Sharp's departure signals end for local IRL crew source: fortwayne.com Rumors of Kelley Racing ceasing operations for the 2005 Indy Racing League season hit full throttle toward reality this week when it was announced that veteran Kelley driver Scott Sharp has left the team after seven seasons to take a ride with Fernandez Racing. Maybe more indicative of the future of Kelley Racing than Sharp's departure is the fact that Kelley's primary sponsor, Delphi, went with Sharp. Sharp, 36, announced his new partnership this week and began testing with his new team Thursday at Homestead-Miami Speedway in preparation for the season-opening race there March 6. He will join Kosuke Matsuura in a two-car operation under team owner Adrian Fernandez. Sharp said that leaving Kelley Racing owner Tom Kelley after a long and successful run wasn't difficult given the circumstances surrounding the breakup. "What made it very amicable for everybody was the fact that Tom said he wanted to sell the team and he wanted to get out," Sharp said Friday in a phone interview from Florida. "Everyone wanted to be more competitive than we were last year and then when (Kelley) decided he wanted to get out, it made it quite easy. For me, it's a whole breath of fresh air." Longtime Kelley Racing associate sponsors, Futuba and Bryant also went with Sharp, leaving Kelley with no existing sponsors and no driver just six weeks before the start of the 2005 season.
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