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Lots more info on what may be going on.
SpeedReading
By Dave Moody
Kevin Lepage never turned a lap last weekend at Rockingham. His customary seat in the Brewco Motorsports/Timberwolf Busch Series Chevrolet was filled by Elton Sawyer Saturday, and rumors that the Shelburne native would replace Casey Atwood in the Sirius Satellite Radio Winston Cup Dodge failed to pan out.
Despite that, Lepage received more press than most of the drivers who actually took part.
Published reports early in the week had Atwood fired from the Ultra/Evernham #7 Dodge, to be replaced by Lepage. Ultra/Evernham Motorsports spokesperson Amy Hunerberg spent most of the weekend emphatically denying those reports, however, insisting that Atwood’s job was secure through the end of the 2002 season. Atwood did drive the car Sunday, but sources behind the scenes continued to insist that negotiations were under way to remove Atwood from the car and replace him with Lepage, if a series of contractual issues could be resolved.
Monday, Atwood showed up for a testing session at Homestead-Miami Speedway, as scheduled. However, he did not drive the #7 car. Instead, he wheeled Ray Evernham’s #91 “research and development” Dodge – the car driven at Rockingham by Hank Parker Jr. That move prompted rumors that Atwood would move to the #91 for the final two races of the season, and Smith confirmed that move Tuesday. However, Smith tabbed his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver, Jason Leffler, to steer the now-vacant Sirius Satellite Radio Dodge, leaving Lepage without a ride once again.
Monday, Lepage was tight-lipped about a possible return to the Winston Cup ranks, but admitted that he has spoken with Smith.
“I’ve had some dialogue with Jim, and I drove the #7 car in practice at Atlanta a couple of weeks ago,” he said. “They’re obviously having some problems over there, and they asked me to take the car out, see what I thought, and offer them some feedback. Basically, they’re just trying to figure out where the problems lie.”
Lepage’s test session, in which he ran 7/10ths of a second faster than Atwood, immediately set tongues a-wagging in the Winston Cup garage.
“The minute anyone climbs into someone else’s car, the Internet explodes,” said Lepage. “By the time I climbed out from behind the wheel, (Internet Web site) Jayski had Casey fired, and me taking over. That stuff takes on a life of its own.”
Lepage said he did not visit the Ultra/Evernham shop last week, as published reports have claimed. In his words, “I drove their car for a few laps at Atlanta, and that’s it.” The Shelburne driver admitted, however, that he would be interested in driving the Sirius Dodge, if the seat becomes available.
“I ran eight races for them a year ago, after Mike Wallace left the team. They’re a good bunch of guys to work with, and I know most of the people there real well. Unfortunately, their sponsor (Nation’s Rent) left, and things just didn’t work out for me to stay with them. If circumstances worked out right, and they needed a driver for next year, it’s no secret that my heart is in Winston Cup racing.”
Unfortunately for Lepage, that desire may be undermining his chances with the Brewco Motorsports Busch Series team.
“Clarence (Brewer) told me last week that he’s sick of being the training ground for young drivers,” Lepage said. “He spent two years working with Casey, and the last few seasons with Jamie McMurray. Both of them were real young, and they had a lot to learn. They wrecked a lot of cars, and then, just about the time they started figuring things out and winning races, they jumped ship to take Winston Cup rides.
“Clarence is looking for a veteran driver who will make a commitment to him, and not be like Todd Bodine, jumping back and forth between the Winston Cup and Busch garages. I can understand that, but he also knows that my ultimate goal is to get back to Winston Cup racing.
“I’ve told him that if he makes a commitment to run all-out for the Busch Series championship next season, I’ll make a commitment in return,” he said. “But at this point, I’ve got no job for next year. I’m in a position where I have to talk to everyone who’s willing to listen.”
The Shelburne native said he is not anxious to go into the off-season without a ride lined up for 2003, something he has done in each of the last two years. But he understands that the realities of the business may force him to do just that.
“The longest I’ve been with any team is 18 months,” he said. “It’s impossible to build a successful operation in that amount of time. My deals have all been ‘six races here, half a season there,’ and it’s impossible to be successful that way. Look at the teams that are running for championships, in Busch or in Cup. They’ve been together for three, four, five years. They know each other inside out.
“Both Jim Smith and Clarence Brewer know me,” he said. “They know what I can do, they know what I like in a race car, and they know how I interact with a team. I’m a known commodity, and hopefully, I can get something put together in the next few weeks and not have to be banging the bushes all winter.”
SpeedReading
By Dave Moody
Kevin Lepage never turned a lap last weekend at Rockingham. His customary seat in the Brewco Motorsports/Timberwolf Busch Series Chevrolet was filled by Elton Sawyer Saturday, and rumors that the Shelburne native would replace Casey Atwood in the Sirius Satellite Radio Winston Cup Dodge failed to pan out.
Despite that, Lepage received more press than most of the drivers who actually took part.
Published reports early in the week had Atwood fired from the Ultra/Evernham #7 Dodge, to be replaced by Lepage. Ultra/Evernham Motorsports spokesperson Amy Hunerberg spent most of the weekend emphatically denying those reports, however, insisting that Atwood’s job was secure through the end of the 2002 season. Atwood did drive the car Sunday, but sources behind the scenes continued to insist that negotiations were under way to remove Atwood from the car and replace him with Lepage, if a series of contractual issues could be resolved.
Monday, Atwood showed up for a testing session at Homestead-Miami Speedway, as scheduled. However, he did not drive the #7 car. Instead, he wheeled Ray Evernham’s #91 “research and development” Dodge – the car driven at Rockingham by Hank Parker Jr. That move prompted rumors that Atwood would move to the #91 for the final two races of the season, and Smith confirmed that move Tuesday. However, Smith tabbed his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver, Jason Leffler, to steer the now-vacant Sirius Satellite Radio Dodge, leaving Lepage without a ride once again.
Monday, Lepage was tight-lipped about a possible return to the Winston Cup ranks, but admitted that he has spoken with Smith.
“I’ve had some dialogue with Jim, and I drove the #7 car in practice at Atlanta a couple of weeks ago,” he said. “They’re obviously having some problems over there, and they asked me to take the car out, see what I thought, and offer them some feedback. Basically, they’re just trying to figure out where the problems lie.”
Lepage’s test session, in which he ran 7/10ths of a second faster than Atwood, immediately set tongues a-wagging in the Winston Cup garage.
“The minute anyone climbs into someone else’s car, the Internet explodes,” said Lepage. “By the time I climbed out from behind the wheel, (Internet Web site) Jayski had Casey fired, and me taking over. That stuff takes on a life of its own.”
Lepage said he did not visit the Ultra/Evernham shop last week, as published reports have claimed. In his words, “I drove their car for a few laps at Atlanta, and that’s it.” The Shelburne driver admitted, however, that he would be interested in driving the Sirius Dodge, if the seat becomes available.
“I ran eight races for them a year ago, after Mike Wallace left the team. They’re a good bunch of guys to work with, and I know most of the people there real well. Unfortunately, their sponsor (Nation’s Rent) left, and things just didn’t work out for me to stay with them. If circumstances worked out right, and they needed a driver for next year, it’s no secret that my heart is in Winston Cup racing.”
Unfortunately for Lepage, that desire may be undermining his chances with the Brewco Motorsports Busch Series team.
“Clarence (Brewer) told me last week that he’s sick of being the training ground for young drivers,” Lepage said. “He spent two years working with Casey, and the last few seasons with Jamie McMurray. Both of them were real young, and they had a lot to learn. They wrecked a lot of cars, and then, just about the time they started figuring things out and winning races, they jumped ship to take Winston Cup rides.
“Clarence is looking for a veteran driver who will make a commitment to him, and not be like Todd Bodine, jumping back and forth between the Winston Cup and Busch garages. I can understand that, but he also knows that my ultimate goal is to get back to Winston Cup racing.
“I’ve told him that if he makes a commitment to run all-out for the Busch Series championship next season, I’ll make a commitment in return,” he said. “But at this point, I’ve got no job for next year. I’m in a position where I have to talk to everyone who’s willing to listen.”
The Shelburne native said he is not anxious to go into the off-season without a ride lined up for 2003, something he has done in each of the last two years. But he understands that the realities of the business may force him to do just that.
“The longest I’ve been with any team is 18 months,” he said. “It’s impossible to build a successful operation in that amount of time. My deals have all been ‘six races here, half a season there,’ and it’s impossible to be successful that way. Look at the teams that are running for championships, in Busch or in Cup. They’ve been together for three, four, five years. They know each other inside out.
“Both Jim Smith and Clarence Brewer know me,” he said. “They know what I can do, they know what I like in a race car, and they know how I interact with a team. I’m a known commodity, and hopefully, I can get something put together in the next few weeks and not have to be banging the bushes all winter.”
