Turner Scott Motorsports shut down its truck operation on Wednesday sources told Motorsport.com. Crew chief Mike Shelton informed the teams around 3 p.m. ET. Steve Turner started his truck operation on a limited basis in 2009 and expanded to two full-time teams in 2010. In 2012, Turner won the Camping World Truck Series title with James Buescher. TSM currently campaigns three truck teams with former champion Ron Hornaday Jr. and Ben Kennedy both competing full-time. Hornaday is currently fourth in the point standings. In five seasons, TSM has amassed 11 wins.(Motorsport.com)(8-27-2014)
UPDATE: A major shakeup is apparently underway at Turner Scott Motorsports, which fields entries on NASCAR’s Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series. TSM is co-owned by Steve Turner and Harry Scott, Jr., who also owns the HScott Motorsports NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team that fields cars for rookie Justin Allgaier. Sources speaking on the condition of anonymity say that an ownership dispute between Turner and Scott could result in the team shuttering all or part of its multi-truck NASCAR Camping World Truck Series operation, effective immediately. TSM field Camping World Trucks for former series champion Ron Hornaday, Jr. and rookies Ben Kennedy, Brandon Jones and Ben Rhodes. Just days ago, youngster Cameron Hayley was added to the team’s Truck Series roster for a limited schedule of races, beginning this weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. Sources say that only Kennedy’s Chevrolet may continue to compete, but that at least some of the team’s transporters have been called back to TSM headquarters in Mooresville, NC. Turner Scott also fields NASCAR Nationwide Series entries for drivers Dylan Kwasniewski and Kyle Larson. The team was founded by Steve Turner for a part-time schedule of Truck Series events in 2009, before expanding to two full-time entries the following season. Turner Motorsports won the Camping World Truck Series championship with Steve Turner’s son-in-law, James Buescher in 2012. Calls placed to Turner Scott Motorsports, Steve Turner, Harry Scott, Jr. and others in search of comment were not immediately returned.
In a brief text message, Turner Scott Motorsports co-owner Harry Scott said only that ‘What’s been reported is not true.’
Several employees of TSM have confirmed that they were laid off ‘ at least temporarily ‘ at approximately 3 PM ET today.(Godfather Motorsports)(8-27-2014)
UPDATE 2: Statement from Harry Scott Jr. Regarding Turner Scott Motorsports: ‘Turner Scott Motorsports remains in operation and will compete in this weekend’s NASCAR events. TSM’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race teams represented by the #42 driven by Kyle Larson and the #31 driven by Dylan Kwasniewski will complete this weekend as scheduled at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
‘The #31 driven by Ben Kennedy and the #32 driven by Cameron Hayley in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will compete as scheduled at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park this coming Sunday.
‘My investment company, a co-owner of TSM, will continue to do all that it can to keep the team moving forward with or without our business partner Steve Turner. To all TSM employees, sponsors, partners and fans I pledge we will continue to do what we can to keep the teams racing hard each and every week of the season.’(Tuckahoe Strategies)(8-27-2014)
UPDATE 3: Another noteworthy item is that Ron Hornaday, Jr.’s #30 team was not mentioned in Scott’s statement, meaning the veteran driver who currently sits fourth in the championship standings will likely be sitting on the sidelines for this weekend’s events at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. That’s because Steve Turner, not Scott was actually funding Hornaday’s ride out of his own pocket. According to several sources, Rheem was on the truck only for show, with no additional funding getting injected into the program. One source explicitly stated Rheem’s presence on the #30 was a thank you to the company for backing James Buescher, Turner’s son-in-law. Turner is good friends with several within that company and had brokered an opportunity for the CEO’s son, Brandon Jones, who was driving a part-time Truck schedule for TSM. Based on previous conversations with Scott, within his driver diary for Frontstretch it’s likely he has little, if any, involvement with the #30 team. Stretching finances, in that way appears to have stretched at least Turner a little thin. Sources on the team indicated that there have been issues where crew members had either not received their paychecks or had checks delayed multiple days. (Frontstretch.com)(8-28-2014)
UPDATE 4: Scott, according to documents obtained by Sporting News, filed a notice of suit Wednesday in North Carolina Superior Court by asking for an extension of time to file a complaint against Turner. He has 20 days to file the suit. The extension of time alleges that Turner has allowed the team’s funds to be depleted and left debts unpaid, that Turner did not fund the entries as he was obligated to that ‘he unilaterally chose to operate through TSM,’ and that Turner misapplied the sponsorship funds and revenues of the Nationwide and truck teams. It states that Scott will ask for the appointment of a receiver to run the team to allow it to continue operations. Scott became a partner with Turner in December 2012 in what was then Turner Motorsports. Last year, Scott bought Phoenix Racing to form HScott Motorsports, which fields a Sprint Cup car for Justin Allgaier. Turner did not respond to an email requesting comment.(Sporting News)
