Brewco Motorsports replaced former Busch Series champion David Green in its #27 Fords prior to the race at Richmond, but the driver says he wanted to finish the season with the team. Green was replaced by Casey Atwood at Richmond, and Atwood will drive the car at Dover, Kansas and Charlotte in what amounts to a tryout for the rest of 2006 and ’07. Green said Sept. 8 he had made up his mind not to return to Brewco for 2007 but wanted to finish out his contract with the team. His deal with Brewco was through 2006. Both Green and team owner Clarence Brewer said the relationship between driver and team had gotten “stale,” but they disagreed on why. One of the reasons Green cited was similar to Mayfield’s belief about why his #19 Evernham Motorsports team struggled: The owner wasn’t around. Brewer pointed out that Brewco President Todd Wilkerson runs the race team and is at every race. Green will continue to run NASCAR’s rookie meetings and has gotten some interest from other Busch teams about driving. Green had wanted to retire after 2007, but he has no desire to stop driving now. “I’m not a quitter,” Green said. “They’re not going to run me off. … I’ve still got some unfinished business.”(SceneDaily.com)(9-13-2006)
UPDATE: Former Brewco Motorsports driver David Green told Sirius Speedway host Dave Moody recently that he was stunned by his sudden release from the team, but is not yet ready to retire from the sport. “I was shocked,” he said. “I obviously knew our season wasnt going the way it was supposed to be, but I knew I had the support of Kleenex, Ford Racing, and most of my team. But its a tough business. I was very confused on why we couldnt be competitive this year. We showed some signs of turning the corner at times, but something always popped up. “I got a call from (team owner) Clarence Brewer, and we talked for about an hour. It wasnt like I was trying to save my job, because it was obvious that he was the owner of the team, and he was going to make a change. He sort of made it seem like I was okay with finishing 25th, though, which was not the case. I was confused on why we hadnt gotten a car chief to support (crew chief) Stuart Cooper, and search for talent that could help us understand tire data and everything that goes on with our cars. Stuart showed last year that he was a winning crew chief when we won at Pikes Peak, but this year, we never gave him the supporting cast he needed. September 30th was the date that Brewco had to either renew my contract, or decide to go our separate ways. In years past, weve had discussions well prior to that date on what we wanted to do the following year, and how we wanted to position our team. I tried to talk to Clarence a couple of months ago, and it was clear that somehing was up. I’m sure they have an agenda they need to keep to, and that’s fine. Clarence said he needed to make a change to pepare for `07. I dont quit in the middle of a season, and for my team owner to give up with eight races to go sends the wrong signal.”(MRN/Sirius Satellite Radio)(9-18-2006)
UPDATE 2: For the second time in his career, former Busch Series champion David Green is using the NASCAR spotter’s stand as a way back into the driver’s seat, the same way he did in 2002 when he spotted for Dale Jarrett at Robert Yates Racing. At Dover this past weekend Green worked for Yates again, spotting for Stephen Leicht in the Busch Series’ Dover 200 and David Gilliland in Sunday’s Nextel Cup Dover 400. The previous weekend, thanks to a call from Ford Motor Company, he also worked with Craftsman Truck Series rookie Bobby East from Wood Brothers/JTG Racing at New Hampshire. Green was released from his ride in the #27 Brewco Motorsports Ford following Race 27 at California Speedway. He wasn’t off the scene for long. And while he’s anxious to get back behind the wheel, he appreciates the opportunity to be at the racetracks. And he said there’s no question he’s looking for another driving job. “Absolutely,” Green said. “Looking back at ’02, when I spotted for D.J. in those 13 or 15 races, and then when little Ricky [Hendrick] retired from his car, the rest was history.” Green stepped into Hendrick Motorsports’ #5 Busch car for the balance of 2002 and went to work for Clarence Brewer in 2003, where he won two poles, three races and finished second in the championship that season. Now, Green doesn’t want to be forgotten.(NASCAR.com)(9-25-2006)
