Jeff Burton will not return to Richard Childress Racing in 2014, leaving the door open for the team to possibly hire Ryan Newman.
The team announced Wednesday that Burton would not return in 2014 but did not announce a replacement.
The team has partial-season sponsorship from Caterpillar for the No. 31 team for 2014 but does not have funding for a full season. Burton was under contract through 2014.
RCR currently has Paul Menard as the only driver announced for the team in 2014, although it is expected that the team will also field a Cup car for Austin Dillon, a Nationwide Series driver and the grandson of team owner Richard Childress.
"We have been working hard to try and get all the funding in place to have four Sprint Cup teams in 2014," Childress said in a statement. "With the date on the calendar getting closer to 2014, we just couldn't run partially funded teams next year.
“Knowing what Jeff's plans were in 2015, he and I worked out an agreement for him to step out of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet after this season. Jeff has been nothing but a professional driver, an asset to RCR and a great person for our organization.”
Burton did not say what his plans were for 2015 in the RCR news release.
Burton, who joined RCR during the 2004 season, has failed to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup in four of the last five years and has not won a race in his last 174 starts dating back to Charlotte in October 2008.
The 46-year-old Burton, who has 21 career victories in 680 career Cup starts, is 22nd in the Cup standings this year with two top-fives and five top-10s. His best finish was third at New Hampshire in July.
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The team announced Wednesday that Burton would not return in 2014 but did not announce a replacement.
The team has partial-season sponsorship from Caterpillar for the No. 31 team for 2014 but does not have funding for a full season. Burton was under contract through 2014.
RCR currently has Paul Menard as the only driver announced for the team in 2014, although it is expected that the team will also field a Cup car for Austin Dillon, a Nationwide Series driver and the grandson of team owner Richard Childress.
"We have been working hard to try and get all the funding in place to have four Sprint Cup teams in 2014," Childress said in a statement. "With the date on the calendar getting closer to 2014, we just couldn't run partially funded teams next year.
“Knowing what Jeff's plans were in 2015, he and I worked out an agreement for him to step out of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet after this season. Jeff has been nothing but a professional driver, an asset to RCR and a great person for our organization.”
Burton did not say what his plans were for 2015 in the RCR news release.
Burton, who joined RCR during the 2004 season, has failed to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup in four of the last five years and has not won a race in his last 174 starts dating back to Charlotte in October 2008.
The 46-year-old Burton, who has 21 career victories in 680 career Cup starts, is 22nd in the Cup standings this year with two top-fives and five top-10s. His best finish was third at New Hampshire in July.
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