NASCAR Sprint Cup 2008 Team Preview- Dale Earnhardt Incorporated

I’ve got to hand it to this team, it takes a lot to become more unpopular as a team than Hendrick Motorsports, but Teresa Earnhardt achieved this dubious distinction by letting her step- son, Dale Earnhardt Junior leave the organization that her late husband built for his son.

The good news is that time will be kind to both parties on Junior’s departure. DEI is one of several race teams enduring a competitive down turn. It is my opinion that it will take some time for DEI to get their chops up. This makes for a good place for promising young drivers to grow, and for veteran drivers to lend their experience to help groom the youngsters.

That chemistry is in place with the current line up. 49 year old Mark Martin is in his second year of running a reduced schedule. DEI was the beneficiary of the veteran’s racing prowess when Bobby Ginn could o longer keep up competitively with the NASCAR powerhouses and merged with DEI. Running 26 of 36 race, Martin won’t be able to capture the Cup title that has eluded him during his illustrious career that has included 47 Busch series wins and 35 victories at the NASCAR’s top level. When Martin isn’t running, Joe Gibbs cast-off Aric Almirola will take over the #8 ride. Many feel the youngster of Cuban descent has a great career ahead of him and will be a good fit on a team that features other such young studs as Martin Truex Junior and Paul Menard.

Truex put himself on the map with his first career Cup win in 2007 and  successful run to make the Chase. During the Chase, Truex got lost in the brightening glow of fellow newbie Clint Bowyer, but considering all the many mechanical problems DEI had, it’s really amazing that Truex made it at all. The New Jersey native looks like the real deal and one who will greatly benefit from Martin’s low key and calm demeanor.

The same is true for Paul Menard. He’s still seeking his first Cup win, but has had enough strong runs to lead one to believe he’s not far away. Like Truex, Menard tends to make the mistakes typical of a fledgling driver and again, this is where Martin’s leadership will help.

Because of Dale Jr.’s popularity, many NASCAR fans will never see the forest for the trees and they will likely hate her as long as she lives. But you know what? She can’t help Junior win right now. The move to HMS is a win for him, and a win for DEI as they will now have the opportunity to build a quality organization apart from the pressure of trying to further the career of NASCAR’s most popular driver.

The key will be capitalizing on the racing brains that exist in the organization. Teresa’s not a racer or engineer or crew chief. She’s a shrewd business woman.

The late, great Dale knew that….that’s why she’s here. After she moves on to further success and so does Junior, this will just be footnote in NASCAR history.

Time will prove me right. 

2008 Sprint Cup Team Preview No. 4- Roush-Fenway Racing

NASCAR’s largest and most competitive Ford team faces a very interesting 2008. With Roush-Fenway Racing you have a very intriguing and sometimes volatile mix of veterans and fresh faces. In 2009, one of these drivers will be looking for a new ride as NASCAR will mandate a maximum of 4 individual racing teams per organization. Who will it be? This is a deep team, and yet it is one not without question marks.

With his his midwestern charm and trademark victory backflip, Carl Edwards is without a doubt the most recognizable member of the Roush garage. Edwards ran away with the Busch Series title by dominating the early 2007 races, easily outdistancing David Reutimann and Jason Leffler. Edwards also ended a long victory drought with a win at Michigan in June and performed consistently enough to make the Chase, though he seemed to have rough spots. Throw in his presence in the Office Depot and Dish Network ads, and his work in the “Fast Cars and Superstars” series on ABC, and it seemed that the Opie Taylor-ish “Cousin Carl” was everywhere.

In spite of his successes, Edwards’ sunny image took a big hit in his altercation with Roush teammate Matt Kenseth in the wake of the Martinsville race. By now, most serious fans have seen Edwards shoving the soft-spoken and mild-mannered Kenseth and taking a mock swing at him on camera as Kenseth prepared for an interview. Through this incident, details came to light that served to tarnish Edwards’ image. First, we learned that though they’re teammates, Kenseth and Edwards rarely speak to each other. Edwards also made himself look like a whiner when he said he felt no support from his teammates. As people began to wonder about the sudden surly tone, fellow Roush drivers Jamie Mc Murray and Greg Biffle suggested this was the real Carl. Though Edwards has apologized, the damage has been done. Discussions on message boards lead me to believe that some casual fans of the #99 Ford have written him off as a phony.

So- who is the real Carl Edwards? Will the chilly relations within his team make the Columbia, Missouri native a pariah and therefore, expendable? Will better success for this organization cover all this? This is a part of the intrigue of the 2008 season.

Perhaps the driver we should really watch is Matt Kenseth. After a non-descript start, Kenseth rallied at crunch time with a number of great late season finishes. Kenseth fostered his reputation as a conservative driver who airs it out at the end. By the same token, with low-key demeanor, the driver of the Dewalt #17 is one of the more invisible, albeit successful drivers on the circuit. Still, I think the 2003 Nextel Cup champion may have momentum going for him that will pave for a great 2008. Part of what will help is that the solid finishes by all Roush drivers at CoT races leads us to believe that Roush-Fenway has caught up with their Car of Tomorrow programs. With his intelligent handling of the car, I suspect that Kenseth will either be a Sprint Cup champ or top five driver.

Greg Biffle offers another veteran presence in the Roush shop. After a rather quiet stretch dating back to 2005, Biffle visited victory lane with a controversial finish at Kansas in September. Like Kenseth, Biffle is not necessarily one of the more memorable faces on the NASCAR circuit. Given that, one can’t help but feel like the 38 year old needs a strong 2008 to stay off the chopping block. Biffle married during the off-season. Hopefully for him, the Vancouver, Washington native will run a more inspired schedule.

Jamie Mc Murray provided one of the real highlights of 2007 with his photo finish victory over Kyle Busch at the Pepsi 400 at NASCAR’s mecca- Daytona. In addition, “Jamie Mac” ran a strong race on the road course of Infineon, before running out of gas and paving the way for Juan Pablo Montoya’s first NASCAR victory. That Daytona victory ended a protracted spell between wins, but at age 31, and with his “pretty boy” looks, you get the feeling Mc Murray will have to be pretty bad to have to worry about getting his walking papers from “The Cat In The Hat” (team owner Jack Roush).

David Ragan’s 2007 was typical of a young NASCAR driver. The driver of Mark Martin’s former ride finished second in points among rookie drivers and had moments of brilliance. By the same token, Ragan was involved in quite a number of crashes and made his share of rookie mistakes. NASCAR pundits talk a great deal about his potential, but the question this year will be “Is it enough?”

Yes- the Roush-Fenway team will offer storylines galore in 2008. We’ll have to keep watching to see if these story line are positive….or negative.

NASCAR Sprint Cup 2008 Team Previews Day Three- Richard Childress Racing

Richard Childress Racing has been one of the fixtures in the sport ever since Richard Childress and his good friend Dale Earnhardt joined forces as owner and driver back in the early 80’s. Yes, you could say that RCR is the “Team That The Intimidator Built”, as Earnhardt won all seven if his titles while driving for Richard Childress.  All three of Childress’ drivers made the Chase in 2007, demonstrating depth and veteran driving talent. Unfortunately, all drivers not named Clint Bowyer faded badly down the stretch- a combination of bad luck and car problems.

No question Clint Bowyer is a rising NASCAR star. He shone brightly in the first Chase race after barely getting in, earning his first victory at New Hampshire. Die hard race fans have to love Bowyer, as he is a pure “car guy” through and through with his own dirt track and an impressive collection of classic cars. The Emporia, Kansas native is a hard charger, I just think the guy needs to mellow out a bit (he was a nervous wreck towards the end of his victory race). Nonetheless, he’s a likable good old boy and provided a nice fan alternative in the Chase for those who don’t like the HMS drivers. If this guy really starts to put it all together, look out.

It helps Bowyer that he has a couple of proven studs like Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick as teammates. I wouldn’t say Burton had a banner year, but he certainly was solid, ending a long victory drought with a win at Texas. The 40-year-old Virginian shows he still has plenty of gas in the tank and continues to impress me as a guy who would be a great driver’s rep if indeed NASCAR ever had a union. He’s shown he still has the fire, and as long as he has that, Ward’s younger brother will be just fine.

“Happy” Harvick had plenty of reasons to smile. It’s not just anybody who wins the Daytona 500, and the guy who took over Dale Earnhardt’s ride after he died in 2001 won it in dramatic fashion against the venerable Mark Martin. Harvick also hauled in a nice paycheck with a win at the all-star weekend and his racing team got it done as well. Harvic still runs a pretty ambitious Busch schedule and he moved into second place all-time for wins in NASCAR’s second series behind the aforementioned Martin. A hallmark of Harvick’s career is either he’s way up or way down, and true to form, 2007 had it’s not-so-great moments for the driver of the #29 Chevrolet. There was the run-in with Juan Pablo Montoya, car troubles galore in the latter half of the Chase, and a maddening inconsistency that no dobut left a bad taste in his mouth.

Childress has done an awesome job of running this team, making it one of the most viable in NASCAR. Given that, I expect another competitive year for his drivers. I’d look for another couple of wins for Bowyer and the others will be very visible and competitive, even if they don’t win much.

Keep your eyes on Bowyer. If you haven’t heard of him already, you soon will. This guy’s the real deal, and an organization like RCR is just perfect for him.   

2008 Sprint Cup Team Preview- Day Two- Joe Gibbs Racing

Anybody looking for good story lines in NASCAR need look no further than Joe Gibbs Racing. There’s more potential here for high drama than National Treasure with a combustible mix of personalities, a switch in manufacturers and a heightened presence of the team owner, who just gave up his day job as coach of the Washington Redskins. There’s more question marks here than there are for the presidential primaries for one of the sport’s most successful, yet colorful teams.

Tony Stewart is without a doubt the most recognized figure on the team. As one writer has put it, the driver known as “Smoke” (for his ability to smoke the competition) has 12 personalities, nine of whom are likable and funny and three that would like to punch you in the month. A solid late season run, including one in his home state of Indiana, helped temper an otherwise frustrating season that included more run-ins with the press and teammate Denny Hamlin- plus a tactical mistake at Kansas that cost a shot at a third Cup title.

All eyes are on Stewart as his current contract will be up faster than you can say Dale Earnhardt. Some have intrepreted his “wait and see” stance on negotiations as a sign of unrest or perhaps unhappiness with JGR’s switch to Toyota- a rumor chiefly perpetuated by fans who can’t fathom the Rushville Rocket in anything but a Chevy.

Me? I’m predicting a third Cup title for Stewart in 2008. Because of those looming contract talks, I think he wants to pull down maximum money, and nothing would solidify his high profile stock more than a third Cup trophy, and a first for JGR’s new manufacturer.

Where things will really get interesting is what happens with the younger drivers in the Gibbs’ garage. Denny Hamlin was firmly cemented in the role as the up and coming golden boy until the arrival of Kyle Busch. Hamlin had his ups and downs of late. Hamlin picked up a win and rced well enough to make the Chase. On the other hand, Hamlin faded down the stretch and the driver of the #11 FedEx Chevrolet got into with Tony Stewart at Daytona, and also mixed it up with the otherwise calm and collected Kyle Petty in a late season skirmish. No doubt Hamlin would like a strong start to demonstrate that HE is the most promising young driver at Gibbs, not the driver known as “Rowdy”, or “Shrub” by his .

Kyle Busch could certainly make things interesting in either good or bad ways at Joe Gibbs. Many NASCAR insiders, including the aforementioned Petty, think that Busch the younger is the most promising driver of the younger set. No doubt the guy who’ll be driving the #18 M&Ms Camry in 2008 had his moments of brilliance in 2007. By the same token, Busch is given to moments of immaturity- leaving the track early after a wreck at Texas (ironically, the already knocked out Dale Jr. finished the race in Busch’s car), and negative comments about his team after a narrow loss in the Pepsi 400 did nothing to enhance his image in a positive way. Still, Busch put on a good face down the stretch (for the most part), and finished with solid performances.

This little battle could play out a number of ways. The question is- will the two youngsters fight like Cain and Abel? or will this be a friendly team rivalry like that of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson that brings out the best in each other? Inquiring minds want to know.

If the truth is known, it could go either way. With Busch and Hamlin, you want to believe that they get it, but there’s as good a chance that they don’t.

This team has a lot riding on it. Joe Gibbs couldn’t have timed his return to his racing team any better. If he can’t hold this bunch together, no one can. Personally, I wouldn’t bet against the team that has helped put Stewart on the champion’s podium twice and made a 2000 Cup champion out of Bobby Labonte. For all the drama and hijinx, these guys know a thing or two about winning.

NASCAR Sprint Cup 2008 Team Previews Day One- Hendrick Motorsports

For our first in a series of team previews for the 2008 season, I present you the New York Yankees of NASCAR: Hendrick Motorsports. Like the baseball team of re-known, the rich only seem to get richer, possessing a “Murderer’s Row” lineup of talent behind the wheel, in the pit box, and in the shop. Can these guys do any wrong? Meh, forget that question- while some may question the scruples of some within the organization, let’s just say hat EVERYTHING and I mean EVERYTHING seems to go their way. They are home to a 2-time defending Cup champion, and he’s not even their “star” driver. Jimmie Johnson may be the man of the moment, but clearly, this is still the team that Jeff Gordon leads. AS if not having a 4-time Cup chapion is enough, Rick Hendrick now has NASCAR’s most popular driver-he of the legendary pedigree- that is one Dale Earnhardt Jr. And then speaking of pedigrees, let us not forget that Casey Mears (nephew of Indy car stud Rick Mears) is also on the team.

Hendrick Motorsports is without a doubt, King of the Mountain in NASCAR (with all apologies to Brian France). With all the talent throughout the organization, it’s hard to imagine a bad season for HMS because with the acquisition of Junior, they’ve only gotten better. Think about it- this team won half of the races ran in 2007, and now they’re adding one very motivated superstar eager to prove he’s worthy of his rock star status.

Let’s not forget- it’s not only the drivers who are great here. With Steve Letarte, Chad Knaus and Tony Eury Jr. (to name a few), you have the best pit bosses in the business. All their styles may vary, but they all get great results.

In 2008, it’s hard to imagine much will change. A 3-peat for Johnson may be asking a bit much, but certainly a top 5 finish at season’send is not. My gut tells me that Gordon may lose some of his edge as he gets older and he settles in more with his new found role as a father, but this is more than made up for by Earnhardt and Mears. Besides already having a great relationship with Rick Hendrick- Dale Jr. is here primarily for one reason- a reason big enough to leave the racing team his late father founded: by joining HMS. Junior places himself in the best position to be a winner. There’s a discipline with this organization missing from DEI. These guys start early and finish late with a singel minded dedication to achieving great results. With 10 wins for Johnson, 6 wins for Gordon, a victory for the upstart Mears and one for the departed Kyle Busch, I’d say they have a formula that works. This team was clearly ahead of the curve on the “Car of Tomorrow” and just about anything else.

Other teams are catching up. That’s true. But guess what? I think Rick Hendrick and company know that and have taken that into consideration. Knowing this, it’s hard to imagine Hendrick Motorsports being anything less stellar in the upcoming season.

Junior Nation is banking on it.