Sawyer parts ways with Red Bull Racing

Elton Sawyer will part ways with Red Bull Racing, effective Monday. Sawyer, 50, who was hired as the competition director for the start-up company more than four years ago, was told of his fate last Thursday. Sawyer says that on Monday both parties agreed that this would be his last week. Sawyer is uncertain of his next career move. He was testing with Red Bull development driver Cole Whitt on Tuesday at Rockingham and will accompany Mattias Ekstrom to Sonoma this weekend as the Swede acquaints himself on the 1.99-mile road course in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race prior to making his Sprint Cup debut in the 83 Red Bull Toyota on Sunday. Sawyer competed in the Busch Series (now the Nationwide Series) from 1983 until 2002. The Chesapeake, Va., native won races at Myrtle Beach and New Hampshire while driving Fords for Akin-Sutton and finished a career-best fifth in the points standings in three different seasons. Sawyer also ran 29 Cup races between 1995 and 1996. His best finish came at Talladega, where he finished 14th driving a Junior Johnson Ford. FoxSports