Withdrawal Symtoms Abound

No. 12 Penske team scrapped, Rookie of the Year honors, and the Winston Cup banquet.

Penske Scraps No. 12 Team.........

The announcement last Tuesday regarding the demise of the Penske Racing's No. 12 team was really no big surprise. Last October when they released Jeremy Mayfield as their driver, it was rumored that the team may be scraped at the end of the season. Mike Wallace, who was hired to replace Mayfield for the rest of the 2001 season, was hoping for a permanent position with the team. He will now be searching for a ride, although it has been reported that he will drive the No. 33 Andy Petree Racing's Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the Daytona 500. Petree lost his Oakwood Homes sponsor at the end of the 2001 season and if he can come up with another one, Wallace will drive for him for the full 2002 season. If not, Wallace will continue to look for a permanent ride. Petree has a good reputation in the racing community, so hopefully he will find a sponsor before the 2002 season gets underway. The No. 12 team Crew Chief Peter Sopenzo is now a player in the Silly Season equation, looking for employment.

Penske Racing will now just field two teams, with the No. 2 Miller Lite sponsored Ford driven by veteran Rusty Wallace, and the No. 02 Alltel sponsored Ford driven by 2002 Rookie of the Year candidate Ryan Newman. The Exxon/Mobile sponsorship will be staying as an associate sponsor for both teams.

Rookie driver Ryan Newman was only allowed to make seven starts in the 2001 season in order for him to maintain his full rookie status in 2002 and compete for the Raybestos Rookie of the Year award. In 2001, Newman won one pole position in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, started fifth at the Brickyard, and fourth in the fall race at Atlanta. He had two top five finishes, a fifth place finish at Michigan in June, and a second place finish at Dover in September. He finished 33rd at Las Vegas; 31st in the Brickyard 400; 19th at Kansas; 32nd at Atlanta; and 43rd at Charlotte, failing to finish the Coca-Cola 600 due to a wreck after only running 11 laps.

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