Michael Waltrip Racing and Bowyer part ways as MWR prepares to shut down

August 19, 2015 Greg Engle Main Page, NASCAR News Top Story, Top Stories 0

Clint Bowyer, driver of the #15 Maxwell House Toyota, left, talks with Michael Waltrip Racing co-owner Rob Kauffman during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Windows 10 400 at Pocono Raceway on August 2, 2015 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)
Clint Bowyer, driver of the #15 Maxwell House Toyota, left, talks with Michael Waltrip Racing co-owner Rob Kauffman during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Windows 10 400 at Pocono Raceway on August 2, 2015 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)
Clint Bowyer, driver of the #15 Maxwell House Toyota, left, talks with Michael Waltrip Racing co-owner Rob Kauffman during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Windows 10 400 at Pocono Raceway on August 2, 2015 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) and Clint Bowyer have mutually agreed to separate at the conclusion of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season the team announced Wednesday. The team said Bowyer, who is currently 16th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase standings, is free to pursue other career options in 2016 and beyond. MWR co-owner Rob Kauffman purchased a stake in Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates in July but has not been clear about what his future plans are.

Those plans became clearer Wednesday when in a press release the team said it will continue to field the No. 15 and No. 55 Toyotas for the remainder of the 2015 season and Kauffman said MWR will not field a full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup entry in 2016. The speculation is that Kaufmann will take ons of MWR’s cars to Ganassi to form a three-car Chevrolet team.

“MWR will race hard and compete for the remainder of the 2015 season. This decision was made after weighing several different options and scenarios,” Kaufmann said. “I felt it was important to make an announcement as soon as we had clarity, so that is what we are doing today. I want to thank all of our staff, partners, sponsors and fans for all their effort and support over the years.”MORE>>>

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Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. 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.