Page 23 - aruba-today-20190928

A23
SPORTS Saturday 28 September 2019
Stenhouse firing makes for frenzied NASCAR free agency

Continued from Page 17

Stenhouse said before
choking out his next words.
“At the end of it all, I am
very thankful that Jack
took a chance on a dirt
racer from Mississippi to
come drive his cars. That
was fun. A little emotional
with the relationship Jack
and I have. Only team I’ve
ever been at.”
The firing was blasted by
Kevin Harvick, who has a
management company
that takes over represen-
tation of Stenhouse begin-
ning next year. But Kevin
Harvick Inc. is already at
work trying to find a seat for
Stenhouse.
“Ricky has got a great repu-
tation in the garage, is well-
connected, he’s the only
driver at Roush Racing that
has won races since Carl
Edwards,” Harvick said.
“That’s the unfortunate
thing, is he’s a Cup win-
ner, he’s a two-time Xfinity
champion and it’s just bad
timing. That’s not the way I In this June 29, 2018, file photo, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., talks to media during a practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at
would run a business. Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill.
“It’s a lot to digest in a cou- Associated Press
ple of days and you have
to digest that and come up bad business ethics in my NASCAR racing in that he Bowman for the pole in an there won’t be enough
with a plan pretty quick.” opinion.” should have expanded his all-Hendrick Motorsports jobs to go around.
Roush was not contractual- It’s no secret that Roush’s team and funded a car for front row. Byron is ahead of Daniel Hemric learned
ly obligated to inform Sten- cars had fallen off the pace Buescher out of pocket in- Bowman by just two points last week he was not be-
house he was not returning and have not been able to stead of letting him leave in the battle for the 12th ing brought back for a
until Dec. 1, but told him the compete with NASCAR’s the organization. He also spot and advancing into second season at Richard
morning after the deal with elite teams for years. But seemed to take a shot at the second round of the Childress Racing, Daniel
Buescher was completed as the organization tried to Stenhouse’s on-track mis- playoffs. Suarez could be out at
this week. find improvement, it never takes, which last week in- Bowyer and Busch are SHR if the team promotes
Harvick still questioned the came for Stenhouse — cluded him spinning cham- among the many drivers Cole Custer from the Xfin-
timing. even in a season in which pionship contender Martin yet to announce deals for ity Series and Stenhouse is
“Those particular business Newman not only quali- Truex Jr. as Truex tried to next season, although Bow- now suddenly available.
practices are tough to deal fied for the playoffs but is in put Stenhouse a lap down yer said he feels confident A second group of driv-
with just because of how position to advance to the as the leader. his contract will be extend- ers — think Ross Chastain,
late in the season it is and second round. Stenhouse has failed to fin- ed at Stewart-Haas Racing. Corey LaJoie and Michael
how few cars there are. Although he thought he ish 28 of his 248 Cup starts Chip Ganassi has said over McDowell — are also seek-
Based on everything that was safe at Roush through and failed to qualify at Tal- the last month that he and ing jobs in a competitive
we’ve been involved with, 2021, the team made an ladega in 2014. Busch are in the final stages market with a fluctuating
nothing had ever been abrupt shift when it learned “We are going to work on of an extension; Busch said pay scale. Lower tier drivers
talked about,” Harvick said Buescher had yet to extend our cars being faster and his focus is on the playoffs. typically work out one-year
of Stenhouse’s potential fir- his deal with JTG. not repairing them after Regardless of whether contracts with their teams
ing. Buescher began his career they are damaged,” Roush Bowyer and Busch stay that leave them looking for
“When I had tough mo- with Roush, but was loaned said. with their respective teams, work at the end of each
ments at (Richard Childress out to Front Row Motor- Tension was already high seats are filling fast and season.q
Racing) and things were sports in 2016. A clause headed into this weekend’s
bad, we would sit down was added to his contract hybrid oval-road course
and we would talk through at the time in which Bue- race on The Roval at Char-
things and we’d say ‘OK this scher had to inform Roush lotte Motor Speedway. The
is what we need to do, this if he ever became avail- elimination race will trim
is what I need to do better, able, and when the team the playoff field from 16 to
this is what I think the team learned in the last two 12 at the checkered flag
needs to do better.’ weeks that his deal with on Sunday. The bottom four
You had real life conversa- JTG was not completed, in the standings are Alex
tions. they pulled him back in. Bowman, Clint Bowyer, Kurt
Just to drop the hatchet Roush said he was mak- Busch and Erik Jones.
in a surprise meeting with ing right one of his biggest In Friday qualifying, William
seven days to go is pretty regrets in his 32 seasons of Byron edged teammate