racer612008 wrote:
Hate to hear about this happening, seems more & more common every year too. 
[tweet]https://twitter.com/Knighter01/status/820397227902435328[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/Knighter01/status/820397227902435328[/tweet]
It was Russell Henderson's new team that didn't show up at Daytona. It's a shame because two of the drivers who were going to test for them are state troopers. One was a Texas State Trooper and the other one was a North Carolina State Trooper. Here is more on the story from thepitlane.org
Quote:
Russell Henderson leaves drivers without a car at Daytona: Russell Henderson, who formed Henderson Motorsports last year, did not provide a car at the Daytona test for the drivers that he had signed for the event. Gregg Hutto Jr, Kevin Fontana, D.L. Wilson, and at least one other driver were left without a ride. Henderson allegedly took their money and paid Mike Affarano Motorsports a percentage to test each driver. Mike Affarano Motorsports never showed and may not have received the agreed upon funds. Russell Henderson's statement is as follows.
RUSSELL HENDERSON: "Two individuals that were [supposed] to be preparing the car did not get [the] car prepared, due to the fact that one individual only received a partial payment. No car was brought to Daytona testing [due to insufficient funds]. Names will remain under wraps [until] the legal side has been in contact with them. I have been advised not to have contact with said individual [until] my legal team has contacted them."
CURRENT PLAN: "My individual plan is to pay back the drivers, what I can when I can, due to the fact [that driver] funds were sent to get [the] car prepared for Daytona, and never happened. The legal team will be in contact with each driver that attended Daytona testing and [will] advise them of what we are doing. I do apologize to everyone involved very much and will [work to] make this right by each person."
FUTURE: "In the future, I'll find people more respectable to work with, lesson learned along the way, and will make sure this problem never happens again, with contracts, and more investigation of teams, people, and future drivers. All of this will take some time but will be done in a timely manner which I was advised. We plan to keep moving forward, revamping some situations, and going in the right direction, not the wrong. Thank you all, and the guys involved are a great group of people, and did not in any way deserve this, nor did I." (01-14-17)
RUSSELL HENDERSON: "Two individuals that were [supposed] to be preparing the car did not get [the] car prepared, due to the fact that one individual only received a partial payment. No car was brought to Daytona testing [due to insufficient funds]. Names will remain under wraps [until] the legal side has been in contact with them. I have been advised not to have contact with said individual [until] my legal team has contacted them."
CURRENT PLAN: "My individual plan is to pay back the drivers, what I can when I can, due to the fact [that driver] funds were sent to get [the] car prepared for Daytona, and never happened. The legal team will be in contact with each driver that attended Daytona testing and [will] advise them of what we are doing. I do apologize to everyone involved very much and will [work to] make this right by each person."
FUTURE: "In the future, I'll find people more respectable to work with, lesson learned along the way, and will make sure this problem never happens again, with contracts, and more investigation of teams, people, and future drivers. All of this will take some time but will be done in a timely manner which I was advised. We plan to keep moving forward, revamping some situations, and going in the right direction, not the wrong. Thank you all, and the guys involved are a great group of people, and did not in any way deserve this, nor did I." (01-14-17)
Also, it seems that Tom Hessert III has retired from competition. Spencer Davis tested the #25 at Daytona.
These look to be some of the main contenders for the ARCA title in 2017
22-Shane Lee Cunningham Motorsports
23-Bret Holmes Bret Holmes Racing
27-AJ Fike
32-Gus Dean Win-Tron
52-Austin Theriault Ken Schrader Racing
77-Dalton Sargent Cunningham Motorsports
Zane Smith for Venturini Motorsports and Riley Herbst for Joe Gibbs Racing are going to run the full schedule except for Daytona and Talladega because they aren't old enough.
Possibly full-time but unconfirmed
7-Cody Rohrbaugh-In his own car
25-Spencer Davis-Venturini Motorsports
33-Justin Fontaine-Win-Tron
?-Vinnie Miller-MDM Racing (split with Lorin Ranier, from what I read)
There might be others I'm not thinking of.
