No Fear Racing was a part-time NASCAR Sprint Cup series team racing the #60 SoBe No Fear Energy Drink Ford Fusion driven by Boris Said.

It was owned by Said, Frank Stoddard and Mark Simo, owner of the No Fear brand. It was opened in May 2006 and closed in September 2009.

History

In May 2006, Frank Stoddard, and life-long friend Boris Said, teamed up with No Fear CEO Mark Simo, and PepsiCo's SoBe Energy Drink, to start a new team. The slogan was "Sell more cases so we can run more races." The primary driver was road-course ringer, and co-owner Boris Said who was numbered 60. In 2006 Said bought some racecars from Roush Racing owner Jack Roush as well as some pit crews. In June 2006, Roush-Racing executive decided to do a double duty and approve some business deals at both Roush-Racing and No Fear Racing as well as operate the #60 team for one race (Watkins Glen).

The team had their first race in 2006 at Sonoma. Said qualified in 5th place. After leading 1 lap in the event, Said finished in 9th place. For Boris Said, his 9th place spot at Sonoma was unsurprising but the surprise of the year came the next week at Daytona. There Said beat Tony Stewart by a fraction of a MPH for the pole spot in one of the biggest upsets ever in the sport. Said however fell back towards the lapped racers in the beginning laps threatening his pole to be called a fluke by fans. However Said was able to convince the drivers, crews, and fans that his pole was no fluke when Said took the lead with 9 laps left. After a caution, Said prepared to win his first Cup victory, but was passed by Tony Stewart with 1 1/2 laps left in the event. Said finished in 4th place but was so emotional by it that he compared himself with Rocky Balboa and was in tears of joy in a post-race interview. At Indianapolis Said crashed on lap 19, and at Watkins Glen finished in 31st place. Nonetheless his good finishes brought him enough money to run more races in 2007.

In 2007, Boris Said qualified at Daytona in the Daytona 500. Said avoided the last lap pileup to finish in 14th place. At Talladega, Boris Said finished in 27th spot after leading a lap. At Sonoma, Said finished in 9th place. At the Pepsi 400, Said was about to take a second consecutive pole spot for 2007's Pepsi 400, but rain foiled his hopes of not only winning the pole, but being in the race itself. Even if Said finished his qualification, he would not have won it regardless if the rain came after his turn to qualify because NASCAR rules state that if qualifying is cancelled they decide the lineup by owner points.

Said then failed to qualify at Watkins Glen due to rain and as a result, was hired by Wood Bros. Racing to replace Ken Schrader at the Glen. In 2008, Boris Said received sponsorship with 7-Eleven for No Fear Racing. He failed to qualify for the Daytona 500 and Watkins Glen event, but was picked up by Petty Enterprises to race the #45 for the Glen event. To save money, the team merged with Edward Rensi Racing in 2008 in the Nationwide Series.

After 3 years of waiting, the team ran out of money and split up in 2011.

Trivia

• Said's upset pole spot was rated one of NASCAR's biggest upsets in history, in 2008.
• Frank Stoddard purchased what remained of the team, to form FAS Lane Racing in 2011.

External Links

• Jayski team profile