Biffle/Tryson could reunite at DEI? UPDATE: Pat Tryson doesn’t know where he’ll work next, but he hasn’t ruled out a reunion with driver #16-Greg Biffle. Fired as Biffle’s crew chief at Roush Fenway Racing this week, Tryson said on Thursday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway that he’s been contacted about a job from officials at Dale Earnhardt Inc. He also acknowledged that Biffle has had ongoing conversations with DEI even before Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced he was leaving the organization that his father built. “I know if they want to keep Greg Biffle, [Roush] better get some stuff together,’’ Tryson said during practice for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600. “I don’t think Greg’s shopping himself. I also don’t believe he’s going to rush to sign.’’ Biffle’s contract with Roush Fenway runs through 2008 and he’s in the middle of negotiations on an extension. While he’s said that an extension is his first choice, he wouldn’t be the first person to get out of a Roush contract a year early. Kurt Busch left a year after the 2005 season to join Penske Racing.(ESPN.com)(5-24-2007)
UPDATE: Greg Biffle’s contract negotiation with Roush Fenway Racing is currently “in limbo,” the driver said Thursday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. “Right now we’ve made a counter offer,” Biffle said. “A lot of it regarded appearances and the way the contract was written — and obviously money was one of the factors. So we’re waiting to see where they sit with everything.” Biffle explained the addition of Fenway Sports Group to the equation has diluted negotiations a bit.(ESPN.com)(5-25-2007)
If this all happens we might as well call it Toyotacar.
Toyota: Gibbs? Penske merge with Waltrip? UPDATE: Toyota, sources said, has approached the Gibbs team with a proposal to leave Chevrolet, which would give it #20-Tony Stewart, #11-Denny Hamlin and #18-J.J. Yeley. Gibbs’ management doesn’t appear to be that interested, but the offer hasn’t been rejected, according to team sources. Penske [#2, #12], who has been with just about every manufacturer in racing over the years and who is one of the world’s biggest Toyota dealers, could be making the move to Toyota for next year. According to sources close to the situation, Penske could be looking at a merger with Michael Waltrip’s struggling Toyota operation. And there is speculation that Robert and Doug Yates [#38, #88] may be willing to listen to Toyota offers, even though they have long-standing ties with Ford.(Winston Salem Journal)(5-31-2007)
UPDATE: Several sources tell SI.com that Toyota is going hard after Joe Gibbs Racing and that Gibbs is very interested. Officially, the Gibbs team denies any contact with Toyota: “It’s news to us,” team spokesman Mike Arning said. Toyota, as a matter of policy, does not comment on contract negotiations. The potential deal is a delicate subject for Gibbs and Toyota. Gibbs’ contract with Chevrolet, which runs out at the end of the year, stipulates this is a non-negotiating period with other manufacturers. Is contact to determine interest negotiating? You’d have to read the fine print and then get a clarification from an arbitrator to determine that. But sources say there definitely has been communication between Toyota and Gibbs.(Sports Illustrated)(6-2-2007)