Herzog in Cup: Herzog Motorsports, operated by Bill Herzog and sons Randy and Stan, has progressed from winning off-road championships in California and Nevada deserts and Colorado mountain trails to contending for a Busch Grand National victory. Their Busch driver, Jimmie Johnson, has four top-10 finishes and ranks fifth in the points standings going into Saturday’s Pepsi 300(at Nashville). The Herzogs plan to run a two-car Busch team and five to eight Winston Cup races in 2002 and field a full Winston Cup effort in 2003. The Herzogs’ future Busch and Winston Cup plans hit a speed bump this week when they released Toby Porter because of personal differences. Porter had posted third- and 10th-place finishes in three American Speed Association races. Billy Parker filled in for Porter during last week’s ASA race in South Boston and finished seventh. Porter’s departure comes at a critical time because Johnson’s association with the team ends after this season. Under the terms of his contract with Herzog, which expires at the end of 2001, Johnson was allowed to negotiate a new deal with Rick Hendrick, who signed him to a multiyear deal to become Jeff Gordon’s teammate, beginning in 2002(an run some Cup races in 2001 in the #48 Chevy). The Herzogs had planned to move Porter into Johnson’s ride next year, so now they’ll be trying out some drivers during the next few months. For their crew chief, the Herzogs this year hired respected Tony Liberati, who had experience with Winston Cup teams owned by Jack Roush and Hendrick(Kansas City Star)(4-13-2001)
