Road racing returns this weekend as the Cup and NNS cars head up to Watkins Glen. While they are turning left and right, and doing backwards pit stops, the truck series takes on the Nashville Superspeedway. As we work through another week, here are more reader questions and answers. If you don’t know what this post is, we answer any and all reader questions every Wednesday, right here. So if you’ve got one, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send one to us. On to the questions…
1. From Garry:
How often do you AND your driver practice the exact routine of the car pulling in and out of the pit stall? How many times does it take to be perfect? When you are working with a new driver or at a tougher track (like Bristol) do they allow you extra time to practice a lot? Is it true that “pit mates” (drivers in ajoining pit stalls) try to coordinate their stops, to stay out of each other’s way? It seems so many things can go wrong. Do you have any good stories about bad blood rivals who are battling and then winding up next to each other? ( e.g if Horse face and lil Brad wound up next to each other. It might make things interesting)
You won’t find most drivers at the shop driving the pit stop car for practice. Some teams will use their development drivers or just a shop guy to do the driving. Once most guys get to a certain point in their career, practicing getting into and out of the pit stall just isn’t necessary I guess. And the only real example of a track that sticks out where we might do some extra practice is for this weekend’s race at Watkins Glen because the pit stops are backwards. Other then that, the rest of the tracks get the same amount of prep usually. In terms of pit road neighbors, you try as much as you can to coordinate stops, but often it just isn’t possible. The hope is that the guys around you are either on a different lap or fall out early, so your driver has a clean path in and out. And there are plenty of times where teams end up pitting next to each other and things get ugly. There have been instances where crew members have thrown lugnuts and other objects at an opposing driver as they come by, pit boards have been hit by drivers, there have been plenty of shoving matches, and there is always going to be a ton of yelling when things go south. – T.C.
2. From Bill:
Why not let the cars that make the chase all race together and have another race for the other cars. Nascar asks the other cars to move over and not race the chase cars. This makes for poor racing and the other cars cannot win.
I’m not really sure what the question is here, but NASCAR doesn’t ask other cars to roll over for the Chasers. In fact Jamie McMurray, a non-chaser, won the race at Talladega during the Chase last season. – Journo
3. From Michael:
Regarding Tool sponsorship. Mac, Snap-On, Craftsman, etc. Are the tools given to the teams, discounted, or on loan? Or is each team contract different with each vendor?
The contracts can be different, but for the big teams, when the team itself needs tools, they are usually given or highly discounted. Remember though, the guys who work in the shop use their own tools and must pay for all of their own equipment. With the shop guys, they are usually given a discount, but nothing is free. – T.C.
4. From Marty:
After watching the wide array of tire strategies at Pocono I offer you this question… Has anyone ever taken 3 tires in a pit stop? How about just 1 tire?
Not that I’ve ever heard of. Getting one tire takes the same amount of time as it does to get two, as does the time for three versus four. So it wouldn’t really make sense. Plus, it would give the car really odd handling characteristics to have grip at one corner, but not the others. - T.C.
5. From Jackie:
On Sunday’s race, I noticed that start and park teams would come in and then go back out on the track – Why? Do they not want to be listed as last or are they trying to better their position? At what point in the race do the start and park teams say enough is enough and call it a race?
Most are trying to just be able to finish a little better. Remember most don’t have pit crews, so if they are going to run longer then a tire/fuel run, they’ve got to do something to change tires and add fuel. A few minutes in the garage can do the trick. And the agendas will vary by team. Some of the bare bones operations will just run a few laps because they are fine with last place money. Others might be attempting to make more money, and score more points, so they may stay out longer. – T.C.
6. From Debbie:
While watching the Pocono race a driver, I want to say Denny Hamlin, but don’t quote me on that, said his tires were over rotating. How can that be and what does that mean? Thanks!
I’ve never heard a driver say his tires were over-rotating. I have heard them say that about their car though. If a car is over rotating, it just means it’s loose in the corners. – T.C.
7. From Kevin:
First off, the 48 dumped the 2. Everybody who has ever watched a race with bump drafting knows you dont do it unless your wheels are straight. The 48 was turning left the entire time and clearly turned the 2. No question about it. Kurt should have gone and kicked some ass. I am sure he will in coming weeks. Secondly, how great was the racing at the end of the race? For about 20-40 laps there we saw some of the best racing of the season. All through the pack. I am so tired of the people complaining, if they didn’t like the racing right after the rain stoppage then they should just quit watching, b/c it won’t get much better. Finally, do you think the recent success of two tire stops is due to the flat nature of the last two tracks? I imagine someone taking two tires at say, Vegas, will suffer a lot more due to the speed all the way around the track. I do enjoy the mixing of strategies though.
To your first point, I don’t think Jimmie dumped him, I think Jimmie got sloppy and made a poor decision. To your second point, I couldn’t agree more. I think we have had stellar racing this season. And to your last point, the two tire strategy works when everything comes together right. Certainly tire wear is a factor, but how many laps are left, who took four versus two, and how many all play a role. It has played a role the last two weeks. – Journo
8. From steve:
Any idea what was going on with Brian Pattie and Montoya, especially Pattie’s barb that Montoya needs to come to Charlotte to practice pit stops? How redfaced do you think ESPN is that they had zero cameras on Sadler? But for his crash sneaking into the Busch coverage, they would have had nothing at all on one of the worst wrecks in NASCAR this year.
Montoya screwed something up, and they had a 17 second stop (I would imagine he messed up getting into the box), so Pattie called him out. Montoya was then upset that Pattie called him out, and he was upset about losing track position because they got four tires. JPM is notorious for his ability to express his feelings. To your second question, I think it’s the nature of the beast. This sort of thing is the nightmare of every sports television director – missing that key play (or in this case a wreck) because they didn’t have a camera – but it happens because you just can’t have cameras everywhere. I’d be willing to bet there have been some serious discussions this week about how to make sure this doesn’t happen again. – Journo
9. From Lost in Texas:
Anything new in the Jeremy Mayfield case?
I haven’t heard anything new. The last I heard was that Mayfield’s legal team had asked Judge Mullen to reconsider his ruling, a formal step before they can appeal to the 4th Circuit Court. – Journo
10. From Kipp:
T.C.- This is a great outlet and source of information and discussion. Thank you for you and Journo’s efforts. With the recent fine given to Denny Hamlin, have you worried any about potential fines or punishment coming from NASCAR for operating on this forum?
Thanks Kipp! Glad you are enjoying what we do. And no, neither myself nor Journo is worried in any way about being fined or punished by NASCAR. We operate a very fair website, and if they ever took exception to something we wrote, all it would take is a simple request, and they could post a rebuttal here. Also, I think it’s important to note that NASCAR didn’t fine somebody in the press, it was drivers. If they did ever try and penalize a media member, it would come to light pretty quickly. And, as our regular readers know, we’ve been very critical of NASCAR at times (see Tuesday’s blog post), and they have yet to even bother contacting us. – T.C.
11. From derek:
Why does a crew member use a propane torch to heat the tire up and then scrape it?
The crew guy is using the torch and the scraper to clean off any build up on the tires so the tire specialist can get an accurate reading of the tire’s tread depth after a run. When a car is running around the track, especially under caution and heading to pit road, the hot tires will pick up rubber and all sorts of other things. Cleaning them allows the teams to figure out how much rubber was actually worn off over the course of a run. – T.C.
12. From M. Sauter:
With the season winding down, and sponsors signing or leaving, when should Kahne fans begin to panic?Right now, he has no ride and no sponsor.
There isn’t a point you should start panicking. Kasey will be in a car next season. Where that’s at is still yet to be seen, but Kasey will absolutely be driving somewhere next season. Rick Hendrick didn’t sign Kasey to sideline him. Don’t worry! Everything will be worked out…eventually. – Journo
And that brings yet another “Ask The Insiders Wednesday” to a close. Thanks to everyone who sent in questions. And remember, if you’d like to be a part of next week, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send your question in!
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To use the words of the late David Poole, Dale Earnhardt saved Elliott Sadler’s life on Sunday.
What happened to Elliott Sadler on the backstretch (between turns one and two) late in the race at Pocono isn’t exactly clear to those of us who didn’t happen to be in a car and on the backstretch at the time (thanks Kurt Busch and ESPN). What we do know though is Pocono needs to make safety upgrades, like yesterday, and the COT and HANS Device saved Elliott Sadler from serious injury or death.
From what I saw of that wreck, it was one of the worst in recent memory. After hitting the inside Armco barrier, Sadler was propelled back out onto the track – a distance that’s probably a good 50 feet. In the slow motion replay on ESPN, Sadler’s whole body can be seen lurching forward. That tremendous amount of force ripped the car apart. See the engine being towed back to the garage. Sadler was luckily able to walk away with nothing but the wind knocked out of him.
For all of the criticism its gotten and complaining that’s been done about it, the COT has been a wonderful safety innovation. It has no doubt saved lives. Ask Micheal McDowell. Now ask Elliott Sadler.
Add to that the proliferation of the HANS Device and the SAFER barriers and NASCAR has become a much safer place to compete.
In the days leading up to the race, Pocono President Brandon Igdalsky, grandson of the Drs. Mattioli, addressed plans for some much needed safety features, including SAFER barriers between turns 1 and 2, and 2 and 3, and a much needed catch fence. It’s about time.
Looking around on the net Sunday night some were suggesting Pocono shouldn’t be on the schedule. I couldn’t disagree more. It’s a unique facility with great fans (though two races seven weeks apart is ridiculous). I do think though the track needed to have made these upgrades before other things were done – say for instance a $16 million solar farm.
It’s certainly easy to play Monday morning quarterback on this – but I think anyone who has ever seen the facility can see there are a lot of upgrades that need be done. As usual I digress.
Who knows what would have happened to Sadler had he not had the benefit of the current safety features. I shutter to think. Through all the complaining about ESPN missing the moment (big deal), the biggest story here is what didn’t happen and what we fortunately didn’t see.
What NASCAR has done since February 2001 truly has made the sport safer. There have been no serious injuries and no deaths. And thankfully on Sunday we were able to keep that record intact.
With the Cup cars being off this weekend, the Truck and Nationwide Series take center stage at Gateway. They will race under the lights on Friday and Saturday night. Before they do, we’ve got the 83rd edition of Ask The Insiders Wednesday. If you don’t know what this post is, we answer any and all reader questions every Wednesday, right here. So if you’ve got one, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send one to us. On to the questions…
1. From yankeegranny:
With all the ideas being floated regarding the chase changes, if you could pick the racetracks that you would put in the chase, what would they be and in what order? Please use just the tracks that are on the schedule right now, even though you probably would like to add Rockingham or a dirt track.
In no particular order: Talladega, Darlington, Infineon (or Watkins Glen), Martinsville, Bristol, Las Vegas, Homestead, Phoenix, Pocono and Charlotte. In those last ten races I want as much variation as possible. If we’re going to have a 10 race playoff we need to be putting driver skills to the test every weekend. You could honestly float in and out another mile and a half for Las Vegas and Charlotte – but I think those are great venues. I’m not holding my breath on Darlington, but I think adding a road course could be in the cards. – Journo
2. From Allen:
Why do the drivers run passenger side windows on some tracks and not on others?
The only tracks where cars aren’t required to run side windows are the short tracks and road courses. Everywhere else they are required because if a car turns sideways, a side window will help keep them from going airborne. – T.C.
3. From Bob:
I know I’m not the first to notice, but why is it that the RPM cars seem to be faster than Roush-Fenway? You would think it would be the other way around, as RPM is considered the little brother team of the two, i.e. less funding and greater turmoil. Any thoughts?
While RPM has certainly become a satellite organization for Roush Fenway, I’m not sure it’s fair to call them the “little brother.” RPM has some seriously talented people working for them and it’s not fair to say they have less funding. With them getting support from Ford and Roush, they are most likely able to use their resources better than when they were a Dodge team. The word from Chicago was that the RFR cars were actually running RPM’s setups, and it seemed to work very well. They had three cars finish in the top 13, and Edwards was closing on Reutimann at the end for the win. – T.C.
4. From Garry:
We are watching The Chicago race, and Jimmy Johnson on lap 136 DID NOT wreck his car. I am not sure how or why, but I have watched a lot of NASCAR, and JJ was wrecked, done for the night, sideways at 190 mph… and he saved it. That is unreal. I am still not a fan of his, but that was amazing. How did he save it?
Traction control…just kidding. He’s good a racecar driver. I don’t really know what else to say. There’s a reason those guys are out on track in NASCAR’s top series, and you and I aren’t. – Journo
5. From Dee Dee:
You guys rock! I have a question about what exactly happened at the end of the Nationwide race Friday night. When Keselowski ran out of gas coming to the green flag on the G-W-C restart, why was Kyle Busch allowed to move up into second from fourth? Isn’t there a rule that you can’t pass before the start/finish line? In this case, he passed David Reutimann, who was in third. It seems to me that David got the bad end of that deal. Also I’d like to congratulate Beak on his win Saturday night in the Cup race. Good guys really can finish first!
NASCAR’s own policy is that if a car has to duck out of line or go to the back for any reason, the line just moves up. It’s much easier to do that, because choosing the alternative would mean that all the cars would have to flip flop their inside and outside positions from, in this case, second all the way back to the tail end of the field. That would have required NASCAR to put the caution back out and allow the cars to run at least another lap so they could get sorted out. It’s just easier for everyone involved to do it the way they do. – T.C.
6. From Anonymous:
With teams signing drivers that they don’t have rides for (Kasey) where does this leave Elliott Sadler?
In a tough spot. If RPM doesn’t re-sign him, which is looking increasingly likely, I’m not really sure what would be available to him. Elliott’s performance through the years has waned, with his last win coming in the 2004 season. Now no matter your thoughts on the quality of his equipment, it’s undeniable there hasn’t been much in quite a while to prove to one of the big teams that he’s worth taking a chance on. We’ll see what happens (as of right now he’s very frustrated with where he’s at), but I think he’s in a tough spot. – Journo
For all intents and purposes Kasey Kahne is (or was) Richard Petty Motorsports. He’s, young, he’s attractive, and he’s attached, in one way or another, to just about every sponsorship deal the organization has. Kahne’s marketability and talent on the track made him an outstanding asset for an organization struggling to survive. Now that Kahne is soon to leave the organization, we’ll have a chance to see just how able RPM is to continue in a post-Kahne world.
Kahne’s exit from the team hardly came as a surprise to anyone. While I don’t think too many people thought Hendrick would be the place he’d go in 2011, it was widely believed Kahne wouldn’t return to RPM for another season. Though things appeared to be improving as of late, his discontent with the team became apparent last September when he very publicly questioned the team’s leadership.
Unfortunately for Richard Petty Motorsports, their relationship with Kasey Kahne couldn’t be repaired.
What’s left of RPM is AJ Allmendinger, Elliott Sadler, and Paul Menard. Each of these drivers have contracts that will end at the conclusion of 2010. While prospects may not be too great for Allmendinger and Sadler (as there aren’t many open, funded spots), with improved performance and a billion dollar fortune behind him, Paul Menard could likely go any number of places. The team also faces the prospect of losing major sponsor Budweiser. So the question is, where do they go from here?
Every move the team makes from this point until the end of the season will determine their viability in 2011 and beyond. On top of losing Kahne, Sports Business Journal reported last Monday that the team was in default on a $90 million loan. George Gillett later said the debt was actually closer to $70 million and was in the process of being restructured. Unfortunately for RPM, George Gillett has a bad track record with sports teams and debt. See Liverpool FC; See Montreal Canadiens.
Foster Gillett told the media this weekend though his family was working to improve their liquidity position.
In a sport where your team is only as valuable as the sponsorships and drivers you bring to the table, RPM has lost it’s biggest asset. Without Kahne it’s likely sponsorships will be harder to come by and maintaining their profile as a competitive four car team will be harder to do. It will be interesting to see how the team advances down the rough road ahead.
We’ve got a Christmas edition of ATIW for your reading pleasure this week. It’s short and sweet, but the questions are good. If you don’t know what this post is, we answer any and all reader questions every Wednesday, right here. So if you’ve got one, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send one to us. On to the questions…
1. From Christopher:
As a NASCAR fan (and not other types of racing), I always miss it during the offseason. I’ve always wondered- why doesn’t NASCAR flip the schedule of the Nationwide or Trucks series so they race during the Sprint offseason? There would still be some overlap. I know its winter, but they could race in most parts of the South and West. Imagine the exposure the series would get without having to compete with the Cup.
The weather this time of year just isn’t optimal for racing. Even February and March aren’t the greatest for racing. You can play football or soccer when it’s raining or snowing but you can’t race. On top of that you have to remember logistically it’s a lot easier to run teams at the same time. If you did that you would have no offseason and staggered employee schedules. – Journo
2. From Loren:
I know garage stalls at tracks are assigned by points and that the reigning champion always gets the #1 stall but is it determined by owner’s points or driver’s points? If for instance had Tony Stewart won the championship in 08 would he have been in the #1 stall in 09 or the #20 car?
Garage stalls are assigned to the teams based on owners points. In your example, the #1 stall would have gone to the #20 team and Joey Logano, not Tony Stewart. – T.C.
3. From Savannah:
Merry Christmas, NI, Do you anticpate seeing any of the major teams merging or going out of existence in the early part of 2010? Do you have any early predictions for some of the drivers who had a less than impressive 2009; specifically Sadler, Earnhardt Jr, and Kenseth? Thanks for answering the questions every week.
Outside of what we already know about I can’t really think of anyone. If Robby Gordon doesn’t find some sponsorship you might see his team go away, but I believe even he has at partial sponsorship for the season. Any major teams though? I don’t think so. As far as early predictions go. I think Sadler will run like he always does. I think you’ll see improvement from all of the Roush cars this season. As far as Junior goes, it’s hard to say. I think we definitely saw some improvement with Lance McGrew and given they’ll be starting fresh with his stuff, his people I think there’s a good chance you’ll see some improvement out of that team. We’ll probably do some predictions later on here in the offseason where we’ll expand on that. – Journo
Following the 2008 season, Journo and myself wrote a series of posts that covered all the major teams in the Cup Series. We looked at where they had been in 2008 and where they were going in 2009. The posts contained some predictions for the 2009 season, with some being more specific then others. I thought, since 2009 is in the books, that it would be fun to go back over the posts and see how we fared with our predictions. Listed below you will find all the teams we covered, our predictions, and what actually happened. Enjoy!
Hendrick Motorsports Prediction: All four drivers will be contenders for the 2009 title. Actual:We were right, with one notable exception. Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, and Jeff Gordon finished 1-2-3 in the standings for HMS. But, Dale Earnhardt Jr. struggled all season and finished a disappointing 25th.
Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Prediction:Martin Truex Jr. and Juan Pablo Montoya should win a few races each and both could make the Chase. The jury is still out though on Aric Almirola. Actual: He never won a race, but Montoya did make the Chase and was a factor until late; we missed on Truex though. The Bass Pro Shops team only had one top five finish all season and they finished way down in 23rd in the standings. Almirola did struggle, and ended up only running eight races before the sponsorship money dried up.
Team Red Bull Prediction:Expect Scott Speed to struggle in his rookie season, and a top 30 in points would be a victory. Brian Vickers will finish in the top 15 in points, but the Chase will still be out of reach for this team. Actual: Speed did indeed struggle, and did not qualify for three races. He ended up 35th in driver standings and 36th in owner standings. He will be on the outside looking in for 2010. Vickers did a little better then we expected, with one win and a Chase appearance.
Joe Gibbs Racing Prediction:Denny Hamlin will make the Chase, but isn’t good enough to really contend yet. Kyle Busch will continue being a force and will contend for the Cup. In his rookie season Joey Logano will finish top 25 in the points and show flashes of brilliance. Actual: We were right about Hamlin and Logano, but we missed the call on Busch’s season. Hamlin finished fifth in the final standings, but too many DNFs in the Chase killed his chances at the Cup. Logano won at Loudon and finished 20th in the standings. Busch won four races, but struggled for much of the season and missed the Chase.
Richard Childress Racing Prediction: Jeff Burton will win 1-3 races and make the Chase, but will not be a contender. Clint Bowyer will win 3-5 races and challenge for the Cup. Casey Mears will finish top 20 in points at best. Kevin Harvick will win a couple races, make the Chase, and have an outside shot at the Cup. Actual: RCR was probably our biggest missed prediction. Bowyer, Burton, Harvick and Mears finished 15th, 17th, 19th, and 21st respectively. The whole organization struggled all season and didn’t win a single race.
Stewart-Haas Racing Prediction: Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman will finish top 20 in points, we might see a couple wins between the two teams, but a Chase appearance and title contention are a few years away. Actual:SHR was definitely a pleasant surprise this season. Stewart won four races and finished sixth in the standings. He led the points going into the Chase, but lost his momentum and slipped down the stretch. Newman never found victory lane, but did make the Chase on his consistency and finished ninth.
Penske Racing Prediction: The whole organization will struggle with the exception of maybe Kurt Busch. Actual: Kurt Busch won two races and finished fourth in the Chase. Sam Hornish showed a little promise, but could only manage a 28th place points finish. David Stremme continued his history of lackluster performance and finished 32nd in the standings.
Gillett Evernham Motorsports/Richard Petty Motorsports Prediction: The team won’t improve much over 2008, Kahne and Allmendinger are their greatest hopes. Actual:Kahne won two races and did make the Chase, finishing 10th, but that was the bulk of their success. Allmendinger, Reed Sorenson, and Elliott Sadler all failed to finish inside the top 20 in points.
Roush Fenway Racing Prediction: Carl Edwards will be dominant and could be the leading contender for the championship. Matt Kenseth will win 1-2 races and make the Chase. Greg Biffle will also win a race or two and make the Chase, but will not be a serious contender for the title. David Ragan and Jamie McMurray should improve over 2008 but neither will contend or make the Chase. Actual: Edwards was a miss, as he failed to win a race and was never really a factor in the Chase. Kenseth did win two races, but just missed making the Chase. Biffle also went winless, but did make the Chase, finishing seventh. Ragan and McMurray had disappointing seasons, but McMurray did find victory lane at Talladega.
Yates Racing Prediction: Travis Kvapil and Paul Menard will continue to struggle. Bobby Labonte could surprise, but past history doesn’t bode well for him. Actual: Kvapil ended up only running the first five races before his team was shut down due to lack of funding. Menard didn’t earn a top five or top ten all season and finished 31st in the points. Labonte did manage one top five finish, but ended up 30th in the driver standings and was replaced in the #96 late in the season by Erik Darnell.
Michael Waltrip Racing Prediction: David Reutimann should continue to improve, but expect Michael Waltrip to hang up his driving gloves after 2009. Actual: Reutimann did indeed improve in 2009, and collected a win, five top five, and ten top ten finishes. His team nearly made the Chase, but they faded late in the season and finished 16th in the standings. Waltrip’s struggles continued and a 33rd place points finish will see him run only a part time schedule in 2010.
Robby Gordon Motorsports Prediction: Expect more of the same from Robby Gordon, a good finish here and there is the best he’ll do. Actual: Gordon struggled most of the season, and only mustered a 34th place points finish. He did finish third in the rain shortened Coke 600 though.
The previous two seasons (2007 and 2008) have provided interesting Silly Seasons with free agents like Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2009 though will go down in the record books as a refreshingly light free agent year.
While 2009 won’t be memorable for big time moves, 2010 could be one for the ages as several prominent drivers could be considering moves away from their current homes.
Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Jeff Burton, David Reutimann and Scott Speed are all reported to have contracts up in 2010. While no one is suggesting (I’m certainly not) Kyle Busch or David Reutimann are going anywhere when their contracts expire, others have been rumored to be looking elsewhere.
Earlier this season Kevin Harvick, the 33-year-old driver of Richard Childress Racing’s No. 29 Chevrolet was rumored to be out at the end of this season. That ultimately proved to be false, but with free agency looming, Harvick hasn’t exactly gone out of his way to deny he’s looking.
His teammate Jeff Burton even told reporters in October he didn’t expect Harvick back after next season.
Kasey Kahne’s another driver who has been vocal about his struggles and frustrations with his present organization. At Homestead Kasey said:
“I use to try and stay in the loop and then things don’t happen that they say will. At this point, I have one year left (on my RPM contract). I want to do the best job for Richard Petty Motorsports in my final year. It’s up to them what happens…Come January, I can start looking around…The ups and downs of the team has made it difficult for me to really say, ‘Man, I’m going to be here for 10 more years.’”
When asked if he was going to look elsewhere next season, Kahne said he would.
Kurt Busch has in the past had struggles with performance and with team owner Roger Penske (TC even speculated earlier this season that Busch’s stellar season could have been related to his pending free agency), but with the successes of this season and with the potential addition of a top notch crew chief, it might be difficult for Busch to find greener pastures.
Even Elliott Sadler and Scott Speed could be guys to watch next season (though this is pure speculation). Sadler notably had a power struggle with the management at RPM following the 2008 season after it was rumored they were looking to cut him from their lineup. They may use this as a chance to cut the driver loose (or he may choose to look elsewhere). And Scott Speed struggled in his first full season, failing to qualify for three races (though the team bought Joe Nemechek’s ride for two of those races) and racking up eight DNFs. With an average finish of 29th and only one top five, one top ten, and a 35th place finish in the driver points (36th in the owner points) Speed didn’t exactly light the world on fire. If he struggles again next season and a top prospect comes available, Red Bull might just put something together; which means Speed could be looking for another ride.
Whatever 2010 holds on the competition side, I can’t say; but it’ll no doubt be an interesting and active year for the free agent (whoever they may ultimately be).
Filed under: Brian Vickers, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, Juan Pablo Montoya, Chase for the Sprint Cup
Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Sylvania 300 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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