In an "unexpected move," Lowe's spokesperson Chris
Ahearn said that the company "would honor its financial
commitment" to the Richard Childress-owned No. 31 Winston
Cup Chevrolet and driver Mike Skinner, but the Lowe's name
"will be off the car at the end of the season," according to
Jim Utter of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. Ahearn said that
Lowe's will "likely sponsor another team" in 2001 (CHARLOTTE
OBSERVER, 9/23). NASCAR Online's Tim Packman noted that
Childress and Lowe's signed a three-year primary sponsorship
deal in March '99, but Lowe's told Childress last Wednesday
that the team "could seek other sponsorship" (NASCAR Online,
9/22). In Atlanta, Al Levine cited Childress as saying that
he was "invited [by Lowe's] to shop for other sponsorship,"
but left Wednesday's meeting "assured that Lowe's would
honor the two years remaining" on the deal. Childress:
"We've got two more years on our contract and basically
we're going to honor our contract and we expect them to
honor theirs" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 9/23). Speedvision
Online's Ben Blake: "With, suddenly, more teams than
sponsors in NASCAR, there is a suspicion that another group
may have pried Lowe's loose." But Roush Racing President
Geoff Smith said that his company has neither approached
Lowe's nor been approached by them (Speedvision.com, 9/22).
