Mast latest in line at Eel River merry-go-round.

NASCAR Winston Cup veteran and former Midwest Transit Racing driver Rick Mast has become the latest driver to try his hand behind the wheel of the No.27 Duke's sponsored Eel River Racing Pontiac following the mid-season departure of Kenny Wallace and the short tenure of Mike Bliss with the team.

Rick Mast has officially signed on as driver for Eel River Racing for the remainder of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup season, the Mooresville, North Carolina, based team announced earlier this week. Mast and the team will compete in all 16 remaining races this season in cars sponsored by The C.F. Sauer Company and Duke's Mayonnaise brand.

"Rick is the driver for the number 27 Eel River Racing Pontiac and The C.F. Sauer Company and Duke's Mayonnaise for the rest of the year," said Devin Birmingham, Vice President of Eel River Racing. "We are looking forward to being competitive week in and week out. Rick is fired up about it, we're fired up, and so is The C. F. Sauer Company."

Crew Chief and Co-Owner Barry Dodson said that the team was so enthusiastic about Mast joining the team that crew members were hard at work in the shop after Sunday's Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway.

"We're thrilled to have Rick in the car," Dodson said. "As a matter of fact today (Monday) is a day off for the road crew and everyone is here at the shop is working because we want a good effort at Indy. He deserves that and we know now that we've got somebody that will really give us a solid effort."

"I'm real excited about this opportunity," Mast said. "All the way around, it seems to be a neat situation. The owners are committed to do whatever is necessary to make this team competitive. Eel River Racing has a first rate shop facility in Mooresville, North Carolina that's second to none. They've got some good equipment and good race cars sitting in the shop."

"We've got to figure out what's wrong with everything and fix it. It's not rocket science, but it is a situation where you have to identify the problem," continued Mast who has driven for a hatful of Winston Cup teams in the last three seasons. "Once you identify them then you fix them. It's going to take a little time and everybody knows that."

Mast was quick to add that another great part of his new opportunity is his association with The C.F. Sauer Company. The company is based in Richmond, Virginia, just a short drive from Mast's hometown of Rockbridge Baths.

"That's a novel experience, having a sponsor that's close to you," Mast said. "The Sauer family owns the company and they are a real neat bunch of people."

Mast finished 35th in the Pennsylvania 500 after losing a cylinder near the halfway point of the race. His best finish of the 2001 season came just two weeks ago in the New England 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway where he placed 14th on the lead lap in what proved to be his final drive with the struggling Midwest Transit operation with whom Mast has qualified for nine races this season. The winner of the inaugural NASCAR pole position at Indianapolis is currently 46th in points.

Mast's arrival in the dishevelled Eel River camp could be the final throw of the dice for the second year operation who have been through more drivers in 18 months than most Winston Cup teams go through in ten years with Jeff Fuller, Bliss, Wallace, Bliss again and now Mast all occupying the hot-seat. Mast's start at the Pennsylvania 500 last Sunday was the first start for the team since Dover in early June and the amiable veteran is renowned for his ability to sort a troublesome car out and get good speed from it as he sporadically showed with AJ Foyt Racing last season.

However Mast will have to conjure all the experience he has if he wishes to turn the No.27 machine into a remotely competitive proposition as the team has floundered at the tail of the grid since arriving on the NWC scene at the start of 2000 and this could be a classic case of out of the frying pan and into the fire for one of NASCAR's perennial backmarkers.

As for the No.50 team, journeyman Rich Bickle, not seen in Winston Cup since the tail end of last year where he was an unfortunate cog in Joe Bessey's No.60 Chevrolet wheel, will take over duties this weekend for the Brickyard 400. Midwest Transit have been attempting a near full-time Winston Cup season for the first time since purchasing the No.50 from Hendrick Motorsports at the end of 1998 but have qualified for only nine of 20 races thus far in 2001. Their plans for the remainder of the season are currently unclear.