Kerry Earnhardt’s future is questionable. His owners, Terry Bradshaw and Armando Fitz, are used to being successful, and they need to perform because they are very much involved with very visible sponsorships, especially Bradshaw. If the driver is not performing, and the teams are not doing well, it’s a direct reflection on him. I just don’t think that you’re going to see someone who has been successful in another sport come into NASCAR and tolerate anything less than success. He’s going to make the necessary changes.(FoxSports)(7-1-2003)
UPDATE: #12, #14, #82 Team owner Armando Fitz denies rumors that Kerry Earnhardt will be the next to go, possibly as early as after the July 4 race at Daytona. Earnhardt’s team has stuggled to find a footing this year, but for the time being at least, Fitz says he doesn’t have any specific plans to release Earnhardt (Winston Cup Scene – need subscription to read)(7-3-2003)
UPDATE 2: hearing that Fitz gave a probation period to Earnhardt of 8-10 races (which started app. 6 races ago), and if no improvement, then Earnhardt could be gone. Supposedly Tim Fedewa could replace Earnhardt(7-9-2003)
UPDATE 3: FitzBradshaw Racing announced that a driver substitution will be made for the upcoming NASCAR Busch Series race Saturday in Loudon, NH. The team will Test Tim Fedewa In #12 Supercuts Chevy for New Hampshire Race. Kerry Earnhardt has driven the #12 Chevy Monte Carlo since the start of the 2002 season. “It’s our desire to field the best teams on the track; it is a commitment we make to ourselves and to our sponsors,” stated FitzBradshaw Racing co-owner Armando Fitz. “Kerry has proven he is a strong driver; he has driven up-front, but the team is simply not gelling right now. And if we want to win, we need to gel.” In June, FitzBradshaw Racing retained a new crew for the #12 Chevy, while moving the previous #12 crew to the #14 Navy Chevy piloted by Casey Atwood. FitzBradshaw Racing’s objective in making both driver and crew changes is to sample driver and crew pairings to ascertain the most competitive combination for each of FitzBradshaw Racing’s cars. “A change right now is in the best interests of everybody,” stated Terry Bradshaw, co-owner of FitzBradshaw Racing.. “Our entire organization appreciates everything Kerry has done for the team and its sponsors. We’ve been able to be very successful for our sponsors in many ways, including marketing, but we want to search to find our best possible on-track combination as well.”
“Tim Fedewa, we think, is the right choice for the team at this time.. He has four Busch Series wins, so he understands what it takes to grab a checkered flag at this level,” said Fitz. Fedewa, in addition to his driving success, has history with FitzBradshaw. He started spotting for FitzBradshaw Racing during the 2002 season and became a permanent spotter for Earnhardt in 2003. During the pit crew transition, he served as crew chief for the #12 car in Kentucky. “We haven’t made an exact determination of how long Fedewa will be in the seat,” said Fitz. “That depends on the level of success we achieve and how we ultimately evaluate how we can best use our driving talent.. What’s most important right now is that we begin achieving the kind of on-track success that we need for both FitzBradshaw Racing and for our sponsors.”(FitzBradshaw Racing PR)(7-14-2003)
