WELCOME, N.C., May 6 (UPI) -- NASCAR driver Jeff Green was fired by team owner Richard Childress after the racer was involved in a crash with teammate Kevin Harvick in Saturday's Pontiac Excitement 400.
"Our relationship was not where we had hoped it would be at this point, so we decided to make this move now," Childress said. "Jeff is a very good race car driver but sometimes change can be good for everyone involved."
The teammates were jockeying for position among the top 10 runners at Richmond International Speedway when Harvick ran into the back of Green's car, which ended up in the Turn 2 wall and out of the race.
An irate Green waited on the track for Harvick and gestured to him while rolling around under caution. Green also confronted crew chief Todd Berrier and left the pit area after a brief conversation with Childress.
"It's one thing to get spun out," Green said. "It's another thing to get spun out by your teammate. (It's) tough to be teammate when it seems like there's only one car at RCR."
Green, who won the pole for the Daytona 500 in February, made 55 starts for the team since 2001, with two Busch Series wins, four top-five and eight top-10 finishes.
