UPDATE: Petty Enterprises cars were in the wind tunnel just a week before the organizations officials told employees they would be laid off and that the team shop was shutting down, according to crew chief Stewart Cooper. Cooper, who was crew chief for the organizations #45 Sprint Cup car for much of last season, said he wasnt bitter with the way things ended at Petty. He said virtually all of the remaining 38 employees were laid off, with only Petty Enterprises Executive Vice President Robbie Loomis and a couple of others remaining. The organization is expected to merge with Gillett Evernham Motorsports, with an announcement expected as early as this week.”As of [early] last week we were working as if we were going to Daytona. “¦ I really feel like its nobodys fault,” Cooper said Tuesday night.”Its just the way the dice fell this time. [Those of us laid off] will have to work through it and move on.” Cooper said he didnt expect himself nor many of the former Petty employees to get hired by the new team, which is expected to work out of the Gillett Evernham shop in Statesville, N.C.”I left [my status] up to Robbie Loomis,” Cooper said.”I didnt have any major conversations with Robbie about it. I really dont think theyre going to take too many people up there. They had a full staff anyway [at GEM].”(SceneDaily)(1-7-2009)
NO news on the GEM-Petty merger UPDATE:
UPDATE: Petty Enterprises cars were in the wind tunnel just a week before the organizations officials told employees they would be laid off and that the team shop was shutting down, according to crew chief Stewart Cooper. Cooper, who was crew chief for the organizations #45 Sprint Cup car for much of last season, said he wasnt bitter with the way things ended at Petty. He said virtually all of the remaining 38 employees were laid off, with only Petty Enterprises Executive Vice President Robbie Loomis and a couple of others remaining. The organization is expected to merge with Gillett Evernham Motorsports, with an announcement expected as early as this week.”As of [early] last week we were working as if we were going to Daytona. “¦ I really feel like its nobodys fault,” Cooper said Tuesday night.”Its just the way the dice fell this time. [Those of us laid off] will have to work through it and move on.” Cooper said he didnt expect himself nor many of the former Petty employees to get hired by the new team, which is expected to work out of the Gillett Evernham shop in Statesville, N.C.”I left [my status] up to Robbie Loomis,” Cooper said.”I didnt have any major conversations with Robbie about it. I really dont think theyre going to take too many people up there. They had a full staff anyway [at GEM].”(SceneDaily)(1-7-2009)