By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor
After months of rumblings about the future of HScott Motorsports at the conclusion of the 2016 season, official word came down on Monday that the team will indeed cease operations and will not field a team for the 2017 season.
“Over the past several months I considered a number of options for moving forward with the team. Regrettably there are no viable sponsor/driver options immediately available to allow the team to participate in 2017,” said team owner Harry Scott, Jr.
Both of the drivers that drove for HScott Motorsports during the 2016 season (Clint Bowyer and Michael Annett) announced earlier in the year that they would be moving on to other teams next season, leaving HScott with an empty driver stable.
Bowyer, who finished the season ranked 27th in points after scoring just three top-10 finishes (career worst), will be moving on to greener pastures at Stewart-Haas Racing as he takes over in the No. 14 car vacated by Tony Stewart’s retirement at the end of the 2016 season. Meanwhile, Annett will be taking a step down to the Xfinity Series to run full-time with JR Motorsports after finishing 36th in points.
“One thing I learned about NASCAR is that it is a ‘people business.’ I will forever be grateful to the men and women who worked tirelessly to make HScott Racing successful. This includes our dedicated employees, sponsors and partners. We were fortunate to have the support of world-class sponsors like Brandt, DC Solar, Fraternal Order of Eagles, Pilot Flying J, and 5 hour ENERGY. Our racing program would not have been possible without the assistance of Rick Hendrick, Hendrick Motorsports, and Chevrolet,” Scott said.
“I love this sport and being part of it. I invested in NASCAR because I truly believe it represents the best racing competition in the world and the best people in all sports.
Looking back, I will always be especially proud of the unprecedented success of our NASCAR K&N Series teams, including four consecutive championships and for the lifelong friendships that were forged over the last seven years. My hope is that we were able to develop drivers that will thrive at the highest levels for years to come.”
The charter that Bowyer’s No. 15 team used in 2016 was sold to Premium Motorsports. HScott leased a charter from Premium for Annett’s No. 46 car in 2016 and that charter was sold to Furniture Row Racing for rookie Erik Jones, who will be making his full-time debut in NASCAR’s premier series in 2017.
