Crew chief Wolfe returns to track after legal dispute

By Bob Pockrass - Associate Editor

Thursday, April 24, 2008

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TALLADEGA, Ala. – Paul Wolfe is back at the race track working as crew chief for Braun Racing’s Jason Leffler after missing the trip last week to Mexico City because of a legal dispute with former employer Fitz Motorsports.

Wolfe left Fitz Motorsports on March 25 for Braun, and Fitz Motorsports sued Braun and Wolfe in North Carolina Superior Court on April 11. Fitz Motorsports obtained a temporary restraining order to keep Wolfe from making the trip to Mexico City.

Wolfe was allowed to return to the track after he prevailed in a hearing Monday where Fitz sought a preliminary injunction, Wolfe attorney Clifton Homesley said Wednesday. Homesley had argued in court documents that Wolfe’s contract called for disputes to be decided by arbitration and not in the courts.

In the complaint, Fitz alleges that Wolfe had ended the Nationwide Series team’s test session March 24-25 at Richmond International
Raceway early, kept confidential testing data and used that information at Braun. Not only do the two teams compete on the track, they also have competing sponsors in Great Clips (Braun) and Supercuts (Fitz). Ironically, the cars are parked next to each other in the garage at Talladega.

The suit is still pending in the courts in Statesville, N.C.

“The fact that the court is not prohibiting Wolfe from moving on with his career speaks volumes,” said Homesley, who would not comment on the allegations in the complaint.

Wolfe’s contract called for him to get paid $130,000 in 2007 with a $10,000 bonus for a win, $5,000 for places of second through fifth,
$2,500 for places sixth through 10th, $1,000 for places 11th through 15th and $1,000 for a pole. A series title was worth a $100,000 bonus, with second-fifth in points $50,000 and sixth-10th in points worth $25,000. He also got $500 a weekend when he used his motorhome instead of a hotel room.

There was an owner’s option for the 2008 season that increased his salary to $156,000 and increased the bonuses by 10 percent.