LONG POND, Pa. – The landscape of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series changed dramatically this week when Rob Kauffman, majority owner in Michael Waltrip Racing, announced he was buying into Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.
Kauffman’s presumptive departure from MWR raised immediate questions about the future of not only the entire organization but of MWR drivers Clint Bowyer and David Ragan.
On Friday at Pocono, in a brief, non-committal session with reporters in the Cup garage, Bowyer deflected speculation that he and sponsor 5-Hour Energy will join Kauffman at Ganassi Racing.
“This isn’t what any of you guys want,” Bowyer said. “You need to bear with us. There’s obviously some change on the horizon. I got the same release you guys did. We’ve got a new sponsor on the car this weekend (Maxwell House). It’s a big deal for us. We’ve been working on this a long time.
“Got a lot of momentum going into this – we’re 20 points out of the Chase, and we’ve got to finish this year strong. Like I said, there’s a lot of work to be done in the future, and we’re all working on it, and when I have something to tell you guys, you all know me and I’ll tell you.”
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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