Cole Whitt, BK Racing add six-race sponsorship from Speed Stick
When Swan Racing was about to shut down, co-owner Anthony Marlowe publicly vowed to do everything in his power to keep rookie Cole Whitt on the track.
Marlowe took another step toward keeping his word Tuesday when BK Racing announced an additional six races in sponsorship from Speed Stick GEAR, beginning with the Coca-Cola 600 this weekend.
Whitt, Marlowe and the No. 26 team began the year as part of Swan's two-car stable. But when Swan closed, Marlowe — who had owned 20% of the team — bought out Whitt's car and moved the team (and its personnel) to BK Racing. He then divested his Swan ownership and became a minority owner in BK Racing to complete the merge.
"I was impressed with Cole's performance for the equipment he was in, and I was committed one way or the other to making sure the kid could race and was willing to do what I had to do to make that happen," Marlowe told USA TODAY Sports via phone Tuesday. "I didn't want to see him get hurt, because I thought he deserved to race."
Now Whitt is part of a three-car team with fellow rookies Alex Bowman and Ryan Truex. Though the team hasn't been very competitive — none of its drivers are in the top 30 in points — Marlowe said BK Racing is "chipping away at things."
"We believe we're going to become — and already are — the team that's the best bang for the buck," he said. "We believe there's potential…to deliver a larger sponsorship package for a more reasonable amount of money."
He cited Speed Stick's continued investment as a sign (the brand was also on the car for the first four races), particularly because the team doesn't run near the front. Whitt's best finish this season is 18th at Auto Club Speedway.
But BK Racing majority owner Ron Devine has five- and 10-year plans for the company's growth and success, Marlowe said, and there's hope for the future thanks to NASCAR's win-and-get-in rule for the Chase.
"That (rule) is inspiring; that's motivating," Marlowe said. "That gives a team like ours hope. There's the top-30 (requirement), but we really think in the next couple years, we'll be able to win a race, make the Chase and be grouped with those top teams."
Still, Marlowe could have just dropped his entry when it became clear Swan couldn't continue. But he said thoughts of future races kept him going.
"I was sitting there with an entry with my name on it," he said. "I've got a lot of pride and I wanted to keep that provisional alive. I've been friends with Ron through business outside of racing, and he was willing to take us in and keep that dream alive."
Follow Gluck on Twitter @jeff_gluck