McSwain Gone From The #18?

T

TonyB

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From That's Racin'

Joe Gibbs Racing is expected to announce Wednesday morning that Michael "Fatback" McSwain, crew chief for the No. 18 Chevrolets driven by Bobby Labonte in the Nextel Cup Series, will leave the team this week, ThatsRacin.com has learned.
Contrary to Internet reports, however, former crew chief Jimmy Makar is not expected to take over the position. An immediate replacement is not expected to be announced Wednesday, sources said.

Labonte's team has been inconsistent this season. He is sixth in points - well entrenched in the Nextel Cup Chase for the Championship later this year - but has yet to win a race in 2004.

His most recent win in the 2003 season finale at Homestead, Fla.

Labonte has five top-five and nine top-10 finishes in 18 races this season. Labonte has two runner-up finishes but he as led just 26 of the 2,431 laps he's raced.

Last year with McSwain, Labonte finished eighth in points and had two wins, four poles, 12 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes.

McSwain started as driver Ricky Rudd's crew chief in 1999, then moved with Rudd to Robert Yates Racing at the start of the 2000 season.

In October 2002, McSwain left Yates and Rudd and was hired by Gibbs. He took over full time crew chief duties with Labonte's team at the start of the 2003 season.
 
For some reason, this doesn't come as a complete shock to me.
 
It seems kind of odd to me.

Bobby is in 6th place in points. If he just maintains that position he will be 25 points out of 1st after week 26.

Anything can happen at that point and it seems like they would want continuity for the playoff if nothing else. :huh:
 
Bet he won't be out of a job long enough to scarf a burger.
 
Perhaps it was a mutual decision? Fatback may have requested to be released for reasons we don't know.

I am surprised, though. Even though Bobby hasn't won, he's well into the C4C with only a few races to go.
 
As expected, Joe Gibbs Racing announced Wednesday morning it had released Michael "Fatback" McSwain from his duties as crew chief of the No. 18 Chevrolet driven by Bobby Labonte in the Nextel Cup Series, effective immediately.
McSwain joined Joe Gibbs Racing in December 2002 and served as Labonte's crew chief for the 2003 season and the first 18 races of the 2004 season.

"Over the past two years, Michael McSwain has worked extremely hard for Joe Gibbs Racing," said J.D. Gibbs, president of JGR. "This was a difficult decision, but it was time to go in a different direction.

"We appreciate all that he has done for the team and wish him the best of luck in the future."

McSwain, 37, scored victories with Labonte in 2003 at Atlanta (spring) and the season-finale at Homestead-Miami, en route to an eighth-place finish in points.

"Joe Gibbs Racing and I had a successful relationship," McSwain said. "I wish them the best the remainder of the year and in the future."

An interim crew chief will be named in the near future, the team said.

Jimmy Makar, senior vice president of racing, will assist the team and the interim crew chief while team officials search for McSwain's replacement, but is not expected to take the role himself.

Makar served as crew chief on the No. 18 from 1992 to 2002, winning the 1993 Daytona 500 with Dale Jarrett and the 2000 Cup championship with Labonte.

"We hope to make the decision on a permanent crew chief in the near future, but we are going to take our time to find the best person for the job," Gibbs said.

Labonte is sixth in Cup points, trailing leader Jimmie Johnson by 442 and fifth-place Matt Kenseth by 43.

"Michael did a great job when he came in and took over for Jimmy Makar after the 2002 season," Labonte said. "We won a couple of races in 2003 and won some poles. He works hard, and I wish him success down the road."

The team's next race is the July 25 New England 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, N.H.


FatBack
 
Bobby is 6th in points and they get rid of Fatback, I can understand at the end of the year but with Bobby in 6th and the Chase for the cup only a few races away, just seems strange :unsure:
 
Really makes you think that this was about something other than performance.
 
Rumor has it that with the money being poured out to fix other team's cars that Tony wrecks JGR just couldn't afford the buffet tab that McSwain rang up week after week. JGR also expects to save money on not having to pay for two airline seats for McSwain when he flew commercial. They had hoped to land TrimSpa as a sponsor rather than FedEx so McSwain could get free or reduced services. :XXROFL:




Hey, a little humor every now and then never hurts. And, this is all in jest. My apologies for upsetting some of the more delicate natures on this board...
 
I would take old Fatback over Robbie Loomis any day, but it won't ever happen. <_<
 
Like others, I can't believe they would fire him while 6th in points. Now they'll need to redo the cars to suit the new crew chief while in competition with stable teams for the championship? It doesn't make sense to me. :eek:
 
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