Gator Posted November 10, 2004 Report Share Posted November 10, 2004 On Tuesday, Ward Burton went from having three rides this weekend at Darlington Raceway to completely being on the sidelines. Mike Bliss NASCAR veteran Mike Bliss has replaced Burton in Haas CNC Racing's No. 0 NetZero Chevrolet for this weekend's Southern 500 at Darlington as well as next weekend's season finale at Homestead. Owner Gene Haas released Burton after the Checker Auto Parts 500, a Burton spokesman said, ending negotiations with Haas about possibly continuing as his driver. "We've made a lot of changes at Haas CNC Racing this season and our performance still isn't where we think it should be," Haas CNC general manager Joe Custer said. "We feel like we are capable of a lot more and putting Mike in the car will give us an opportunity to assess another aspect of the team. Ward Burton "We appreciate everything Ward has done for us during the past year and wish him the best. He has tremendous talent and heart and was an excellent spokesperson for Haas CNC Racing and for NetZero. "We saw this change as a necessity to further our race team, look toward the future and bring it to the level at which we think we should be." Bliss, the 2002 Craftsman Truck Series champion, was informed last month that while he was not released from his ride in Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 20 Rockwell Automation Chevrolet -- which he has driven to sixth in the Busch Series standings -- but he was free to look for other employment for 2005. Bliss has 33 career Cup starts and two top-10s, including a career-best fourth at Richmond two months ago. Justin Labonte Currently 29th in points, Burton had three top-10 finishes in 34 races this year, including a season-best fourth-place finish at Martinsville three weeks ago. However, he's had eight finishes of 34th or worse. "This is a great opportunity for me," Bliss said. "I'm looking forward to finishing out the year in the NetZero Chevrolet and then we'll see what happens after that. "I know this was a hard change to make and I appreciate the team's confidence in my abilities to help with its program. Hopefully I can come in and help the team build for the future." Haas CNC Racing informed the NASCAR Competition Department at mid-day Tuesday that Justin Labonte had replaced Burton as the driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Chevrolet in the Busch Series. Nextel Cup Series • Results • Standings • Schedule • Best 25 Over Last Six Races • Best Starts • Best Finishes • Complete Race Coverage Saturday's Bi-Lo 200 would have been Burton's first start in that car. On Tuesday, NASCAR issued an updated entry list for Friday evening's Craftsman 200, in which Jason Leffler had replaced Burton in Morgan Dollar Motorsports' No. 47 Acxiom Chevrolet. Burton's appearance in the truck as part of the Chevy Silverado Celebrity All Star program would have completed the unique tripleheader weekend. A spokesman said Burton was unavailable for comment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slugshooter Posted November 10, 2004 Report Share Posted November 10, 2004 Re: Haas tabs Bliss to replace W. Burton Read that last night, can't believe they fired him with 2 races left to go, and he has won at Darlington. I hope he gets a good ride, I like ole Ward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrud Posted November 10, 2004 Report Share Posted November 10, 2004 Re: Haas tabs Bliss to replace W. Burton [ QUOTE ] Read that last night, can't believe they fired him with 2 races left to go, and he has won at Darlington. I hope he gets a good ride, I like ole Ward. [/ QUOTE ] Yep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUDRUNNER Posted November 10, 2004 Report Share Posted November 10, 2004 Re: Haas tabs Bliss to replace W. Burton I THINK WARD WILL BE BACK WITH A DIFFERENT TEAM NEXT YEAR.HE HAS A LOT OF GOOD RACING LEFT IN HIM.DON'T THINK HE'LL WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP,BUT HE CAN WIN A RACE OR TWO EACH YEAR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedicast Posted November 11, 2004 Report Share Posted November 11, 2004 Re: Haas tabs Bliss to replace W. Burton That really sucks. Ward is a good ol' boy. He is a proven winner in Winston (nextel) cup. I can't see replacing him with Mike Bliss. He has proven nothing in his Cup starts. Hope Ward bounces back with a good ride. He is one of the drivers that I think deserves it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbeard Posted November 12, 2004 Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 Re: Haas tabs Bliss to replace W. Burton Mark these words, Haas will never succeed until they learn to act like Ward Burton. God Bless Ward and hopefully more of his kind will fill this world. He's a good joe, for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest IADEERDUDE Posted November 13, 2004 Report Share Posted November 13, 2004 Re: Haas tabs Bliss to replace W. Burton hate to hear that i like ward burton...hope he gets a new ride Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addct2hntng Posted November 13, 2004 Report Share Posted November 13, 2004 Re: Haas tabs Bliss to replace W. Burton [ QUOTE ] Mark these words, Haas will never succeed until they learn to act like Ward Burton. God Bless Ward and hopefully more of his kind will fill this world. He's a good joe, for sure. [/ QUOTE ] AMEN I think ward would be great driving for gibbs or dei !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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