Silly Season reaches apex at Atlanta
By Marty Smith, Turner Sports Interactive
November 16, 2001
3:51 PM EST (2051 GMT)
HAMPTON, Ga. -- The NASCAR Winston Cup Series “Silly Season” inched towards its close Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, as several teams announced their plans for 2002.
Evernham Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Chip Ganassi Racing and Richard Childress Racing all made their futures known in various press conferences throughout the day.
Here’s the proverbial meat and potatoes of each:
HE’S NO. 1
Dale Earnhardt, Inc. signed veteran Kenny Wallace to a one-year contract as a “contingency plan,” just in case injured driver Steve Park is unable to return in time for the Feb. 17 running of the Daytona 500.
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Kenny Wallace
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Wallace has piloted the No. 1 Pennzoil Chevrolet since early September, when Park was injured in a freak accident during a caution period in the NASCAR Busch Series event at Darlington Raceway.
Ty Norris, DEI executive vice president of motorsports, said that there’s a chance Wallace may not even man the car in 2002. If Park is 100 percent healthy, he’ll drive it. But will he be?
Park continues to improve daily during rigorous rehabilitation sessions, but according to Norris, “no doctor in the world could predict when he might come back.”
Two weeks ago, Norris and Teresa Earnhardt met with Park for nearly two hours to determine where he felt he was in the recuperation process. After receiving permission from Park, Norris conducted another hour-plus meeting with the driver’s doctors.
Then it was off to Houston to discuss the matter with Pennzoil, who was ecstatic with Wallace’s performance both on and off the track.
After three weeks of meetings, it was decided that Wallace should be hired on as the fourth full-time DEI driver. He will be paid a full salary regardless of the number of races he runs.
Wallace will also run 20 races in the No. 48 Busch Series car for owner George deBidart during tandem weekends.
Wallace said his recent success in the No. 1 Chevrolet afforded him several offers from other Winston Cup teams, but his heart was in Kannapolis all along.
“I just wanted the opportunity to win, I needed the opportunity to win,” Wallace said. “I just sat there and had a heart-to-heart with my wife, me on one couch, her on the other, and had it out. We knew this was what we needed to do. I would rather not run in Winston Cup at all than have to go through what I went through with that 27 (Eel River Racing) car.”
DODGE BALL
An intriguing collaboration between team owners Ray Evernham and Jim Smith has created a yet-to-be-named three-car operation, the team announced Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
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Ray Evernham
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Under this newly formed union, Jeremy Mayfield will take over the No. 19 Dodge for Casey Atwood, thereby moving Atwood from Evernham’s ride to Smith’s No. 7 machine. Bill Elliott, meanwhile, will remain in the No. 9 Dodge.
Evernham will handle all competition and technical aspects of the No. 7 Dodge, which will continue to be housed in Smith’s Ultra Motorsports shop. Smith, meanwhile, will continue to oversee the business side of the team.
That is a daunting task, mind you. At present, the 7 car is unsponsored, but Atwood said that Evernham has assured him they’ll run the entire 36-race slate out-of-pocket, if necessary.
Evernham claims the reasoning behind the move is so Atwood can get seat time while bolstering the overall resource pool for EMS.
“We’ve agreed that we’ll stick together and give Casey seat time, and I believe that that young man is a future Winston Cup champion,” Evernham said. “I’m very proud of him as a young man, team player and I know … he is close to victory.”
SPENCER RIGHT ON TARGET
As expected, Jimmy Spencer will drive for Chip Ganassi Racing in 2002.
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Jimmy Spencer and his new No. 41 Target ride.
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Spencer, who left Travis Carter after some seven years of partnership, will pilot the No. 41 Target Dodge. Target has long sponsored Ganassi’s open-wheel effort, but will make their first foray in the Winston Cup Series.
“I think if you look over Chip’s record in the Indy-car deal, you’ll see what he wants to do in Winston Cup,” Spencer said.
Spencer has competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series since 1989, posting 28 top-five and 78 top-10 finishes to date, including wins at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.
“I’ve been in racing for a long time and when you have the opportunity to get on board with an organization and sponsor dedicated to winning a championship, you just can’t pass it up,” Spencer said.
RG IN WITH RC
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Robby Gordon shows off the new paint scheme on his No. 31.
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Also as expected, Robby Gordon will man the No. 31 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing in 2002. Gordon has driven the car since September, when Mike Skinner was released.
The car, which has been sponsored by Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse since 1997, will don the Cingular Wireless colors next year. Gil Martin will crew chief the car.
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