AUTO RACING : NASCAR Driver Changes Continue

Driver changes in NASCAR’s Winston Cup series continue to occur at an unusually high rate.

Chuck Bown and Joe Nemechek, two former Busch Grand National champions, will move up to NASCAR’s top series next season, with Bown driving for Bobby Allison Motorsports and Nemechek for Larry Hedrick Motorsports.

Bown replaces Jimmy Spencer, who left Allison’s team to join Bill Elliott with Junior Johnson and Associates, while Nemechek gets the seat that was occupied in the 1993 season first by Phil Parsons and later by Dick Trickle.

Trickle reportedly is in line to get the ride left vacant by 1993 rookie contender Kenny Wallace, who was let go by team owner Felix Sabates. Bobby Hamilton, who lost his regular ride last season, also is a prospect for the Sabates team.

Nemechek drove races late in the season for the Morgan-McClure team and seemed likely to be the permanent replacement for Ernie Irvan, who had bought out the remainder of his contract to take over the seat left vacant when Davey Allison was killed. But Sterling Marlin bought out the final year of his contract to take the Morgan-McClure ride.

That leaves the Stavolas Brothers stilllooking for a driver.

STEVE HMIEL, who left his job as team manager of Jack Roush Racing to work as competition director for Hendrick Motorsports, has changed his mind.

Hmiel, considered one of the best in the business and a key man at Roush, returned to his former post only three days after leaving, saying he had made a mistake.