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After a nice (but brief) vacation, both myself and Journo are returning to action this week.  As Journo said last week, we are going to cut down our posting frequency during the off-season to a post for Monday, Ask The Insiders on Wednesday, a post for Friday, and the Saturday links post.  If something interesting pops up along the way, you might certainly see us add to this schedule.  But those will be the standard days moving forward.  Once we get closer to the start of the season, we will go back to our normal schedule.

I want to take a quick second to thank everyone that stopped by the site, dropped us an email, or hit us up on Twitter over the last week or so.  We got a ton of messages from people, and I just want to say that it’s been a pleasure running this website and we are glad people are enjoying it.  It’s always great to hear that we are doing a good job!  On top of that, I hope everyone enjoyed their Turkey Day.

By the time most of you read this post, it will already be Monday.  This will be the first full week of the off-season, and many guys will be back to work after some vacation time (like us!).  For many team employees, tomorrow could be an anxious day, as many don’t know what their own future holds within their respective organizations.  It will certainly be an interesting and pivotal week for many teams and the sport in general.

With 2009 in the rearview, teams now shift towards preparing for 2010.  Many questions still exist for some teams with sponsorships, drivers, and crew members in limbo.  Even for teams that have solid sponsor and driver plans, changes will take place.

I think at this point, most race fans have heard about the situation regarding the Richard Petty Motorsports/Yates Racing merger.  With the teams combining, as many as 200 employees are either gone, or will be gone very shortly.  Going from six teams down to four will require cuts anyway, but the newly formed organization will be looking for ways to streamline, and cutting salaries is one way to do it.

While more cuts and layoffs are certainly on their way, probably this week, one team didn’t wait to start making changes.  I heard last week that Roush Fenway Racing had already begun shedding employees, particularly at their Nationwide/Truck Series shop.  Since RFR will end their Truck Series program before the 2010 season, cuts were in order.  I don’t know an exact number, but I do know a few of the guys who lost their jobs.  I just want to say good luck to them, I hope they land on their feet somewhere else.

The Silly Season this year was more subdued than it has been in the past, partly because of the down economy, and partly because of the lack of free agent drivers.  But even so, there are still many pieces of the 2010 NASCAR puzzle that are yet to be put into place.  Expect teams to continue making announcements regarding sponsorship and driver plans for the future.  This will especially be true for smaller teams.  Those in the Nationwide and Truck Series still have much to figure out.

I encourage you to stay tuned to your favorite racing news organization over the next several weeks to see what develops.  While I don’t think it will be as bad as last off-season, this could again be a very tough winter.  And as the 2010 picture becomes more clear, The NASCAR Insiders will be right here to answer your questions and break it all down.  Only 76 days remain until the Daytona 500!

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You may not realize it, but while the 2009 season still isn’t officially over yet, preparations for 2010 have already begun.  One area that teams will spend the last few races working on, is changes to their pit crews.

To the untrained eye, it may appear to be business as usual for your favorite driver on pit road.  The car comes in, four tires go on, the car leaves.  But many teams take the opportunity to use these last couple of races to plug some new crew guys into their teams and see how they fare.  Do they gel with the existing crew guys?  Are they rattled by the pressure?  Could they make it next year?  These are all questions teams are trying to answer.

You won’t usually see this from the Chasers, but many teams outside the Chase will tinker.  It is inevitable that some guys will stay with their current teams, while others are looking to move on.  And some will be looking for a new spot involuntarily.  Either way, the teams need to find new guys to fill those holes.  These races can give them that chance to see what a guy, or guys, has.

Besides lateral movement within a series, these races also give teams a chance to see some younger guys in action.  Maybe a guy is brought up from the Truck Series to the Nationwide Series, or from the Nationwide Series to the Cup Series.  Crew chiefs and pit crew coaches can see first hand if a younger, inexperienced guy might be ready to move up the ranks.  Some will thrive, while others will need more time to mature.

When you watch any of the races this weekend, the Cup race in particular, be on the lookout for helmets on pit crew guys that don’t match the rest of the crew.  Often times, a gray helmet on a team means a new guy is involved.  And if you really know your favorite driver’s team well, take a look at each crew member.  Do you recognize every face?  In many cases, I’ll bet you will be able to spot some fresh faces.  It’s just another example of how teams are always working to be better for the future.