Sources in the garage say the AOL ride is available next season and that the sponsor would like a mature driver capable of winning races. Sounds like the perfect fit for Ward Burton [who is signed with Bill Davis thur 2004]. Not only has he won at a variety of tracks, he would be a good hunting buddy for owner Richard Childress.( Sporting News )(7-28-2003) UPDATE: Ward Burton is looking to get out of his contract with Bill Davis Racing, perhaps at the end of this season. Burton has one more year remaining on his deal with Davis but wants to get out of it early. He told The Associated Press that he and Davis are “looking at other options” for next season, and a team spokesperson confirmed that Burton was looking to leave. Davis had left the racetrack to head to Indianapolis Raceway Park for Saturday night’s Busch Series race and was unavailable for comment. “I would love to get our differences straightened out, but I don’t know if it’s possible,” Burton told The Associated Press. “It’s just lack of respect and lack of communication.( NASCAR.com )(8-3-2003) UPDATE 2: Who might [Bill Davis Racing GM Mike] Davis pick to replace Burton? Steve Park was at Davis’ shop the other day and did fly up here with the team, but Brown insisted that there is no quid-pro-quo in the works to swap Burton for Park with Richard Childress. ‘Not an ounce of truth,’ Brown said. ‘Steve was bringing his motorcycle by for a ride that Bill and Steve and a few others are going on after Watkins Glen.’ But Brown said: ‘We’ve told Ward that timing is everything, and we can’t wait 60 to 90 days for him to make up his mind on what he wants to do. Sometimes if you want to do something different, you’ve got to be willing to step up and do the right thing so everybody can move on. We haven’t talked with anyone about the ride. We feel if we and Ward part ways and do it in a timely manner, then we won’t have a problem putting anybody in the car.’ One entanglement is Burton’s close ties with sponsor Caterpillar. Brown insisted that Caterpillar wouldn’t leave if Burton leaves. ‘We’ve had recent meetings with Caterpillar and they’ve assured us they’re 100 percent behind the race team,’ Brown said. ‘This is the first year of a five-year deal, and they want us to make the racing decisions, though they want to be aware of everything that’s going on and they want to buy into anything that’s going on.’ Brown declined to comment on reports of disagreements Friday between Burton and crew chief Frank Stoddard. Dodge officials want to keep Burton, last year’s Daytona 500 winner, and one place that might have an opening is Ray Evernham’s.( Winston Salem Journal )(8-4-2003)
