Phoenix Racing General Manager Marc Reno said over the weekend at Nashville that the removal of Johnny Sauter as driver of the teams #1 Chevys was sponsor-driven. The team is sponsored by a resort owned by the Miccosukee Indian tribe, and Reno said, It was a sponsor request to take Johnny out of the car. This is the first time that theyve ever disapproved one of our drivers, Reno said. Thats why we took Johnny out. Sauter, in a statement, disputed Reno’s account of why he was let go. “I guess they found out that I don’t like to gamble,” Sauter said jokingly. “No seriously, I guess the Miccosukees are under the impression that the driver has the power to turn the organization around, and I respect that opinion. But to be perfectly honest, J.J. Yeley, Mike Wallace and Johnny Benson are all great drivers who struggled in Phoenix Racing equipment and were replaced. How many drivers do you have to fire before you realize that they’re not the problem? “As far as sponsors are concerned, Yellow Transportation is an international brand that put its support behind me for three years, and I take pride in the fact that they thought enough of me as a representative to follow me to Haas when I left Phoenix Racing in 2006.” Former Cup driver Sterling Marlin drove the No. 1 at Nashville, but Reno said that is likely only a temporary arrangement. Marlin doesnt want to do more than 10 to 12 races, and a search for another driver is under way.(SceneDaily.com)(3-24-2008)
