 Before the season ended, Kranefuss decided change was needed, and replaced Andretti with the relatively unknown Jeremy Mayfield.The team improved to be 13th in the points in 1997, but it was obvious the team would not succeed if it only fielded one team.In 1998, Kranefuss announced his team would merge with Penske Racing, and would also change to the #12 with Mobil Oil sponsoring the car.