Skinner, Speed to share No. 84 for rest of season
Duo replaces Allmendinger in final seven Cup races
By Team Release
September 30, 2008
11:20 AM EDT
Red Bull Racing Team announced that Mike Skinner and Red Bull development driver Scott Speed will replace A.J. Allmendinger in the No. 84 for the rest of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.
The No. 84 currently sits 33rd in owner points.
"The schedule we put together is in the best interest of both Red Bull Racing Team and A.J.'s plans for the future," said the team's vice president and general manager Jay Frye. "Allowing Mike Skinner and Scott Speed to share the No. 84 for the balance of the season helps our team continue developing our program for the future."
Skinner, who drove the No. 84 Toyota for five races earlier in the 2008 season, will take the reins of the No. 84 at the Cup races in both Talladega and Charlotte. His best finish for the team was 27th at Atlanta. Skinner currently sits fifth in the Truck Series standings with a victory and 15 top-10s in 19 starts.
Speed will drive the No. 82 Toyota at Charlotte on Oct. 11 -- the same weekend he attempts to clinch the ARCA RE/MAX Series championship in Toledo, Ohio. Speed will then take over driving duties of the No. 84 at Martinsville, Atlanta, Texas, Phoenix and Homestead.
"I'm really looking forward to my first Sprint Cup race with Red Bull," Speed said. "I can't describe how much it means to walk into Red Bull Racing and feel support from everyone on the team. It's a huge step up the ladder and another step toward the goal of becoming a Sprint Cup champion for Red Bull. I know this team has the performance level that it takes to be competitive."
Speed has 10 starts in the Truck Series this season, earning five top-fives and his first career victory, which came at Dover.
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Personaly I think A.J. got GOORED BY THE RED BULL!!! I hope he can pick up another ride but I really dont see anything out there for him.
RED BULL shit
There are ride out there, this was the stupidest move bya race team for 2008.
MWR would benefit from Aj taking over McDowell ride, Petty could retire or if possible form a third team and use AJ, Morgan Mcclure which is driver less and sponserless could use AJ, many single car teams could use AJ and Robert Yates could really use AJ.
Ganassi with his closed team...yea I could see AJ there.
Carpentier blamed by crew chief: After the Gillett Motorsports #10 Dodge failed to qualify on speed at Talladega Superspeedway, crew chief [or as GEM calls them, Team Director] Mike Shiplett decided to put good judgement aside and lash out at team driver Patrick Carpentier in the Tow Truck in a Box team trailer while the doors were open, allowing anyone in the paddock to witness the skirmish. This gesture was not appreciated by the canadian driver. "I think it's a complete lack of respect," said Carpentier. "I never was shy to take the blame when I thought it was my fault, but here, everybody knows that it's like driving in a straight line. The driver just has to keep the steering wheel straight. He should have taken a time out and calmed down before he spoke. " Shiplett accused Carpentier of going too low down on the last straight, which he claimed made the front of the car rub against the ground. "It's bulls**t," said Carpentier. "I've looked at the timing data and we were already three-tenths below the time we needed to qualify when I went below the line. I went low because i felt we had to try everything. I gave it all I had, but now he blames me? This is totally unacceptable. It's not as if my teammates were on the first row! They both ran slower than me! " #9-Kasey Kahne (41st) and #19-Elliott Sadler (43rd) posted times that were slower than the Carpentier (39th). It is their positions in the top 35 point standings that allowed them to be in the starting lineup of AMP 500. Sadler was using the new generation of the Dodge / GEM chassis. Kahne was also using the new chassis until when he damaged his primary car during practice. For Carpentier and the #10 Tow Truck in a Box Dodge, the only option given by GEM was to use an old generation Dodge Charger chassis. What most enraged Carpentier, is that Shiplett decided to scold him at Talladega, a track where the driver can do nothing to improve his fate if his car is not up to speed. "Even though I know his criticism didn't make any sense, what is worst is that he seems to have forgotten pretty quickly races like Dover or in Atlanta where I've qualified a car that he himself didn't think was fast enough to earn a place on the starting grid. I realize now that some people have a really short memory span in NASCAR, "said Carpentier". Shiplett was not available for comment after the non-qualification of his car.(patcarpentier.ca taken from a french article at canoe.com)(10-5-2008)
__________________ Rome did not create a Great Empire by having meetings--- They did it by killing all people who opposed them!
A.J. back at Charlotte? A.J. Allmendinger was interviewed on ESPN2's NASCAR Now and he said he has been in meetings with teams at Talladega Superspeedway and hopes to have his 2009 plans set soon and hopes to be in a ride as soon as the Bank of American at Lowe's Motor Speedway next weekend.(10-5-2008)
__________________ Rome did not create a Great Empire by having meetings--- They did it by killing all people who opposed them!
A.J. back at Charlotte? UPDATE to MWR: A.J. Allmendinger was interviewed on ESPN2's NASCAR Now and he said he has been in meetings with teams at Talladega Superspeedway and hopes to have his 2009 plans set soon and hopes to be in a ride as soon as the Bank of American at Lowe's Motor Speedway next weekend.(10-5-2008) UPDATE: Michael Waltrip Racing announced that AJ Allmendinger will attempt to qualify the #00 Champion Mortgage Toyota at Lowe’s Motor Speedway for the Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 Saturday night. “I look forward to it and I think this is a great opportunity,” Allmendinger said. “Over the past couple of months the organization has really picked up with how everyone has been running. Hopefully, I can go out there and do a good job and get the #00 Champion Mortgage Toyota team back inside the top 35.” This past weekend Kenny Wallace recorded the team’s best finish of the season by crossing the finish line in 12th-place at Talladega Superspeedway. Now, it is Allmendinger's turn to strap into the #00 Champion Mortgage Toyota for the first time on Thursday for Sprint Cup Series practice and then qualifying. Allmendinger knows the team is only 39 points shy of 35th-place in the owner points. The coveted position is currently occupied by #7-Robby Gordon, who finished eighth on Sunday. Michael Waltrip Racing’s decided to make a driver change with the #00 Champion Mortgage Toyota after the team failed to qualify with Michael McDowell for the Sprint Cup Series event at Kansas Speedway. The objective remains the same and that is to qualify on time and return the Michael Waltrip Racing team to the top 35 before the checkered flag waves at Homestead-Miami Speedway.(full PR at MWR)(10-6-2008)
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Carpentier blamed by crew chief UPDATE released: After the Gillett Motorsports #10 Dodge failed to qualify on speed at Talladega Superspeedway, crew chief [or as GEM calls them, Team Director] Mike Shiplett decided to put good judgement aside and lash out at team driver Patrick Carpentier in the Tow Truck in a Box team trailer while the doors were open, allowing anyone in the paddock to witness the skirmish. This gesture was not appreciated by the canadian driver. "I think it's a complete lack of respect," said Carpentier. "I never was shy to take the blame when I thought it was my fault, but here, everybody knows that it's like driving in a straight line. The driver just has to keep the steering wheel straight. He should have taken a time out and calmed down before he spoke. " Shiplett accused Carpentier of going too low down on the last straight, which he claimed made the front of the car rub against the ground. "It's bulls**t," said Carpentier. "I've looked at the timing data and we were already three-tenths below the time we needed to qualify when I went below the line. I went low because i felt we had to try everything. I gave it all I had, but now he blames me? This is totally unacceptable. It's not as if my teammates were on the first row! They both ran slower than me! " #9-Kasey Kahne (41st) and #19-Elliott Sadler (43rd) posted times that were slower than the Carpentier (39th). It is their positions in the top 35 point standings that allowed them to be in the starting lineup of AMP 500. Sadler was using the new generation of the Dodge / GEM chassis. Kahne was also using the new chassis until when he damaged his primary car during practice. For Carpentier and the #10 Tow Truck in a Box Dodge, the only option given by GEM was to use an old generation Dodge Charger chassis. What most enraged Carpentier, is that Shiplett decided to scold him at Talladega, a track where the driver can do nothing to improve his fate if his car is not up to speed. "Even though I know his criticism didn't make any sense, what is worst is that he seems to have forgotten pretty quickly races like Dover or in Atlanta where I've qualified a car that he himself didn't think was fast enough to earn a place on the starting grid. I realize now that some people have a really short memory span in NASCAR, "said Carpentier". Shiplett was not available for comment after the non-qualification of his car.(patcarpentier.ca taken from a french article at canoe.com)(10-5-2008)
UPDATE: Patrick Carpentier has been released from Gillett Evernham Motorsports, sources confirmed Tuesday. Carpentier, a Sprint Cup rookie and former open-wheel racer in Champ Car and the IndyCar Series, was the driver of the #10 Dodge for GEM. He could not be reached for comment. On his Web site, patcarpentier.ca, Carpentier wrote he got into an argument and skirmish Saturday with team director Mike Shiplett, who blamed him for failing to qualifying at Talladega. Dominique Fugere, motorsports writer for Le Journal de Montreal, reported Shiplett later apologized to Carpentier after the argument at Talladega. Carpentier already was a lame-duck at GEM, which announced earlier that Scott Riggs would drive for the team in 2009. GEM officials have not said who will drive the car this weekend for the Sprint Cup race at Lowes Motor Speedway.(ESPN)
UPDATE 2: Gillett Evernham Motorsports announced today that Mike Wallace will drive the #10 Dodge at Charlotte this weekend and A.J. Allmendinger will take over driving duties at Martinsville on Oct. 19 and for the remainder of the 2008 Sprint Cup season. Wallace and Allmendinger replace Patrick Carpentier who drove the #10 in 24 races this season. Allmendinger, 26, is committed to driving the #00 this weekend at Charlotte. “I’m excited about this news,” said the California native. “GEM has great equipment and I’m confident we can take these final five races and get the #10 up in points. I know we have a lot of work to do, but we are going to give it our best shot. I’m looking forward to spending some time with Crew Chief Mike Shiplett and the guys starting at Martinsville.” Reed Sorenson will assume the driving duties of the #10 at the beginning of the 2009 season.(GEM PR)(10-7-2008)
__________________ Rome did not create a Great Empire by having meetings--- They did it by killing all people who opposed them!
Another piece of the Stewart-Haas Racing puzzle will be fit into place Thursday when the race team will unveil the U.S. Army as primary sponsor of Ryan Newman's No. 39 car for next season, sources have confirmed to NASCAR.COM.
The announcement is scheduled to be made at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Lowe's Motor Speedway, site of this weekend's Sprint Cup event. The Stewart-Haas organization now has both its Chevrolets sponsored for next season -- no small feat in this economy -- with Office Depot and Old Spice set to back the car of team co-owner Tony Stewart.
It's another setback for Dale Earnhardt Inc., which had the Army on its No. 8 car this season. DEI driver Paul Menard announced last week that he and his Menard's sponsorship would be moving to Yates Racing for the 2009 campaign.
But for Stewart, a two-time series champion who won Sunday's event at Talladega Superspeedway, it's another big step toward his debut as a Sprint Cup car owner.
"I'm really excited about having the opportunity to be hands-on and be a part of getting things going for next year and trying to get the key people hired right now and dealing with all the people at the shop that I haven't had a chance to work with yet," he said Monday on a conference call with reporters. "It's an exciting time for me. It's the busiest I've ever been in my life right now."
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Wallace, Allmendinger in for Carpentier in No. 10
Shouting match with crew chief may have led to dismissal
By Reid Spencer, Sporting News Wire Service
October 8, 2008
02:16 PM EDT
Patrick Carpentier is out of the No. 10 Gillett Evernham Motorsports Dodge, effective immediately, the organization announced Tuesday.
Mike Wallace will take Carpentier's place for Saturday night's Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. A.J. Allmendinger, who parted ways with Red Bull Racing after the Sept. 28 Sprint Cup event at Kansas Speedway, will take the wheel of the No. 10 Dodge for the final five races of the season.
"I'm excited about this news," Allmendinger said. "GEM has great equipment and I'm confident we can take these final five races and get the No. 10 up in points. I know we have a lot of work to do, but we are going to give it our best shot. I'm looking forward to spending some time with crew chief Mike Shiplett and the guys starting at Martinsville."
Allmendinger already had agreed to drive the No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota at Lowe's this weekend (read more). Reed Sorenson, currently a lame duck at Chip Ganassi Racing, will drive the No. 10 for GEM next season.
Carpentier, who competed in 24 Cup races this season and generally distinguished himself in time trials (including a pole run at New Hampshire in June), got into a widely reported public shouting match with crew chief Mike Shiplett after Carpentier failed to qualify Saturday for the Amp Energy 500 Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway.
"We certainly appreciate all the effort that Patrick Carpentier made for us this year," Mark McArdle, GEM's vice president and managing director of competition, said in a statement released Tuesday. "But our job is to put ourselves in a position to win races, plus we're striving to get the No. 10 into the top 35 in [owner] points. We feel A.J. gives us the best chance to do both."
The No. 10 is currently 338 points out of 35th place in the owner standings.
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