A glance at the drivers competing in the Sprint Cup Series this season
February 6, 2008
No. 00 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing
DRIVER: Michael McDowell
CREW CHIEF: Bill Pappas
NOTES: Will take over for David Reutimann at Martinsville when Reutimann moves to the No. 44 to replace Dale Jarrett following Jarrett's retirement. Will run for rookie of the year but will miss first five races of the season. Won four races, nine poles and rookie of the year honors in ARCA last season.
No. 00 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing
DRIVER: David Reutimann
CREW CHIEF: Bill Pappas
NOTES: Will drive car for first five races, then replace Dale Jarrett in the No. 44. Failed to qualify for 10 of 36 races last season and finished 39th in the points. Highest finish of 2007 was a 13th at Richmond in September.
No. 01 Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Inc.
DRIVER: Regan Smith
CREW CHIEF: Doug Richert
NOTES: Shared seat time with Mark Martin last season, running seven races with a best finish of 24th at Talladega. Will run for rookie of the year in the Cup series.
No. 07 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
DRIVER: Clint Bowyer
CREW CHIEF: Gil Martin
NOTES: The surprise of the Chase for the championship last season, he won the opener of the 10-race title hunt to score the first Cup victory of his career. Finished third in final season standings and had 17 top-10 finishes.
No. 1 Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Inc.
DRIVER: Martin Truex Jr.
CREW CHIEF: Kevin ``Bono'' Manion
NOTES: Scored first win of his career at Dover last June to start hot streak that pushed him into the Chase. Early troubles in the Chase kept him from contending for the title, and he finished 11th.
No. 2 Dodge, Penske Racing
DRIVER: Kurt Busch
CREW CHIEF: Pat Tryson
NOTES: After Tryson came on board last June, the team got rolling and Busch won two of three races in August. He lost momentum with finishes of 25th and 29th to start the Chase. Finished eighth in the final standings.
No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
DRIVER: Casey Mears
CREW CHIEF: Alan Gustafson
NOTES: Got off to a slow start with Hendrick last season, his first with the mighty team, but scored a dramatic first victory at the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day. Moves into team that qualified for the last two Chase for the championships with Kyle Busch as the driver.
No. 6 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing
DRIVER: David Ragan
CREW CHIEF: Jimmy Fennig
NOTES: Had a quiet rookie season after replacing Mark Martin in Roush's flagship Ford. Scored a career-best finish of third at Richmond in September.
No. 7 Dodge, Robby Gordon Motorsports
DRIVER: Robby Gordon
CREW CHIEF: Frankie Kerr
NOTES: Gordon formed an alliance with Gillett Evernham Motorsports last week, a move that switches him from Fords to Dodges. The move was necessary after the driver-owner suffered $4.5 million in losses after the Dakar Rally was canceled. Gordon has said he hopes the partnership will strengthen his single-car team.
No. 8 Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Inc.
DRIVER: Aric Almirola
CREW CHIEF: Tony Gibson
NOTES: Takes over the car of Dale Earnhardt Jr., who moved to Hendrick Motorsports. Almirola will share the ride with Mark Martin and drive 12 races this season. Left Joe Gibbs Racing midway through last season when opportunities failed to develop for him. Was acquired by DEI when it merged with Ginn Racing and is anxious to learn from Martin.
No. 8 Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Inc.
DRIVER: Mark Martin
CREW CHIEF: Tony Gibson
NOTES: Nearly won the Daytona 500, narrowly losing out to Kevin Harvick in a photo finish. Led points for first month of season but got out of the car for the fifth and sixth races of the season, part of his plan to run a partial schedule. Will run just 26 races this year and share seat time with Aric Almirola.
No. 9 Dodge, Gillett Evernham Motorsports
DRIVER: Kasey Kahne
CREW CHIEF: Kenny Francis (team director)
NOTES: Failed to win a race or make the Chase for the championship after winning six events in 2006 and finishing eighth in the standings. Was 19th last season. Takes over Budweiser sponsorship from Dale Earnhardt Jr. this season, and Kahne should be heavily hyped by the beer company.
No. 10 Dodge, Gillett Evernham Motorsports
DRIVER: Patrick Carpentier
CREW CHIEF: Mike Shiplett (team director)
NOTES: One of four former open-wheelers joining NASCAR this season, he'll run for rookie of the year honors. Scored an impressive second-place finish in the Nationwide race in his hometown of Montreal last season to set the wheels in motion for his Cup ride.
No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
DRIVER: Denny Hamlin
CREW CHIEF: Mike Ford
NOTES: Scored one win last season and was second in the points for a huge chunk of the year. Made Chase for the championship, but faltered early and finished 12th in the final standings.
No. 12 Dodge, Penske Racing
DRIVER: Ryan Newman
CREW CHIEF: Roy McCauley
NOTES: Won five poles last season but failed to make it to Victory Lane, which he last visited in 2005. Back with crew chief McCauley, who teamed with Newman to win six of nine Nationwide races in 2005.
No. 15 Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Inc.
DRIVER: Paul Menard
CREW CHIEF: Doug Randolph
NOTES: Menard struggled to make races until the DEI-Ginn merger, which allowed him to move inside the top 35 in points. He finished the year 34th in the standings, which assures him a spot in the field for at least the first five events.
No. 16 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing
DRIVER: Greg Biffle
CREW CHIEF: Greg Erwin
NOTES: Biffle's only win last season came at Kansas in September, and he led just 78 laps all year. In the final season of his Roush contract, he has maintained he'd like to stay with the team.
No. 17 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing
DRIVER: Matt Kenseth
CREW CHIEF: Chip Bolin
NOTES: Won two races - the second event and the last one - and made the Chase for the championship. Finished fourth in final standings. Longtime crew chief Robbie Reiser stepped down at the end of the season, but Bolin filled in last year during Reiser's four-week suspension.
No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
DRIVER: Kyle Busch
CREW CHIEF: Steve Addington
NOTES: Won the first Car of Tomorrow race and made the Chase for the championship. Was in position to make run at title until he was wrecked at Kansas and Talladega to fall out of contention. Now with Joe Gibbs Racing, Busch wants to pick up where he left off with Hendrick Motorsports.
No. 19 Dodge, Gillett Evernham Motorsports
DRIVER: Elliott Sadler
CREW CHIEF: Rodney Childers (team director)
NOTES: Scored just two top-10 finishes last season and was 25th in the points. Hoping for improvement under Childers, who moved over from GEM's No. 10 car to run Sadler's team.
No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
DRIVER: Tony Stewart
CREW CHIEF: Greg Zipadelli
NOTES: Scored three wins in his usual second-half surge, but disappointed during the Chase by failing to challenge Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon for the title. Stewart finished sixth in the final standings. Enters this season with the longest driver-crew chief relationship in Cup series.
No. 21 Ford, Wood Brothers Racing
DRIVER: Bill Elliott
CREW CHIEF: Gene Nead
NOTES: Elliott is scheduled to run 17 races in the car, including the season-opening Daytona 500. The rest of the schedule is expected to be split by Jon Wood, son of team owner Eddie Wood, and Australian driver Marcos Ambrose. Wood long has been groomed for the Cup ride, while Ambrose eventually could take over a second Wood Brothers entry.
No. 22 Toyota, Bill Davis Racing
DRIVER: Dave Blaney
CREW CHIEF: Tommy Baldwin Jr.
NOTES: Blaney was the only Toyota driver to finish in the top 35 in points last season. He also scored the highest finish of the year for a Camry, third at Talladega in October.
No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
DRIVER: Jeff Gordon
CREW CHIEF: Steve Letarte
NOTES: Finished a disappointing second in the title chase to teammate Jimmie Johnson. Had a baby, won six races and built a lead of more than 300 points during the regular season. He was great in the Chase, too. Johnson was just better.
No. 26 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing
DRIVER: Jamie McMurray
CREW CHIEF: Larry Carter
NOTES: Won for the first time since 2002 when he scored a victory at Daytona in July, edging Kyle Busch in what's tied for the second closest finish in NASCAR history. He had just two other top-five finishes the rest of the season.
No. 27 Toyota, Bill Davis Racing
DRIVER: Jacques Villeneuve
CREW CHIEF: Slugger Labbe
NOTES: Former Formula One world champion and Indianapolis 500 winner is among four open-wheelers joining NASCAR this season. Made two starts last year, including a controversial debut at Talladega that infuriated the championship-contending drivers. Dropped to back of field at start of race and finished a quiet 21st. Has no sponsorship lined up headed to Daytona.
No. 28 Ford, Yates Racing
DRIVER: Travis Kvapil
CREW CHIEF: Todd Parrott
NOTES: Ran the full trucks schedule last season, winning four races and finishing sixth in the standings. Had a rough start to his Cup career, lasting just one season with Penske Racing before moving back to the truck series. Team lacks sponsorship heading into Daytona.
No. 29 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
DRIVER: Kevin Harvick
CREW CHIEF: Todd Berrier
NOTES: Nipped Mark Martin at the line to win the Daytona 500, and added another huge payday in May by winning the All-Star race. Although he made the Chase for the championship, he never contended and finished 10th in the final standings.
No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
DRIVER: Jeff Burton
CREW CHIEF: Scott Miller
NOTES: Survived a sponsorship flap that saw AT&T and Nextel go to court over the logos on Burton's car. A settlement finally was reached and Burton quietly won one race and made the Chase, where he finished seventh in the final standings.
No. 38 Ford, Yates Racing
DRIVER: David Gilliland
CREW CHIEF: Cully Barraclough
NOTES: Sat on the front row at Daytona, but struggled from there with just one top-five finish all season. The Yates organization has been plagued with problems, and owner Robert Yates stepped aside at the end of last season. Doug, his son, now runs it. Like its sister car driven my Travis Kvapil, the team heads to Daytona with no sponsorship.
No. 40 Dodge, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
DRIVER: Dario Franchitti
CREW CHIEF: Steven Lane
NOTES: The reigning IndyCar and Indianapolis 500 champion is one of four former open-wheelers moving to NASCAR this season. Will lean on teammate Juan Pablo Montoya to ease his transition, and the two teamed together to win the prestigious Rolex 24 sports-car race last month. Car doesn't have full sponsorship heading into the season.
No. 41 Dodge, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
DRIVER: Reed Sorenson
CREW CHIEF: Jimmy Elledge
NOTES: Although still winless, Sorenson had the best statistical season of his short career. Won the pole at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and finished 22nd in the final seasons standings. Just 21, he still has the most Cup experience of all three Ganassi teams.
No. 42 Dodge, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
DRIVER: Juan Pablo Montoya
CREW CHIEF: Donnie Wingo
NOTES: Former Formula One star and Indianapolis 500 winner had successful first season in NASCAR, winning on road courses in Sonoma, Calif., and Mexico City. Finished second at the Brickyard and won rookie of the year honors while finishing 20th in the points. Ganassi has said this season is ``Chase or bust.''
No. 43 Dodge, Petty Enterprises
DRIVER: Bobby Labonte
CREW CHIEF: Jeff Meendering
NOTES: Labonte quietly finished a respectable 18th in the points last season as Petty Enterprises continued its long climb back to competitiveness. The addition of Meendering, Jeff Gordon's former car chief at Hendrick Motorsports, could accelerate that process.
No. 44 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing
DRIVER: Dale Jarrett
CREW CHIEF: Bill Pappas
NOTES: Announced his retirement from full-time competition after a rough 2007 season with Waltrip's struggling new team. Jarrett's future is in the television booth. He'll run the first five races of the season and the all-star race in May before unlacing his fireproof shoes for good.
No. 44 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing
DRIVER: David Reutimann
CREW CHIEF: Ryan Pemberton
NOTES: Reutimann will drive No. 00 for first five races, then replace Dale Jarrett in the No. 44 for the remainder of the season. He failed to qualify for 10 of 36 races last season, finished 39th in the standings and had a hard crash at California. Highest finish of a forgettable 2007 was a 13th at Richmond in September.
No. 45 Dodge, Petty Enterprises
HOMETOWN: Randleman, N.C.
CREW CHIEF: Bill Wilburn
NOTES: These days, Petty seems to be at his best in the television booth or doing charity work, not behind the wheel. But Petty showed a flash of his remaining competitive fire - and his team's improving grasp of what it takes to run up front in today's NASCAR - with his third-place finish at the Coca-Cola 600 last season.
No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
DRIVER: Jimmie Johnson
CREW CHIEF: Chad Knaus
NOTES: Can't seal the deal? Can't win the big one? Yeah, right. After coming oh-so-close to winning a championship three years in a row, Johnson now has won two in a row. Johnson and Knaus are setting the standard in the sport right now, and it's up to the rest of the field to catch up.
No. 49 Dodge, BAM Racing
DRIVER: Ken Schrader
CREW CHIEF: David Hyder
NOTES: Veteran driver Schrader will run the Bud Shootout and try to qualify for the Daytona 500. Beyond that, who knows? Team shouldn't expect to get anything creative through inspection at Daytona, as Hyder took the fall for Michael Waltrip's illegal fuel additive during speedweeks last year.
No. 55 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing
DRIVER: Michael Waltrip
CREW CHIEF: Paul Andrews
NOTES: Waltrip's debut as a full-time Cup car owner was a remarkably rough ride, beginning with the fuel additive violation during speedweeks and ending with him qualifying for only 14 races. Waltrip even crashed his street car last April. With Gibbs joining the Toyota stable, MWR likely will take a back seat in the corporate hierarchy.
No. 66 Chevrolet, Haas CNC Racing
DRIVER: Scott Riggs
CREW CHIEF: Bootie Barker
NOTES: Riggs didn't live up to his potential during his stint at Evernham Motorsports, bowing out with a 36th-place finish in the points last year. Now he'll try to salvage his career at a lower-tier team whose owner, Gene Haas, recently was sentenced to two years in prison for tax fraud. At least he'll have Hendrick engines.
No. 70 Chevrolet, Haas CNC Racing
DRIVER: Jeremy Mayfield
CREW CHIEF: Dave Skog
NOTES: After an ugly parting of ways with Evernham Motorsports, Mayfield struggled at Bill Davis Racing last season. Now he joins fellow Evernham refugee Scott Riggs. It wasn't so long ago that Mayfield made waves by racing his way into the Chase with a victory at Richmond. Now he'll have to prove his best days aren't behind him.
No. 77 Dodge, Penske Racing
DRIVER: Sam Hornish Jr.
CREW CHIEF: Chris Carrier
NOTES: Hornish's talent is unquestioned, and his credentials in open-wheel racing are as impressive as his sideburns: he's a three-time IRL IndyCar Series champion and the 2006 winner of the Indianapolis 500. But Hornish's first few attempts at stock car racing were disappointing, and he still must prove he can make the transition.
No. 78 Chevrolet, Furniture Row Racing
DRIVER: Joe Nemechek
CREW CHIEF: Jay Guy
NOTES: Nemechek found himself out of a ride after the hastily arranged Ginn Racing/Dale Earnhardt Inc. merger last season, but he helped the No. 78 team qualify for nine of the final 12 races of last season. Team will lean on Nemechek's qualifying skill without top-35 starting spot entitlement.
No. 83 Toyota, Red Bull Racing
DRIVER: Brian Vickers
CREW CHIEF: Kevin Hamlin
NOTES: How rough were things for Toyota last year? Vickers finished 38th in the points last year - and he was a bright spot! Vickers gave Toyota its first top-10 finish at California and later added a top-five at Charlotte. Addition of veteran crew chief Hamlin and new team general manager Jay Frye should help Red Bull's second season.
No. 84 Toyota, Red Bull Racing
DRIVER: AJ Allmendinger
CREW CHIEF: Rick Viers
NOTES: Another talented open-wheel driver who had a tough time making the transition to stock cars last season, Allmendinger qualified for only 17 races and finished 44th in the points. Best finish of 15th came at Lowe's Motor Speedway in October. As team improves, so should Allmendinger - but it won't happen overnight.
No. 88 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
DRIVER: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
CREW CHIEF: Tony Eury Jr.
NOTES: After boldly leaving the team his father founded behind, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s no-excuses tour has begun. He joins superstars Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson at Hendrick Motorsports, where he has access to the best cars, engines, crew members and technical data available in NASCAR. Can he be consistent enough to qualify for the Chase and take a run at the championship? He'd better be.
No. 96 Toyota, Hall of Fame Racing
DRIVER: JJ Yeley
CREW CHIEF: Brandon Thomas
NOTES: The 2003 USAC Triple Crown winner and Tony Stewart protege was a disappointment at Joe Gibbs Racing, and slides down to the Gibbs-affiliated Hall of Fame team after Kyle Busch took his seat at JGR.
No. 99 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing
DRIVER: Carl Edwards
CREW CHIEF: Bob Osbourne
NOTES: In an off year for Roush-Fenway, Edwards and Matt Kenseth still finished in the top 10. Hard to imagine those two spent a lot of time reminiscing about that in the offseason, though, as Edwards' signature moment from 2007 was his controversial run-in with Kenseth at Martinsville. Expect more victory backflips, and perhaps more sparring with teammates, in 2008.
Associated Press
Who's Hot / Who's Not In Sprint Cup: 2008 Preview Edition
The last time we were in Florida for a race, Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team were basking in a sea of confetti after winning their second consecutive Sprint Cup title at Homestead-Miami Speedway. A lot has changed since that historic day in November; there’s been a powerful addition to the Toyota camp, and the sport’s most popular driver debuted with Johnson’s organization in convincing fashion during Saturday’s Budweiser Shootout. Those are just two of a number of storylines and questions heading into 2008 — some will have to wait to be answered, while some may be answered here.
For those of you who are new to this column, well … so am I. Moving over from the Bubble Breakdown, I’ll be replacing Cami Starr, who has done a wonderful job keeping you, the racing fan, updated on the trends of what’s happening in NASCAR’s premiere series over the past few years. With that said, here’s the first edition of Who’s Hot / Who’s Not for 2008. Use it for fantasy purposes, use it for an unbiased view of where your favorite driver ranks (not that you’d be biased in the first place, right?), or simply read it to kill some time. Either way, I’m glad to have you on board for the upcoming season.
Hot
Jimmie Johnson: Nobody was hotter in the tail end of 2007 than the two-time defending champion. Johnson won four – that’s right, four – races in a row before finishing seventh in the season finale last year, and the No. 48 team remains the odds-on favorite to bring home the title again in ‘08. He is already in historic company, becoming the 13th driver to win back-to-back championships — the first since his teammate Jeff Gordon did so in 1997 and 1998. However, Johnson has a chance this season to do one better, becoming only the second driver ever (along with Cale Yarborough: 1976-1978) to win the three consecutive titles.
Jeff Gordon: Gordon won the most poles of 2007 (10), recorded the most Top 5s (21) and Top 10s (30), and recorded six wins during an exceptional season. His Chase wasn’t too shabby, either, with Gordon finishing outside the Top 10 only once (11th at Dover); but, he was outdone by his teammate’s downright unbelievable final stretch of the season. Gordon also has a history of success at Daytona, so look for him to come out of the box strong.
Matt Kenseth: Over the final five races last year, Kenseth had the second best average finish in the series (he trailed only Johnson). Kenseth never finished outside of the top 5 in any race over that stretch, and won the season-ending Ford 400. Finishing 4th in points in 2007, Kenseth should lead the Roush brigade again this year.
Warm
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Let’s face it, that Shootout win Saturday night was no longshot by any means. Junior was arguably the top superspeedway driver of the pre-Hendrick era, and now that he’s joined forces with the series’ top team, Saturday night looked like a piece of cake for him. Earnhardt comes off of his first full-time winless season last year, but is easily one of the favorites to win the 50th running of the Daytona 500. Honestly, nobody knows how strong Junior will be in 2008 until Daytona is in the mirror and the real season begins, but don’t be surprised if he has his best year since his six-win performance back in 2004.
Jeff Burton: Having finished outside the Top 10 only once in the final six races last year, Burton also finished third in the ’07 Daytona 500. He, along with Richard Childress Racing teammates Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick, will be a Chase contender this year.
Kurt Busch: Had a car capable of winning the Daytona 500 before an accident relegated him to 41st last year. Another driver that had a strong end of the season in 2007, finishing second at Homestead after a 12th place run at Phoenix and two 8th place finishes at Texas and Atlanta.
Tony Stewart: This may be the closest you will see Stewart and Busch this entire week. The two fierce competitors have had their share of runs-ins in the past, and that spilled over into two wrecked cars on pit road following a Bud Shootout practice crash and an alleged punch thrown by Stewart. The bottom line is Busch shouldn’t have hit Stewart on pit road, Stewart shouldn’t have punched Busch (if the allegations are true)… and people should just leave it at that.
Anyways, Stewart moves over to Toyota this season, and his success relies solely on how quick the manufacturer recovers from a dismal 2007. If preseason testing and the Shootout is any indication, however, Stewart and Toyota are already in position to compete for a championship THIS season. Stewart had the second-best car Saturday night, and may have been able to win if the Hendrick boys didn’t team up on him on the outside.
Dave Blaney: The lone Toyota to finish inside the Top 35 in 2007, Blaney was quick in preseason testing and pushed a number of cars to the front before leading a handful of laps himself in the Shootout. Again, his success relies solely on the performance of Toyota, but he should be one of the top performers driving Camrys to go along with the Joe Gibbs Racing trio of Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch.
Others: Casey Mears, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick.
Cool
Dario Franchitti: The defending Indy 500 champion has had a rough transition to stock cars this preseason. You can argue that Franchitti shouldn’t be on this list because he still has yet to run a Sprint Cup race, but he was 48th of 49 cars at testing in California and 31st fastest at Las Vegas. To make matters worse, Chip Ganassi Racing struggled in qualifying at Daytona, with Franchitti recording the fastest time for the team at a dismal 39th.
Sam Hornish, Jr. Hornish is in a similar situation as Franchitti. The rookie is locked in for the first five races of the year due to the transfer of owner points from Kurt Busch and the No. 2 team, and boy, does he ever need it. He finished 30th and 37th in the two races he ran last year, and was 41st in testing at California and 48th at Vegas. Hornish was also slower than both of his teammates in Daytona 500 qualifying, coming in a lowly 43rd.
Cold
Bill Elliott: Outside of the Top 40 preseason testing sessions at Las Vegas and California, Elliott qualified 45th on Sunday in the immediate aftermath of wrecking his second car in two days during the Bud Shootout. Now third in line for a past champion provisional at Daytona, the No. 21 team finished 2007 outside of the Top 35 in owner points — potentially forcing Elliott to race his way in on Thursday.
J.J. Yeley: Yeley was replaced by Kyle Busch in the No. 18 car this season, but he remains affiliated with JGR as a satellite car for Hall of Fame Racing. Like JGR, Yeley will run Toyotas in 2008, but if testing has been any indication, he will struggle mightily early in the year. He was 46th at California, 45th at Las Vegas, and qualified 51st of 53 cars in Daytona qualifying. Yeley is, however, locked in for the first five races of the season.
Final Thoughts
Motorsports’ biggest race is now less than one week away. While the winner of the 50th running of the Daytona 500 will undoubtedly be a part of history, the race itself tells us very little about the upcoming season. Coming full circle, I do expect the two biggest storylines of the offseason to both work out as the year progresses. Look for JGR to bring Toyota to Victory Lane much sooner than later, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. should return not only to the Winners’ Circle, but to the Chase, as well.
Happy 2008 season to everyone!
frontstretch.com