Kurt Busch to SHR?

FenderBumper said:
Full text of Furniture Row Racing statement on Kurt Busch, from GM Joe Garone: #NASCAR

“It was always our intention to extend Kurt's contract with Furniture Row Racing. We made him an offer last week to to continue as the driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet in 2014 and beyond. Though he did not accept our offer we respect his decision and wish him future success. His driving skill and being a dedicated team player will always be appreciated at Furniture Row Racing. But for right now the main focus for Kurt and the team is to qualify for the Chase and contend for the 2013 Sprint Cup Series championship.

“Furniture Row Racing’s technical and engineering programs along with a talented road crew have made great strides this season, which have been evident with the consistently fast race cars that we have brought to the track week in and week out. We, along with our technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing, are deeply committed to continuing the work in progress. We are currently in a search process for a new driver in 2014, one who shares the same commitment and winning attitude that we all do at Furniture Row Racing.”
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Another thing to factor I here is that technical alliance. There were rumors that FRR was in talks with Toyota . Maybe Kurt didn't like the direction that was going and decided to stay with a Chevy program.
 
Jeffrey00 said:
Another thing to factor I here is that technical alliance. There were rumors that FRR was in talks with Toyota . Maybe Kurt didn't like the direction that was going and decided to stay with a Chevy program.
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I think Kurt has been dying to get in HMS equipment for years, and he's finally there. I think Kurt would have taken a big pay cut for this ride.
 
Michael Waltrip Racing officials had no comment on who would take over Childers’ role beginning this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Brian Vickers said last weekend at Bristol that Childers, his good friend, is an "integral part" of the team, "but there's a lot of great guys" on the team.

"The good news is that we've got the opportunity to go find some great people for this team," Vickers said. "We're on the hunt, now, and there's some really good people out there. We're going to, hopefully, find the right one and still go race for a championship next year."

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I have a feeling Penske is about to lose Jeremy Bullins. The guy has 8 NNS wins with 3 different drivers this year. He's the hottest new prospect in the garage.
 
wolfcub said:
Newman has got to be steaming. No sponsorship so he is let go but Haas is willing to put up his own money (his company) to sponsor Kurt, wow
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I was thinking that the other day when Gene Haas was like "I've always wanted KuBu" wtf?

Newman continues to get punched in the gut by 'business decisions" but Haas is being a standard corporate prick right now.. Employees are nothing but numbers to Gene Haas.

Congrats to Kurt, but god what a slap in the face... I've lost a lot of respect for the group around him. It wouldn't be such a big deal but it was all so blatant!
 
FenderBumper said:
Bob Pockrass ‏@bobpockrass 1h
Rodney Childers no longer will crew chief the No. 55 car at MWR but will not be able to start at SHR immediately. #nascar

I doubt MWR can keep childers from finding immediate work in his chosen field.
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It's probably a non-compete clause, lots of employers use them. I currently have one in the contract I signed with my employer. MWR is undoubtabley pissed, especially after helping out SHR with the whole Mark Martin deal. However that's the game, I'm sure RCR didn't appreciate MWR hiring away their director of completion a couple years ago, that's the nature of the business.
 
DUN24 said:
I was thinking that the other day when Gene Haas was like "I've always wanted KuBu" wtf?

Newman continues to get punched in the gut by 'business decisions" but Haas is being a standard corporate prick right now.. Employees are nothing but numbers to Gene Haas.

Congrats to Kurt, but god what a slap in the face... I've lost a lot of respect for the group around him. It wouldn't be such a big deal but it was all so blatant!
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Newman lost his job to Harvick, and we all know who was behind that move. This could be a compromise between Haas and Tony. Tony wants his best friend Harvick, and Gene wants Kurt. So Tony uses Harvick to move Newman out, and they both get what they want.
 
3wideinturn1 said:
It's probably a non-compete clause, lots of employers use them. I currently have one in the contract I signed with my employer. MWR is undoubtabley pissed, especially after helping out SHR with the whole Mark Martin deal. However that's the game, I'm sure RCR didn't appreciate MWR hiring away their director of completion a couple years ago, that's the nature of the business.
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A non-compete clause in a right to work state means next to nothing in court. Me thinks SHR pays MWR and Childers quietly starts at SHR in a few weeks. If MWR is worried about chase secrets, they can't stop Childers for divulging anything he wants because they will never prove he divulged anything.
 
FenderBumper said:
A non-compete clause in a right to work state means next to nothing in court. Me thinks SHR pays MWR and Childers quietly starts at SHR in a few weeks. If MWR is worried about chase secrets, they can't stop Childers for divulging anything he wants because they will never prove he divulged anything.
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I won't debate the law or what might play out in court with you, as we likely have different rules and regulations in our respective residences. However perhaps he wasn't released but rather removed from the position? That would mean he is still contractually obligated to MWR and not able to go work across the street.

Was he released outright? If so, then I see no reason why he couldn't work elsewhere unless there was some sort of contractual clause explicitly stating such.
 
FenderBumper said:
Newman lost his job to Harvick, and we all know who was behind that move. This could be a compromise between Haas and Tony. Tony wants his best friend Harvick, and Gene wants Kurt. So Tony uses Harvick to move Newman out, and they both get what they want.
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End result is they both look bad. Doubt they care one bit but would you want to work for someone that will fire you because the wind flew the wrong way?

Very unprofessional stuff.

Chances are they will do something like this again to someone else. Do it once you're sure to do it twice.
 
reck said:
End result is they both look bad. Doubt they care one bit but would you want to work for someone that will fire you because the wind flew the wrong way?

Very unprofessional stuff.

Chances are they will do something like this again to someone else. Do it once you're sure to do it twice.
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Yep. I guess I'm just old, loyalty means something to me, and don't say bidness is bidness because to me that's just a cop out.
 
Johali said:
Yep. I guess I'm just old, loyalty means something to me, and don't say bidness is bidness because to me that's just a cop out.
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yeah.....me too. but maybe that stripped lug sat nite was tha deal breaker/maker. ?
 
Allenbaba said:
FRR was trying to buy low at the time...like, really low. More $$ than this year's salary (barely), but not nearly as much as Kurt knew he would be worth if he proved he could drive fast and behave. So, Kurt turned it down, took his chances that he'd be able to up his worth by excelling on (and off) the track, and to his credit, succeeded in doing both. It should also be noted that SHR and FRR's offers were pretty far apart. I don't believe Kurt's decision was based solely on $$...but they were probably far enough apart to play a bigger role than $$ should have.
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but can he behave when he becomes a big dog again?
 
Smoke, Harv and Kurt under the same roof? :eek: Danica's new job should be the girl who keeps the peace. That's a whole lot of ego and a whole lot of anger management on one team right there.
 
Johali said:
"IF" he behaves long enough to be a big dog again.
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tha thought a' those 3 egos ......kurt....harv...tony.........on same team .... should make good media ! ha!

edit......andy....never read yo post...before my post.
you-n- me thinkin alike is frightenin too ! ha!
 
Jeffrey00 said:
Exactly, I wonder if Kurt didn't jump onto the 78 if Smith would still be in that ride. I think the answer is yes.
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Regan was out either way. If Kurt wasn't hired, there was a very clear plan B.

Here's another little fun fact: Kurt wasn't Barney Visser's first choice. He was talked into hiring Kurt by just about every other person involved with the team (who all wanted Kurt badly). However, Barney will tell you today that he's happy he was talked into it. Like I said earlier, the Kurt Busch experiment at FRR was a big success for everyone involved. Both parties are much better off today than they were the day before he signed with FRR. I can't imagine anyone would disagree with that.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
Smoke, Harv and Kurt under the same roof? :eek: Danica's new job should be the girl who keeps the peace. That's a whole lot of ego and a whole lot of anger management on one team right there.
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Nah, she should just let'em take each other out and rule the roost while they are fighting.
 
reck said:
End result is they both look bad. Doubt they care one bit but would you want to work for someone that will fire you because the wind flew the wrong way?

Very unprofessional stuff.

Chances are they will do something like this again to someone else. Do it once you're sure to do it twice.
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Actually, this is the second time they just dumped someone. Remember Darian Grubb?
 
Jeffrey00 said:
Another thing to factor I here is that technical alliance. There were rumors that FRR was in talks with Toyota . Maybe Kurt didn't like the direction that was going and decided to stay with a Chevy program.
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Could be, I know JTG is close to linking up w/ RCR because Toyota Racing Development told them they don't have the resources to provide another team / engines etc. Would FRR be able convince them to expand??
 
ToyYoda said:
I guess Tony wants all his other cars to add up to his (00+4+10=14).
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Wait is it double zero or 100? Can't they number their cars 100+, but drop the one?

Edit: answered my own question :

Teams can run numbers 0 to 99 (as well as 00 to 09), but no two cars can run the same number. Teams that run 00 to 09 are listed as 100 to 109 for NASCAR's scoring purposes. Except for those numbers (which have been used for full-time teams), part-time teams may be assigned a three-digit number for scoring purposes only (such as #141 and #241). If two such teams arrive with the same two digit number, the team higher in points or with a faster qualifying speed will run the number and the other team will be forced to change their number for the race.
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http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASCAR_rules_and_regulations
 
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Its a great move for Kurt.
His year at FRR was win/win for both parties and the deal was for one year.
Both teams fulfilled their obligations and both are better off because of it.

The best thing for Kurt is that the team didn't hire him.....the SPONSOR did!
That is big!
 
Well, I'm not a fan of either Busch brother but I'm hopeful SHR is successful across the board starting next year.
 
I will offer one last take on the subject even though you didn't ask for it. The thing that differentiates good teams from great teams is a great relationship between owner /driver/crew chief / crew / sponsor . Kurt has been at the top of the food chain in the past (and he has been at the bottom), but he's been around long enough to know how much fun it can be when you find that cohesion . I'm doubtin that he's going to find it again soon . Good luck to him.
 
Stewart Fan said:
Well, I'm not a fan of either Busch brother but I'm hopeful SHR is successful across the board starting next year.
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With a board that contains a fat gimp, a flaming hot head, a paper tiger and roll around chatter box limon, it should be quite a show.

There, now I pissed everyone off in one post. :)
 
FenderBumper said:
With a board that contains a fat gimp, a flaming hot head, a paper tiger and roll around chatter box limon, it should be quite a show.

There, now I pissed everyone off in one post. :)
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Surprise surprise, after all that is your MO. :)
 
FenderBumper said:
With a board that contains a fat gimp, a flaming hot head, a paper tiger and roll around chatter box limon, it should be quite a show.

There, now I pissed everyone off in one post. :)
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This coming from a guy that has the pope in bed with a horse...... :D
 
As someone that's become a Kurt fan again this year, I'm lukewarm to this news. SHR has struggled somewhat this season with three cars, and now all of a sudden they're gonna expand to four? And Kurt will be on the fourth, presumably brand new team?

Sure, SHR may be able to provide Kurt with a better pit crew (which I agree he needs to win races, even though I wanted him to stay with FRR), but I'm not convinced that his equipment will be that much better than FRR's, even if it is Hendrick stuff.

Again, I'm no team owner, driver, or insider, but I dunno if this move excites me all that much just yet.
 
Mr. Gregory said:
As someone that's become a Kurt fan again this year, I'm lukewarm to this news. SHR has struggled somewhat this season with three cars, and now all of a sudden they're gonna expand to four? And Kurt will be on the fourth, presumably brand new team?

Sure, SHR may be able to provide Kurt with a better pit crew (which I agree he needs to win races, even though I wanted him to stay with FRR), but I'm not convinced that his equipment will be that much better than FRR's, even if it is Hendrick stuff.

Again, I'm no team owner, driver, or insider, but I dunno if this move excites me all that much just yet.
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How are all three of them going to win the same championship?
 
Kurt is a better driver then Newman plain and simple. Plus NASCAR is big biz. I dont blame SHR for getting a top driver. I do however question the wisdom in adding a fourth team when they had problems this season with three
 
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