GIC Motorsports announced today that Shane Hmiel will take the wheel for the #24 Quality Plus Services Chevrolet Monte Carlo for this weeks NASCAR Busch Series race in Fontana, CA. Hmiel will replace Mike Harmon for this weeks race. We decided to make this change for Fontana, said GIC owner James Whitener. Mike has been a great asset in the past, and hell continue to be a great asset in the future, continued Whitener. Were working to develop a successful multi-car program, which involves improving the equipment and developing additional drivers.(BGNRacing.com)(4-27-2004)
AND: Alabama racer Mike Harmon is out of his ride in NASCAR’s Busch series, at least for this week. His future in the seat of the #24 Chevrolet has turned uncertain. Sponsorship troubles have left the GIC Motorsports team underfunded. Driver Shane Hmiel, who is bringing his own sponsorship for what now is a one-race deal, will race the car in Saturday’s Busch event at California Speedway. “We’re at a point where we can’t go much further without sponsorship,” Harmon said. “We’re trying to keep the team surviving. I know how the finances are. At some point, it’s business.” After California, nothing has been determined for the race the following weekend near St. Louis. “There is a possibility we won’t go,” Harmon said. “There’s a possibility Shane will be in there. There are possibilities we’ll get money.” The team may even field a second car to run a limited schedule. Team owner James Whitener said, “Mike has been a great asset in the past, and he’ll continue to be a great asset in the future. We’re working to develop a successful multi-car program, which involves improving equipment and developing drivers.” Hmiel, 23, gets his first shot in a Busch race since he was suspended last September for violating NASCAR’s substance abuse policy. Hmiel has completed a rehabilitation program, participated in random drug testing and been reinstated. Harmon, a two-time track champion at Birmingham International Raceway, has 84 career starts in the Busch series, most of them in the past three seasons. The 46-year-old driver from Birmingport has more than 300 career victories in various short track races. “The sad part,” Harmon said, “is it doesn’t look like corporate America wants to sponsor a middle-age driver these days, me or anybody else. It’s killing me to get out of the car, especially after last weekend.” At Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, Harmon ran in the top 15 in the Busch race and was on the lead lap when he cut a tire with 10 laps remaining. “I had fun Saturday for the first time in a long time,” he said. “We still got robbed of a good finish at the end.”(Alabama Live)(4-27-2004)
UPDATE: There are always rumors, Hmiel stated regarding the claim he is bringing a sponsor to the GIC team. I am not in a position to bring any sponsor to the table for the GIC team. We still do not have a full time sponsor for our #15 Truck Team. The Team has been working day and night to find one so we can stay in the championship battle. I am firmly committed to the #15 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Team owned by Billy Ballew Motorsports. We have a top 10 team that is capable of running for the Championship. We had a little misfortune with a rear-end cooling problem at the end of the race in Martinsville but I know that we can turn it around. Weve been running in the top 5 to top 10 so far. Its a Championship hunt for the team and I plan on being right there in the thick of the action, Hmiel said.(Shane Hmiel Site)(4-30-2004)
