Evernham Leaving His Own Team?

By Mark Young

That's right people, the latest rumor out of NASCAR is that Ray Evernham is going to leave his own organization.  This rumor has been floating around for a few weeks now with several different twists to it.  In fact a little bird told me several days before it hit the Internet that this could happen but not in the way it is being pushed since Charlotte.  Here is what I have heard......

First off we have to ask the big question of why?  Why would Ray want to leave his own team?  Well to be honest, it isn't really his team anymore.  When he merged with the Gillettte family he became the minority owner and that means he doesn't make all of the decisions.  Granted he doesn't have to spend all of his money but he also doesn't make the final decision.  Perhaps the opportunity to share the monetary burden of owning a NASCAR team wasn't as full of grandeur as it appeared?

Another reason Ray may want to get out is because of the demise of Dodge.......they are pulling out of the trucks after this season, I bet they pull out of the rest after 2009.  Maybe Ray doesn't want to have to deal with another manufacturer switch?  I doubt that is a big part of it but who knows?

Ray Evernham was a wizard as a crew chief.  He and Jeff Gordon  dominated NASCAR during the mid-90's, maybe he longs for the chance to get back to the pit box?  Who in their right mind would want to go back to that grind?  Maybe he misses the rush of it all?

Maybe Ray just wants to follow suit with Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, and the slew of ex-crew chiefs who have left pit row and invaded the announcer's booth?  Granted Ray looks very comfortable and does a good job in the booth, we can't deny it.

I think that his time in the booth is only part of his move.  The big rumor I have heard says that Ray is going to split with Gillette and either go to work for, or assume some sort of ownership within another NASCAR team.  The list of struggling teams is pretty thick, Ganassi, Davis, Petty, Waltrip, and DEI are not doing very well.....maybe the challenge of helping them would be enticing?

What do you make of all this?