Stricklin to pilot #90 Ford at Indy.

Junie Donlavey, who parted company with regular driver Ed Berrier last week has gone for experience in the short term by signing up Hut Stricklin and Brian Simo to drive his Hills Bros. Coffee sponsored Ford Taurus at two of the most revered events of the season.

Stricklin, who has more than a decade of Winston Cup experience behind him last competed in the division for the Stavola Brothers in their Circuit City sponsored outfit last year. He will pilot the car at Indianapolis for the seventh running of the Brickyard 400 before handing over the machine to Simo for the Watkins Glen event the next weekend.

Donlavey, who is one of the last true privateer owners in the Winston Cup, has already called upon Simo this year at Sears Point where his years of Trans Am and Sportscar experience enabled him to qualify the car inside the top 36.

Donlavey has not yet announced who will be the driver of the car for the remaining 13 races on the 2000 schedule after the Global Crossing @ the Glen although Stricklin and fellow NASCAR veterans Morgan Shepherd and Ted Musgrave (currently subbing for SABCO) have all been linked with the drive.

Simo is not thought to be under consideration for the full time drive as he is currently leading the revitalised Trans Am series and has no real oval racing background. His appointment for Watkins Glen comes as a result of the team's lack of provisional starting slots which makes qualifying for races all that more difficult. Berrier could only qualifying for ten of the 19 races he contested for the team and used all their provisional starting slots during that time.

The decision over who will act as the crew chief for Stricklin this weekend in place of Dean Johnson, who was also released last week, will be made in the run up to the event although Donlavey may promote a member of the pit-crew to the position as he seeks out a suitable replacement for the rest of the year.