BUSCH: Fedewa, BACE Motorsports to Part Ways

Fedewa, BACE Motorsports to part ways By Shawn A. Akers

CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 30, 1998 And then there was one. On Wednesday, Tim Fedewa, driver of the No. 33 Kleenex Chevrolet in the NASCAR Busch Series Grand National Division, told NASCAR Online that he would not drive for BACE Motorsports or owner Bill Baumgardner next season. Last month, two-time defending NASCAR Busch Series champion Randy LaJoie announced that he also would not be back to drive for Baumgardner in 1999. That leaves just one team -- the new Bayer/Alka-Seltzer outfit with rookie driver Andy Michner -- that will run under the BACE Motorsports banner next season. For now.

"BACE Motorsports is the best team in the Busch Series, and I'm grateful for the opportunities they've given me," said Fedewa, who has a pair of victories this season in the NASCAR Busch Series (at Nazareth, Pa.; and at South Boston, Va.). "They obviously gave my career a big boost when it needed it.

"But the situation basically came down to that I wanted a couple of things for next year and beyond, and they wouldn't concede to giving them to me. We just couldn't come to terms with each other, so I've just decided to move on and explore other opportunities." Fedewa, who has spent two years with BACE Motorsports, said he hasn't come up with anything solid yet as far as finding a ride for next season, but that he wasn't concerned about that right now and just hoped he can finish the 1998 season with a flurry. There are five more races remaining on this year's schedule.

Fedewa, 31, has three career NASCAR Busch Series victories. He is currently sixth in the NASCAR Busch Series point standings with four top-five and eight top-10 finishes this season. BACE Motorsports Team Manager Steve Bird said the organization will concentrate on building a strong team for Michner, an up-and-coming star in the open-wheel ranks with the Indy Racing League, for next season. He also said there are "possibilities" for a second BACE Motorsports team that are now being explored.

It was announced in August that Michner would be added to the BACE Motorsports roster. LaJoie soon after announced his intentions not to return to the team, and Fedewa then followed suit.

Source: NASCAR Online