Shell Did Not Force Firing Of Kurt Busch

Penske Racing had stood by Kurt Busch despite an array of emotional outbursts in recent years. And Busch didn't think Penske was improving its performance as he finished outside the top 10 in points in three of the last four years. And that meant it was time for both sides to move on, Penske Racing President Tim Cindric said. Busch is no longer the driver of Penske's Shell/Pennzoil-sponsored #22 car in a move that Busch and the team said was by mutual consent. "A lot of things that we've gone through weren't new discussions," Cindric said Monday afternoon in a phone interview.

"Roger is the last one that wants to admit failure. It's difficult to know that what you set out to do, you didn't do in terms of finishing out Kurt's career in a good way and have something that ends on a good note. Roger is as loyal as they come, in my opinion. He's someone that is certainly there to try and help. It just got to the point where we didn't feel like we were really helping him progress and obviously he didn't feel we were progressing at the right rate. So it was time to move on."

Cindric said Shell executives did not force the firing. As far as who will replace Busch, Cindric said the job is open and he wants to hire a new driver as soon as possible. He said there has been no decision on who will drive the car next year. Cindric said he has talked to David Ragan, one of several free agents looking for rides on a list that includes Brian Vickers and David Reutimann. "He is somebody that we would consider," he said. "He certainly is not someone that has the job by any means. But he's one of a handful that's out there that is a quality driver. SceneDaily