Atwood Released: NASCAR Winston Cup team [#9,#19,#91] owner Ray Evernham has informed driver Casey Atwood he is free to seek other employment options for 2003. An Evernham Motorsports spokesperson Monday said Evernham, who plans to field a two-car Winston Cup team next season for drivers Bill Elliott and Jeremy Mayfield, indicated he would sit down with Atwood after the holidays and discuss the resolution of the final year of Atwood’s contract. Atwood, 22, drove Evernham’s #19 Dodge in 2001. This season, he drove Jim Smith’s #7 Dodge, in which Evernham became a partner to facilitate Atwood’s continued development. After Atwood struggled through 34 races, with a best finish of 11th and in 33rd in the driver standings, Smith released him and Evernham and Smith dissolved their partnership. BGN [#27, #37] owner Clarence Brewer, for whom Atwood won twice in 1999 and in 2000 before he went to Evernham Motorsports, has said he would like to rehire Atwood pending the resolution of his deal with Evernham.(NASCAR.com)(12-2-2002)
