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Moving season begins

© St. Petersburg Times,
published October 4, 2001

Jeremy Mayfield is out.

So are Kevin Lepage and Mike Wallace. Mike Skinner was out, but is in again. Robby Gordon is half in, half out. Jimmy Spencer is in and out. Joe Nemechek, Stacy Compton and Jason Leffler are in limbo.

Got all that?

Silly season, that annual rite of fall in which Winston Cup drivers are dropped and swapped, is in full swing with eight races remaining.

So, let's get silly.

Why, do you suppose, owner Richard Childress has waited so long to name Gordon as Skinner's replacement in the No. 31 Chevrolet for next season? Could it be he is not convinced Gordon is his best option? Has he been waiting to see who else becomes available?

Mayfield, perhaps?

A month ago, Mayfield let slip -- surely, it wasn't deliberate -- that he was wasting the prime of his driving career at Penske Racing, which he practically accused of sabotaging the No. 12 team with bad personnel decisions. Sunday, he claimed his 36th-place finish at Kansas Speedway was "self-inflicted" by the team's inability to prepare a suitable car.

Tuesday, he was fired.

Wallace left his Ultra Motorsports team to replace Mayfield. He'll be a temporary teammate to his brother, Rusty, who drives the No. 2 Ford. Wallace gets into the car today, when he attempts to qualify the for UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Elsewhere in the Winston Cup garage, Skinner was hired Tuesday to replace Lepage in Morgan-McClure's No. 4 Chevrolet. But a former driver's son, Bobby Hamilton Jr., will drive the car for the rest of 2001 while Skinner recovers from knee surgery.

Saying it was time to move on, Jimmy Spencer said he will leave the No. 26 at the end of the season, which came as a surprise to owner Travis Carter. But Spencer has not said where he will go and on Tuesday seemed to have second thoughts.

Gordon continues to wear the substitute label in the No. 31. Nemechek in the No. 33, Compton in the No. 92 and Leffler in the No. 01 are searching for rides because their teams have not secured sponsors for 2002.

Driver Hut Stricklin likely will bring the Hills Brothers sponsorship from the No. 90 to Andy Petree Racing's No. 33, leaving owner Junie Donlavey without a sponsor or driver.

Dizzy yet?

STEWART CLIMBING: Tony Stewart climbed to third in the Winston Cup standings, his highest position since joining the series in 1999. He moved up from fifth on the strength of five consecutive top-10 finishes, including a win at Bristol.

Though the race for the championship is between Jeff Gordon and Ricky Rudd, just 449 points separate the next nine drivers battling for positions in the Top 10.

SAUTER WINS IT ALL: Johnny Sauter won the season's final American Speed Association race at Indianapolis, wrapping up the series championship and rookie honors as well.

Sauter, 23, won a series-record 10 races this season. He also claimed 13 top-three finishes and four poles. He won $250,000 for the series and rookie titles.

"It is unbelievable," Sauter said. "To win the last race, rookie of the year and championship on the same night is awesome. A year ago, I was watching this race from the infield. My life has been a complete whirlwind this year."

IN WITH THE NEW: Rusty Wallace lost a teammate Tuesday when Penske fired Mayfield, but he's more interested in talking about the teammate he will gain next season when Ryan Newman races for Rookie of the Year in the No. 02 Ford.

"The kid is amazing and is an incredible talent," Wallace said. "I'm high on him and proud to have him as my teammate. He's aggressive but not cocky. He has a good attitude and a great personality."

- Information from other news organizations was used in this report.

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