Office Depot will sponsor the No. 99 car a minimum of eight Cup races. Credit: Jason Schoellen/Turner Sports Interactive

Office Depot to sponsor Edwards' No. 99 entry

Three-year deal begins with season-opening Daytona 500

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The sponsor search for Roush Racing's No. 99 Ford may have ended.

Office Depot, which became NASCAR's Official Office Products Partner this year, has signed a three-year deal to back Carl Edwards in Roush's Nextel Cup car.

"Office Depot's decision to join Roush Racing in 2005 will give NASCAR fans an opportunity to show their support for Carl Edwards and Roush Racing's No. 99 Ford Taurus in their office supply choices for their homes and offices," team owner Jack Roush said. "All of Roush Racing is extremely excited about the future with Carl and Office Depot in the years ahead."

Inside the Numbers Wednesday afternoon test speeds No. Driver MPH 1. Dale Jarrett 186.453 2. Jeff Gordon 185.736 3. Greg Biffle 185.094 4. Jeremy Mayfield 184.972 5. Elliott Sadler 184.926 6. Mike Bliss 184.839 7. Randy LaJoie 184.831 8. Boris Said 184.824 9. Kurt Busch 184.528 10. Mike McLaughlin 184.475 11. Ricky Rudd 184.358 12. Michael Waltrip 184.181 13. Kenny Wallace 184.087 14. Kyle Petty 183.835 15. Jason Leffler 183.797 16. Ryan Newman 183.643 17. Travis Kvapil 183.397 18. Carl Edwards 183.348 19. Kyle Busch 183.299 20. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 183.206 21. Jamie McMurray 183.091 22. Morgan Shepherd 182.205 23. Casey Mears 182.190 24. Mike Skinner 182.101 25. Kerry Earnhardt 181.108 26. Jeff Fuller 180.658

But the sponsorship is only for a minimum of eight races, beginning with this year's Daytona 500. More races could be forthcoming for the team, which has been without a full-time sponsor since Citgo left after the 2003 season.

Edwards replaced Jeff Burton in the No. 99 last August, running in 13 of the season's final 14 races. Edwards, who graduated from Roush's Craftsman Truck Series program, performed well, finishing sixth in his second and third career starts and then finishing third at Atlanta.

"I'm really excited to have Office Depot on board as a primary sponsor in 2005," Edwards said. "This No. 99 team has worked extremely hard over the last year and I think we have a team that is capable of winning. To have a sponsor like Office Depot on the car is a great honor for me. The company's support will help our team in our quest to win races and a Nextel Cup Championship."

The No. 99 team finished 21st in Nextel Cup points last year, using Burton, Edwards and Dave Blaney as drivers. The team also had 13 sponsors on the car throughout the season, mostly one-race efforts.

"Office Depot is very excited about taking its relationship with NASCAR to the next level through our partnership with Roush Racing," said Chuck Rubin, Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising/Marketing Officer for Office Depot. "Joining the NASCAR family and the championship Roush Racing team aligns our business with an exciting sport, a winning race team, and a talented young driver who will take care of business on the track."