Smith blames Evernham UPDATE um..no?: #7 car owner, Jim Smith, is not happy. Smith said he doesn’t blame driver Casey Atwood for the stumbling start this season finishes of 35th, 39th, 41st and 32nd but instead suggested that Ray Evernham, with whom Smith merged teams, is not giving Atwood proper support. ”We’re not going to stand for this running 20th stuff,” Smith said. ”We’re going to consolidate the teams and start sharing information.” (more at the Tennessean)(3-16-2002) Jim Smith, co-owner of the #7 Sirius Dodge, denies rumors that there has been a lack of cooperation between his squad and partner Ray Evernham since Ultra Motorsports inherited Casey Atwood. “Ray’s given us a tremendous amount of support,” Smith says. Smith, who released crew chief Kevin Cram last week, hopes to find a pit boss who will easily interface with Evernham’s #9 and #19 teams.(Sporting News)(3-18-2002)
