No more Busch for the #11?heard this from quite a few well placed sources – Looks like the #11 Channellock team got into a bit of trouble with the Anheuser-Busch reps at Gateway Intl Speedway during race weekend. One night during the weekend, the Anheuser-Busch people threw party for all the Busch teams at a local establishment. A Busch rep noticed that the #11 Channellock crew along with team owner Armando Fitz were drinking another brand of beer even though Busch products were on the house. When the rep approached the team and asked if they would please change brands out of respect of the sponsor, some of the team members became very belligerent and cursed at the rep totally unaware of who he was affiliated with. When Mr. Fitz was asked to subdue the situation he made a comment about his relation to Felix Sabates and the Coors Light team and that he didn’t need free beer from Busch and left. Immediately following the race at Gateway, the rep, along with Busch series director John Darby went to the Channellock hauler and notified the team that they were off of all the Busch contingency programs through the rest of the season and the team and removing the Busch Beer privileges for the rest of the season. Reports are that the following week at Pikes Peak the #11 Channellock hauler had cases of Coors and Coors Light stacked beside it for everyone to see(8-9-2001)
