Expect to see #97-Kurt Busch and #42-Jamie McMurray be released from their respective contracts with Jack Roush and Chip Ganassi in short order. Thats the word from Roush, who said Friday he figures the deal to send McMurray to Roushs #97 and Busch to Roger Penskes #2 Dodge to be completed very soon. I think that if Jamie and Kurt are going to be mutually released and I would put it in that order then I think its very close to the time thats going to happen, Roush said. None of the remaining Silly Season dominos, most notably who will replace McMurray in Ganassis #42 Dodge next season, were resolved on Friday, but could be before the weekend is out.(Speed Channel)
AND Jack Roush said yesterday afternoon that an agreement still hadn’t been reached in the three-way negotiations to move Jamie McMurray to Roush Racing and Kurt Busch to Penske in 2006. The deal, which also would send an unnamed driver to Chip Ganassi Racing to replace McMurray, has been in the works for weeks and was reported done by ESPN on Monday.(Richmond Times Dispatch)
AND II Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray still don’t know if they will be driving for new teams next year. The anticipated swap of drivers involving three teams isn’t done. If a deal is done, the changes are these: Busch will leave Roush Racing and drive the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge next season, replacing Rusty Wallace. McMurray will replace Busch for Jack Roush. And someone possibly Bobby Labonte or Ricky Rudd will replace McMurray in the #42 Havoline Dodge. “Ultimately it’s Jack’s decision if we want to separate and move on,” Busch said. “If we can work out all the details, great.” Jack Roush said he isn’t sure everything will get resolved. “I don’t have a drop-dead date,” he said. “Geoff Smith [team president] is handling those negotiations, and he said it needs to be done quickly.” Roush was asked if he and Busch had spoken recently. “I haven’t had a conversation with Kurt of any consequence since he told me he wanted to be released from his contract for 2006. I’m immune to frustration when it comes to Kurt Busch.”(Dallas Morning News)….yikes!(11-5-2005)
UPDATE: On Wind Tunnel (Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on SPEED), host Dave Despain and SPEED’s NASCAR reporter Bob Dillner Kurt Busch’s impounding release from Roush Racing:
Dave Despain: Kurt Busch tells me there will be a news release (Monday). Do you know what it’s going to say? Is he going to be released to go to the 2?
Bob Dillner: He is going to be released to go to the 2 car. He’ll replace Rusty Wallace over there at Penske Racing. There were a lot of meetings (Sunday) in Texas. And what I was told from my inside sources (is) that about 10 out of the 12 things that need to happen for Jamie McMurray to go over to the Roush side next year are complete. But those last two, which I’m sure involve a lot of money in Chip Ganassi’s pocket, have to be completed yet. But I think what we’re going to see is by the end of this week I’m pretty sure that all these pieces of the puzzle are actually going to happen. We’re going to see Kurt Busch go over there to the 2 car. We’re going to see Jamie McMurray finally get what he wants out of the 42 car and over there into the 97.
Dave Despain: So who goes in the 42? I’m reading in the paper that (Ricky) Rudd said very clearly on Friday he will not drive that car. Are you hearing something different?
Bob Dillner: You know, I’ve heard that they want him really bad in that car for next year. And the problem is the whole hang-up on this situation Dave seems to be who to put in that car because there’s not a lot of veteran quality drivers to really go around right now. But Rudd’s got a decision to make. He’s either going to go in that 42 car, or he’s going to retire.(FoxSports.com)(11-7-2005)
