Ward close to re-upping with Davis UPDATE maybe not: Mike Brown, general manager for Bill Davis’ #22 race team, says he and Ward Burton could come to terms on a contract renewal in the next few days.(Winston Salem Journal)(6-22-2002) UPDATE: [#22,#23] car owner Bill Davis says it’s fair to consider the car with Ward Burton as driver to be open for next season after Burton didn’t sign a contract extension before the team’s deadline. “He had a 30-day window to sign a contract and he chose not to do it,” Davis said. Burton said he had planned to sign it but family matters came up and he missed the deadline. Either way, the contract was not signed and Burton’s status at Bill Davis Racing – a place Burton has been since late in the 1995 season – is cloudy. Also, this weekend reports surfaced that Jerry Nadeau would replace Hut Stricklin in Davis’ second team, possibly as soon as Daytona. “I don’t know where that came from,” Davis said. “Hut’s the driver. Hut’s going to be the driver.”(Roanoke Times) OR It appears that Ward Burton is ready to sign a new contract with car owner Bill Davis, after haggling for several months. In fact, Burton might already have signed, according to team sources.(Winston Salem Journal)(6-25-2002)
