One way or another, Patrick Carpentier was leaving Gillette Evernham Motorsports.
It was already announced that Reed Sorenson would be driving there next year, and it didn't seem the team was planning on adding a fourth car.
Then after qualifying for the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega, the process was sped up when Carpentier and his team director engaged in a heated argument.
Carpentier had failed to qualify for the race and said that team director Mike Shiplett blamed the driver, not the team, for not making the show.
Carpentier took offense and said that all the driver can do at Talladega is put his foot to the floor and go.
"I think it's a complete lack of respect," Carpentier wrote on his website. "I never was shy to take the blame when I thought it was my fault, but here, everybody knows that it's like driving in a straight line. The driver just has to keep the steering wheel straight. He should have taken a time out and calmed down before he spoke."
- B/R Ticket Guide
"I know [Shiplett's] criticism didn't make any sense. What is worst is that he seems to have forgotten pretty quickly races like Dover or in Atlanta where I've qualified a car that he himself didn't think was fast enough to earn a place on the starting grid. I realize now that some people have a really short memory span in NASCAR."
Words continued to be exchanged, and it was reported that apologies had been handed out, but it was too little too late. Carpentier was released today.
GEM has said that Mike Wallace will drive the car this weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway and AJ Allmendinger, who was released from Red Bull Racing and still searching for a job, will drive the car the remaining part of the season.
Carpentier had come to the series from the open wheel ranks of Champ and Indy Car; he had one pole in 27 starts this season. Now it's time to start searching for his next ride.
It now seems that Sam Hornish Jr. will be the last remaining open wheel invader.
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3 months ago
Seems to me like the wrong guy got released.
If I was Reed Sorenson, I would be VERY worried about the stability of my new team for 2009. At least Ganassi offers sponsorship from Target that's set in stone.
Let's hope Patrick, the closest thing to a competent stock car driver out of all the open-wheel invaders (sorry Juan), lands on his feet for 2009.
from 3 months ago
I agree Chris, Ganassi offers sponsorship... but he doesn't offer much else. That team is awful, and GEM is definitelty, with regards to performance, a step up.
And Kelly, Juan Pablo is also a former open wheeler still in NASCAR.
from 3 months ago
I know that Juan is still here, as are Tony Stewart and Casey Mears. What I was referring to is that Sam is the only driver left from this years Rookie race
from 3 months ago
I agree Chris.
Carpentier was learning 'on-the-job' much like Allmendinger has been for the last two years. Both of these drivers just now seem to be finding themselves at the Cup level.
All of these guys need some experience in ARCA, Trucks or "B" series before they jump in to 'learn to swim' at the top level. Cup seems to be the only series where this is happening. Perhaps my minimal attention to the road racing circuits my make me wrong, bu I just don't know if it's happening in other forms of racing. I just can't see why drivers now jump to the top series in NASCAR with so little stock car/circle track experience.
True, a top driver can race anywhere, but the days of the 1960's and 70' are long gone. Then a driver could jump from one type of racing to another and do well [see Dan Gurney, AJ Foyt, Mario Andretti, and Cale Yarborough, all of whom raced stock cars and Indy cars during their careers.] I believe that, in all series, the cars have become such an important factor (compared tho the drivers above who had to 'drive' the cars) that a driver can no longer jump back and forth, much less expect to win, like Foyt, Gurney, Andretti all did in Stock Cars and then went back to Indy cars.
3 months ago
None of these "NEW" open wheel drivers are very competent in NASCAR.
3 months ago
ooo
3 months ago
Amen Ron, send them back to open wheel where they came from !
3 months ago
There's nothing wrong with "open wheel" drivers. Just look at Stewart, Montoya, Mears, etc. Most NASCAR drivers had exposure to open wheels at one time or another in their careers. The problem is development. These guys have got to go into it gradually. This "sink or swim" attitude of the owners is what has to go.
from 3 months ago
Good point Greg about the sink or swim. Maybe if they spent more time in ARCA or Nationwide instead of just throwing them right into the Cup Series we wouldn't see most of them on their way out!
The extra time in Nationwide never hurt anybody.....
from 3 months ago
Totally agree. Most drivers come from some form of an open wheel class in their past. But Patrick,Montoya, and Mears "to a lesser extent" have too much open wheel mindset in them when driving with fenders. Any of the new open wheels drivers who cry foul about anything in NASCAR should just zip it. They were given a serious chance to run in the best form of racing in the world for a pretty large salary. It makes me sick to see these guys spout off at the mouth after things do not go their way. Alot of talented drivers who have acomplised more in NASACR type classes never got that chance that they did.
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