Turner Motorsports had meetings with the majority of their employees today and handed out letters in accordance with the North Carolina WARN Act regarding layoffs. In case you aren’t familiar, the WARN Act “requires a 60-day notice to the state and employees if at least 50 employees will be laid off because of the closure or shutdown of a business unit or if a company has layoffs of at least 50 people that impact 33 percent of a workforce at a single site.” The reason for possible upcoming layoffs at Turner is the loss of sponsor Dollar General. Dollar General is currently the sponsor on Reed Sorenson’s #32 car, and has been a team sponsor going back to when Turner was Braun Racing. Don’t expect Dollar General to disappear though, as they are rumored to be working with another team for the future. As for Turner, not every employee is in danger as they are expected to have at least two full time trucks, two full time Nationwide cars, and possibly a third part time NNS team in 2012.(NASCAR Insiders)(10-3-2011)
UPDATE: Due to the current economic climate, coupled with the decision by long-time marketing partner, Dollar General, to seek other sponsorship opportunities, Turner Motorsports has notified its employees of a potential downsizing at the end of the current racing season. It is hopeful the action will become unnecessary as the team continues to work with potential marketing partners for their Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series teams.(Turner Motorsports)(10-4-2011)
UPDATE 2: Sirius NASCAR Radio’s Sirius Speedway with Dave Moody has learned that Reed Sorenson is out of the Turner Motorsports #32 NASCAR Nationwide Series Chevy, effective immediately. Sorenson is currently third in Nationwide Series championship points with just five races remaining, 49 behind leader Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. He finished seventh last Saturday at Dover International Speedway. Sorenson confirmed his ouster today, saying, “I’m not sure what happened. I got a phone call this morning, but they didn’t really say much. All they would say is that I’m out of the car. I haven’t gotten a reason, I’m just as confused as you are.” Sorenson said he is currently “beating the bushes” for a Nationwide Series ride that will allow him to complete the 2011 season. The team’s sponsor, Dollar General, informed Turner Motorsports recently that it will seek other opportunities in 2012, with reliable sources saying they will end up at Joe Gibbs Racing next season as a major and associate sponsor of the team’s various Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series entries. There is no immediate word on who — if anyone — will replace Sorenson this weekend at Kansas Speedway. Multiple calls to Turner Motorsports in search of comment were not returned.(Sirius Speedway)(10-4-2011)
UPDATE: Turner Motorsports announced that Brian Vickers will assume driving duties of the #32 Dollar General Chevy, beginning this weekend at Kansas Speedway. Vickers, the 2003 NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion, who has a long-standing relationship with the team, will also get behind the wheel for the Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The driver for the remaining 2011 races will be announced at a later date. “We are continuing to evaluate our racing program as we look to the 2012 season,” said team owner Steve Turner. “Brian Vickers is a proven winner at NASCAR’s highest level in addition to being a driver at Turner Motorsports over the last four seasons. He has worked with Trent Owens in the past which will allow us to immediately focus on the task at hand. We are confident Brian can help assess where we are, as a company currently, and the direction we are going as we build our programs for 2012 and beyond.”(Turner Motorsports)(10-4-2011)
