David Stremme starts first in today's Sprint Showdown being held at Lowe's Motor Speedway

NASCAR officials had to really go through the book on Friday as qualifying for Saturday’s Sprint Showdown was washed away due to light rain that was falling on the track and they still needed to determine the grid order for today’s Sprint Showdown.

Just how would they determine the grid order in cases where qualifying rounds have been cancelled due to Mother Nature, in this case the order was determined using each drivers qualifying order, which was determined randomly. This leaves the No. 27 of Kirk Shelmerdine on the pole position for the Sprint Showdown, but unfortunately for Kirk NASCAR looked in their rule book and have ruled that he must start at the rear of the pack at the start since he wasn’t able to present himself for the pre-race inspection.

The rule book has been consulted and a ruling given, so which driver will start on the pole position of the Sprint Showdown? When the race starts for real today the No. 12 Penske-Dodge of David Stremme will be in the front of the field, something that was a pleasant surprise for David when he was told as he was driving home yesterday, he was so happy he came back to have a few laughs with the media.

This bit of luck is something that could turn out to be significant for Stremme, since the top two finishers in the Showdown advance to the All-Star race, and starting in the front can be a major advantage all other factors being equal. In addition, the longer he can stay on the track and in the front the more information he can get to help him when he gets through this preliminary race and to the All-Star race.

The official starting-grid for today’s Sprint Showdown at Lowe’s Motor Speedway will see David Stremme in the front after the pace car pulls off the track and penalties are enforced on Kirk Shelmerdine and Carl Long. He will be followed by Dave Blaney, Scott Riggs, Martin Truex Jr., David Ragan, Sam Hornish Jr., Max Papis, and A.J. Allmendinger.

“Image: Zuma Press”

Post from: EveryJoe

NASCAR’s Rules and Regulations

Teams Without an Assigned 2009 Driver:
- Dale Earnhardt Inc. – No. 01 car
- Penske Racing – No. 12 car
- Stewart Haas Racing – No. 4 car
- Dale Earnhardt Inc. – No. 15 car
- Joe Gibbs Racing – No. 20 car
- Wood Brothers Racing – No. 21 car
- Bill Davis Racing – No. 22 car
- Yates Racing – No. 28 car
- Richard Childress Racing – No. 33 car
- Furniture Row Motorsports – No. 34 car
- Chip Ganassi Racing – No. 41 car

Drivers Without a Definitive 2009 Ride:
- Regan Smith
- Casey Mears
- Ryan Newman
- Paul Menard
- Dave Blaney
- Travis Kvapil
- Tony Raines
- Reed Sorenson
- Scott Riggs
- JJ Yeley
- Johnny Sauter
- Jeremy Mayfield
- David Stremme
- Jacques Villeneuve
- Kenny Wallace
- Ken Schrader
- Ward Burton
- Dario Franchitti

Post from: EveryJoe

Silly Season Tracker – Updated 8/8

Despite being handed his walking papers from Hendrick Motorsports when the team announced at the end of June that Casey Mears would no longer be the driver of the no. 5 car in 2009, it’s not exactly the end of world for Mears. Really, if it had to happen, it couldn’t have happened in a better year with seats still remaining open at Richard Childress Racing, Penske Racing, and technically, even Stewart-Haas Racing for next season.

With Roger Penske and Ryan Newman recently announcing their split at the end of the year, the no. 12 ride at Penske has now become one of the more highly touted rides available for ‘09. Though early signs have indicated that the team may opt take the easy and less negotiable route by signing their current Sprint Cup test driver, David Stremme, to drive the car, one has to wonder if it doesn’t actually just make too much sense for Roger and company to head in another direction and start focusing on a potential deal that would land Mears in that car next season.

For starters, Casey’s uncle – 4-time Indy 500 winner, Rick Mears – spent more than 15 years driving for Penske in the open wheel ranks, and still works as a consultant for the organization. Casey’s father, Roger Mears, also competed in 4 Indy 500’s running a Penske chassis, so there’s definitely some family ties between Penske and the Mears family.

Additionally, upon his retirement from the Penske organization and racing altogether in 2005, the legendary Rusty Wallace petitioned for Roger to look at Casey as a candidate to fill his shoes in the famed no. 2 “Blue Deuce”, though the team ultimately decided to go with 2004 Cup champion, Kurt Busch.

At that time, Mears was still racing for Chip Ganassi Racing, which also runs out of the Dodge Racing camp – the same manufacturer of choice as Penske. Casey failed to put together a winning effort while running for Ganassi as he didn’t reach that pinnacle until 2007 with Hendrick, but he did experience his best points season with them in ‘06 when he finished 14th overall in the points standings.

Mears could arguably be the most established driver on the free agent market available to Penske, pending a fallout in the ongoing negotiations between Martin Truex Jr. and DEI, though the rumor mill there has Truex potentially joining the ranks of RCR should he happen to leave.

Post from: EveryJoe

Casey Mears to Penske Racing is a Make Sense Deal

Teams Without an Assigned 2009 Driver:
- Dale Earnhardt Inc. – No. 01 car
- Dale Earnhardt Inc. – No. 1 car
- Penske Racing – No. 12 car
- Dale Earnhardt Inc. – No. 15 car
- Joe Gibbs Racing – No. 20 car
- Wood Brothers Racing – No. 21 car
- Bill Davis Racing – No. 22 car
- Yates Racing – No. 28 car
- Richard Childress Racing – No. 33 car
- Furniture Row Motorsports – No. 34 car
- Chip Ganassi Racing – No. 41 car
- Stewart Haas Racing – No. 66 or No. 70 car

Drivers Without a Definitive 2009 Ride:
- Regan Smith
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Casey Mears
- Ryan Newman
- Paul Menard
- Dave Blaney
- Travis Kvapil
- Tony Raines
- Reed Sorenson
- Scott Riggs
- Johnny Sauter
- Jeremy Mayfield
- David Stremme
- Jacques Villeneuve
- Kenny Wallace
- Ken Schrader
- Ward Burton
- Dario Franchitti

Post from: EveryJoe

Silly Season Tracker – Updated 7/19

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Tony Stewart has won 32 races, finished in the top-five 125 times, and has recorded 200 top-ten finishes through 9 1/2 seasons of racing in the Sprint Cup Series for Joe Gibbs Racing. He has also brought home two championships for the organization during that timeframe, but at the completion of his tenth season with the company, Tony will say goodbye to the Gibbs family and venture out into the unknown as a 50% owner and a full-time driver for what was formerly known as Haas CNC Racing in 2009.

Stewart Haas Racing, as the new company will be called, will take on a new image with Tony Stewart behind the wheel and serving as the face man for the organization. While they will continue to receive support from Hendrick Motorsports, a great deal remains unknown about the team’s inaugural season together. Car numbers, sponsorship, and a second driver are all question marks, as is the team’s performance capabilities coming right out of the gate.

Earlier this week, the “Loose in Turn 3″ panel was asked to discuss what Stewart Haas Racing can accomplish next season compared to what the expectations are for them in 2009.

Q: What are the realistic expectations for the newly formed Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009?

TZ: It’s going to be a long, tough road for this team for the first couple of seasons – probably moreso than many people realize. But, the fact of the matter is that Tony Stewart is one of the smartest and most talented race car drivers of the modern era, so if anyone can get this done, I really believe he’s the guy. They’ve always said that Smoke’s a guy that can drive anything, anywhere, so now I guess we’ll get to find out firsthand. I look for them to get out there and win 2 or 3 races between the two cars, though that could largely depend on who winds up in the second car. But, as much as I hate to admit it, I think a bid for the Chase could be a longshot in their first go ’round.

Bruce:  I expect, with his experience running teams in other racing leagues, that he’s got great insight into what needs to be done.  I’d be surprised if they do win a race, but I expect the team to do well enough to give everyone a sit up and stare moment as they contend for the cup.  I mean with the top 12 cars in the Chase, that’s 27.9% of the field.  It won’t be that hard I think.

Charlie: Realistic expectations the new owner/operators of a team that has both cars sitting outside the top thirty five right now. Anybody who qualifies can – I say can - win a race in todays NASCAR. Particularly plate races. But it isn’t reasonable to expect. Neither is a finish in the Chase. I say one car in the top twenty in points and the other a top five qualifier. That would not be a bad result for 2009.

Quite a bit of controversy has been “brewing” as of late throughout the country as it was learned that InBev, the largest beer European beer distributor (and in the world) has purchased the Anheuser-Busch company for the sum of $52 million. Anheuser is the maker of Budweiser – “the Great American Lager” – and has one of the top marketing strategies in the US, which includes a major role in an array of professional sports, to include NASCAR. We’ve already seen Anheuser pull out as the official beer of NASCAR this season, and now many analysts are discussing whether or not this corporate takeover will have an effect on the Budweiser sponsorship of the no. 9 Gillette-Evernham car driven by Kasey Kahne, as well as their other sponsorship roles in the sport.

Read more on this over at Bruce’s NASCAR Bits ‘n’ Pieces.

Penske Racing has recently announced that they will part ways with 8-year driver of their no. 12 Alltel Dodge, Ryan Newman, at the end of their 2008 campaign. Will many people firmly believe that Newman is on his way over to Stewart-Haas Racing to reunite with former Crew Chief, Matt Borland, and to create the first Indiana “Hoosier” connection in NASCAR, there has been much debate over whom Roger Penske has slated to drive for his team next season. Casey Mears remains on the free agent market after his release from Hendrick Motorsports, and Penske already has David Stremme in their pocket as a backup and test driver, but there are also a few drivers out there lurking that we haven’t talked much about during the early stages of this Silly Season.

Read more on this over at On Pit Row.

Post from: EveryJoe

Stewart Haas Racing Could Get Loose in Turn 3

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It came as very little surprise to most fans when Roger Penske announced on Monday afternoon that Penske Racing and Ryan Newman were unable to come to terms in their ongoing contract negotiations, and that Newman would be leaving the team following the completion of the 2008 NASCAR season.

Newman currently sits 16th in points and has been slowly working his way down the points standings ever since winning the season-opening Daytona 500 back in February, which also marks the only victory for the no. 12 team since the end of 2005. Still, with 13 wins and 105 top-ten finishes over 243 starts since making his debut in November of 2005, Newman is heavily viewed as the most sought after free agent still available on the market for next year.

When asked about his future plans, Newman stated that he basically has three options available to him, one of course being the open ride at the newly formed Stewart Haas Racing with fellow “Hoosier”, Tony Stewart. The other two rides that Newman is suspected to be considering are the no. 33 car at Richard Childress Racing and Stewart’s current car, the no. 20 at Joe Gibbs Racing.

“I appreciate Penkse Racing and all that they have done for me,” Newman stated in a press release. “But, more importantly, I appreciate their friendship and what they have done for my career.”

Officials at Penske Racing did not say who they were looking at to drive for the no. 12 team next season, but did say that they would make that announcement in the very near future. Many people believe that the ride will go to their current test driver, David Stremme, or to Casey Mears, who was recently released by Hendrick Motorsports in favor of Mark Martin for the 2009 season.

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Newman, Penske Racing to Part Ways in 2009

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With all of the shakeup that’s taken place here within the last few weeks – between Hendrick Motorsports announcing the release of Casey Mears and the addition of Mark Martin to their stable next season, and then Tony Stewart leaving Joe Gibbs Racing to venture into the car ownership business – I believe that enough “dominoes” have fallen now for everything else to start to follow suit. And, with that, I offer you my top-five predictions for how the rest of this will all sort itself out leading into the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

5. If they are unable to lock on long-term sponsorship, Chip Ganassi will replace Reed Sorenson with Dario Franchitti inside the no. 40 car. Sorenson will then be relegated to a lower-tier team, or possibly find himself out of a Cup ride altogether next season.

4. Penske Racing will promote their current test driver, David Stremme, back up to the Cup Series to drive the no. 12 car once Ryan Newman announces his departure from the team.

3. Casey Mears will sign with Richard Childress Racing to drive for the newly formed #33 team in 2009.

2. Joe Gibbs Racing will scrap their plans to field a fourth Cup car in 2009 and promote the young Joey Logano up to the Cup Series to fill the void left in the #20 team.

1. Ryan Newman will leave Penske Racing and sign with Stewart Haas Racing in 2009 to drive the car opposite of Tony Stewart.

Post from: EveryJoe

List of the Week: 5 Predictions for NASCAR’s Silly Season

Teams Without an Assigned 2009 Driver:
- Dale Earnhardt Inc. – No. 01 car
- Penske Racing – No. 12 car
- Dale Earnhardt Inc. – No. 15 car
- Joe Gibbs Racing – No. 20 car
- Wood Brothers Racing – No. 21 car
- Bill Davis Racing – No. 22 car
- Yates Racing – No. 28 car
- Richard Childress Racing – No. 33 car
- Furniture Row Motorsports – No. 34 car
- Chip Ganassi Racing – No. 41 car
- Stewart Haas Racing - No. 66 or No. 70 car

Drivers Without a Definitive 2009 Ride:
- Regan Smith
- Casey Mears
- Ryan Newman
- Paul Menard
- Dave Blaney
- Marcos Ambrose
- Travis Kvapil
- Tony Raines
- Reed Sorenson
- Scott Riggs
- Johnny Sauter
- Jeremy Mayfield
- Brad Keselowski
- David Stremme
- Jacques Villeneuve
- Kenny Wallace
- Ken Schrader
- Ward Burton
- Dario Franchitti

Other Potential Rides & Drivers that Could Become Available
(Pending variable circumstances):
- Dale Earnhardt Inc. – No. 1 Car – Current Driver: Martin Truex Jr.
- Gillette-Evernham Motorsports – No. 10 Car – Current Driver: Patrick Carpentier
- Roush Fenway Racing - No. 26 Car – Current Driver: Jamie McMurray
- Penske Racing – No. 77 Car – Current Driver: Sam Hornish Jr.

Post from: EveryJoe

2009 Silly Season Tracker – Updated 7/14

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About a month ago, rumors started to surface that Jamie McMurray had been handed his walking papers from car owner, Jack Roush, and that this would be his final season with Roush-Fenway Racing. Despite immediate denials by both McMurray and Geoff Smith (President of Operations at Roush-Fenway Racing), most of us – myself included – still bought into the rumors and pegged McMurray as a sure bet to be one of the drivers petitioning for a ride this off-season. But, a month later, after seeing how some of the other Silly Season rumors and deals have panned out, I’ve got to ask, does it really make sense for Roush to give him the boot?

McMurray’s certainly had a rough go of things since joining Roush, and I don’t think anyone would deny that. Once thought to be a solid Chase contender, McMurray had the worst season of his career in 2006 – his first year with Roush – when he tallied only 7 top-ten finishes en route to a 25th place finish in the standings. Things got mildly better in ‘07 when Jamie picked up the second win of his career and finished 17th in points, but they started 2008 right back at square one when the no. 26 team dropped outside of the top-35 in owner’s points immediately following Bristol.

Though their season has mildly improved since Bristol and the team has worked their way up to 23rd in the standings, McMurray continues to be viewed by many as the weak link in the organization and that the team is still under-performing. But, still … does it make sense to let him go at this point? The fact of the matter is that Roush will be forced to cease operations on one of their five race teams at the completion of the 2009 racing season, and therein lies the problems. Roush has five drivers, but only four cars ….. you do the math.

With all the names that have been tossed around as potential movers for next year, Roush-Fenway has very quietly perhaps led the way in this year’s Silly Season negotiations, locking up Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, and Greg Biffle to extensions to continue racing for the organization. That leaves just McMurray and the young David Ragan vying for that final ride, and it’s already been made clear that they’re trying to lock up David to a long-term deal as well. Okay, so now that I’ve given you all the evidence you need to conclude that McMurray is in fact the odd man out, it probably looks like I’ve contradicted my entire argument, right? Wrong.

So what if they already know that they’re going to have to get rid of McMurray by the end of ‘09, the fact remains that they need somebody to drive that car next season. With Mark Martin already being nabbed up by Hendrick Motorsports, there’s not a single driver on the market that they could sign to a one year deal that would give them a better shot next season than McMurray could. What are they gonna do, get Ryan Newman or Martin Truex Jr. for a 2009 contract and then send them packing? Not very likely. At this stage in their careers, any marquee driver that could potentially become available is going to be looking to land somewhere that they can remain at until the latter stages of their career. They’re looking for a team that can give them long-term championship contending status, not a one year run with a number five car in the organization.

As for McMurray, while there are currently a couple of top-notch rides technically “available,” the ride at Joe Gibbs Racing will likely be assigned to Joey Logano, and many people also believe that should Ryan Newman leave Penske, the no. 12 car may wind up in the hands of current test driver, David Stremme. That would leave the no. 33 car at RCR as the remaining frontrunner, but that car will begin the season already outside of the top-35 in owner points. Jamie’s best bet may be to wait to make a switch until we try to sort through this all again next season, or he may actually be just as well off to see if something happens in a Roush-Yates deal that would send his team to racec for Yates Racing next season.

As has been proven time and time again in this crazy world of NASCAR, anything can – and probably will – happen.  But, again, I ask you ….. does it really make sense for either side for this tandem to split prior to 2009? No, it doesn’t.

Post from: EveryJoe

Jamie McMurray Likely to Remain at Roush

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Good morning, everyone. It’s another Friday here in mid-July, and it’s a hot one out there ….. which is rather fitting, because that’s the only way to describe the NASCAR scene as of late! I welcome you to another edition of our overly-glorified “Loose in Turn Three” segment. Of course you all know me, and with me as usual are my fellow NASCAR Bloggers, Bruce Simmons and Charlie Turner.

Just as we do every week, we have a trio of topics that the three of us are going to be discussing, but before we jump right into that, let’s start with some background on this week’s featured stories just to make sure that we’re all caught up. Over the last two weeks we’ve seen things already begin to shape up for one helluva 2009 season as the two biggest announcements for NASCAR’s Silly Season have taken place within that timeframe.

Last week in Daytona, Mark Martin was announced as the driver-to-be for the #5 car over at Hendrick Motorsports, which at the time was the easily the most coveted available ride on the market, and knocked down what we thought could be the biggest “domino.” Tony Stewart apparently must have had an Ace up his sleeve, though, and decided to trump that announcement with one of his own, as he announced yesterday in Chicago that Joe Gibbs Racing has granted him his release from the organization prior to the expiration of his current contract. Stewart will depart the no. 20 ride to head over to Haas CNC Racing, which will be renamed to Stewart Haas Racing next season with Stewart as a 50% owner of the company.

Stewart’s announcement now sort of realligns the “dominoes,” and sets the no. 20 car atop the pedestal as the best available car on the market, and makes Ryan Newman the marquee name that could be entering free agency this offseason. Whatever Joe Gibbs Racing and Ryan Newman decide to do from here could have a major impact on the rest of the garage area next year. If Newman winds up in the no. 20 car, then that would keep young Joey Logano out of a full-time Cup ride for at least another season. If Newman joins Stewart over at Stewart Haas Racing, then the no. 12 car at Penske Racing becomes available. If he stays at Penske, then the second Stewart Haas seat will remain open.

There are still a lot of drivers out there waiting to see what these guys intend to do. Their actions will play a factor to who Casey Mears is driving for next year, and could determine if guys like David Stremme or Scott Riggs have a job in the Cup Series at all. That said, let’s take a look and see what exactly Joe Gibbs Racing should do from here.

Q: With Tony Stewart’s departure from Joe Gibbs Racing, who should they look to fill the #20 seat?

TZ: Of course, the obvious answer is Joey Logano, which is what would most likely happen, but I don’t think that’s the best course of action for them to at least pursue. Imagine this … give Logano a full season racing the Nationwide Series in 2009, and field a fourth team car to get him in a few Cup races late in the year. Instead of rushing him into the #20 seat, take advantage of the driver market while it’s worthwhile. Put a damper on all of the Stewart / Newman to Haas CNC talks, and go after Newman. Ryan’s got nothing to gain at Haas CNC in terms of ownership, so why wouldn’t he want to consider driving one of the most marketable cars in NASCAR? A 2010 lineup of Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and Ryan Newman would make it a lot easier for that organization to handle losing Smoke.

Bruce:  You already put out the good answer with Joey Logano filling the seat, and my Ryan Newman fan mode likes the idea of him moving to Gibbs rather than Logano filling the seat right away.  But the chemistry of driver and crew chief:  That’s out next concern!

The other aspect to ponder is with the economy in the down slide that it’s in, is fielding a fourth car going to be worth it for Gibbs?  Food for thought.

Charlie:  Joey Logano has been doing most of the CoT testing for Joe Gibbs Racing this year. He won’t be any younger than Kyle Busch was when he started with Hendrick Motorsports. That #20, Home Depot Chevy with Stewart at the wheel was one of NASCAR’s most recognizable brands. That’s gone after 2008. Might as well start building the new #20 right off the bat.

Now, Ryan Newman moving over to Joe Gibbs Racing next season is certainly a possibility – and, probably a dream come true for most Flyin’ Ryan fans – but, the consistent rumors floating around right now would put Newman driving the car opposite of Smoke over at Stewart Haas Racing.

Newman was tearin’ up the track his first couple of seasons in the Sprint Cup Series, but ever since Matt Borland departed as Newman’s crew chief, the road’s been a little rocky for the no. 12 team. He’s shown signs of life this year – particularly with his win at the season opening Daytona 500, but the team has had their struggles as well, and Newman now currently sits outside the top-15 in points with just 8 races remaining until the cutoff for the Chase. Read more on this over at Bruce’s NASCAR Bits ‘n’ Pieces as we answer the question of:

With the rumors of Ryan Newman signing on with Tony Stewart under Haas-CNC, and Jack Daniels as his sponsor, do you think his on-track performance will improve?

Moving down to the Nationwide Series for a moment, rumors have begun to circulate that the Navy may be pulling out of their sponsorship program there with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and JR Motorsports. The organization picked up their first two wins earlier this season with both Mark Martin and Brad Keselowski pulling into Victory Lane, but with a lack of backing from the Navy, this could potentially jeopardize the operation as it stands now.

There was some talk earlier in the season as to whether or not Earnhardt would be looking to promote JR Motorsports up to the Sprint Cup level as early as next season, and then most recently there has been rumors (though they’ve already been denied) that DEI could be looking to sell or maybe even grab hold of some financial backing. Head over to On Pit Row to read the rest on this one as we answer the following question:

It has been reported that Dale Earnhardt Jr’s JR Motorsports has lost the Navy sponsorship for the #88 Nationwide Series car for 2009. If you’re Jr, now what?

Post from: EveryJoe

Who’s Going to Fill the #20 Seat at Joe Gibbs Racing?