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Tommy Baldwin Racing calls Bowman’s notification of firing via Twitter ‘unfortunate’

2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crew Chief - Portraits

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 19: Crew chief Tommy Baldwin poses during 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crew Chief portraits at Daytona International Speedway on February 19, 2012 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

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Tommy Baldwin Racing issued a five-paragraph statement Friday in response to Alex Bowman stating that he found out he was fired from his ride Thursday via Twitter instead of directly from the team.

Bowman told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Friday: “I went to the gym yesterday morning on my way to the shop to go work on my midget and I refreshed Twitter and Twitter says I’m fired.”

Tommy Baldwin Racing issued the following statement on that matter:

The business of NASCAR is no different than any other professional sport. There are a lot of moving parts and pieces behind the scenes that fans and media don’t see. Decisions are made carefully over a period of time and are influenced by many factors.

As the competition and business models change in NASCAR, it’s the responsibility of teams to make decisions accordingly. We felt that we needed to make some changes, and the driver was one of them.

The circumstances surrounding Alex’s release via social media was unfortunate and certainly unintentional. The culture of doing business in motorsports has become more complex and involves many parties such as agents, business managers, attorneys and sponsors. A comment in passing may be overheard and subsequently conveyed to the media.

Our intention, as it always is, was to follow business protocol and notify Alex and his management of our decision. Again, it’s unfortunate that confidentiality was compromised, and the news delivered in this manner.

Alex Bowman is a talented, young race car driver. He has a good future ahead of him. We appreciate his time with us and wish him well.

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