Todd Parrott, a second-generation racer with more than two decades of racing experience, was released from Yates Racing after leading the #28 Ford and driver Travis Kvapil to a 23rd-place finish in the point standings.(FoxSports), no word where Parrott ends up or who will be Kvapil’s crew chief in 2009.(11-18-2008) UPDATE: After spending a year building a relationship with Todd Parrott, #28-Travis Kvapil will have to get acquainted with a new Sprint Cup crew chief next season at Yates Racing. “Especially with a driver and crew chief, there are a lot of details or quirks you learn about each other,” Kvapil said Thursday. “Todd found out a lot about me, about what I like this year. At the same time, we weren’t content with how we ran, 23rd in points, and I guess the team felt we needed a change.” Max Jones, the team’s co-owner and general manager, gave Kvapil no indication of who his crew chief would be beyond someone with Cup experience. Parrott’s role with Yates, if any, is undetermined. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)(11-21-2008) UPDATE 2 – Parrott to GEM? Hearing crew chief Todd Parrott, who recently left Yates Racing, could end up at Gillett Evernham Motorsports, reuniting with #19-Elliott Sadler. Sadler and Parrott worked together when Sadler drove the #38 M&M’s Ford for Yates. Parrott would replace Rodney Childers who is supposedly headed to the #00 to crew chief David Reutimann.(12-3-2008) UPDATE 3: Yates Racing’s Travis Kvapil said today that Todd Parrott will return as his team’s crew chief for the 2009 Sprint Cup Series season. Kvapil told SceneDaily.com that a Nov. 20 story in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that said Parrott had left the organization wasn’t correct. “Todd’s going to crew chief in 2009 again,” Kvapil said. “I know there was some talk that he retired or quit, and none of that is true. He is still under contract. I’m excited to take what we established last year and work together again in 2009.” In the Journal-Sentinel report, Kvapil was quoted as saying that because of the team’s lack of consistency in 2008 that the organization has decided a change in leadership was needed. “Todd found out a lot about me, about what I like this year,” Kvapil said in the report. “At the same time, we weren’t content with how we ran, 23rd in points, and I guess the team felt we needed a change.” It was unclear why there was a discrepancy over whether or not Parrott had left the team. The #28 Yates Racing team has yet to secure a primary sponsor for the 2009 season, but Kvapil said he believes the organization is close to signing a deal soon.(SceneDaily)(12-10-2008)
