Over the weekend, several sources reported that Joe Gibbs came right out and said that it was beginning to look very unlikely that his prominent organization, Joe Gibbs Racing, would expand to include a fourth team in the Cup Series next season. Gibbs told reporters that it was getting too late in the year to properly put together an expansion package that would make a fourth team competitive right off the bat, and I’m sure that losing Tony Stewart didn’t help their plans, either.

“You wouldn’t say never, but it doesn’t look right now that it will happen for us next year,” Gibbs told The Associated Press before the start of Sunday’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Once Gibbs made the statement, immediate conclusions were being drawn that this would also count Ryan Newman out of the running for a set with Gibbs as well, as all indications are that one of their three seats are without doubt reserved at some point in time for Joey Logano, and that no fourth team means no Ryan Newman.

ESPN.com was - as they have been all season long - a bit more deliberate in their reports, reporting that Gibbs himself went on record and discounted the notion of Newman moving to Gibbs.

It would be hard,” Gibbs said before the Sprint Cup race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “Another time, another day, maybe. He’s a great individual. You would love to have him on your team. It’s just all those ducks aren’t in a row.”

A representative from Richard Childress Racing also stated on Friday that he expects Newman to move to Stewart Haas Racing next season. Childress and Gibbs were both considered to be the only other major players in the bidding for Newman’s services, so if they both say that it’s not going to be them, then I guess we can go ahead and start picturing what Newman will look like behind the wheel of the no. 4 car next season.

With Newman out of the running for the no. 20 car, that really takes all the players off the board in my mind. Sure, I suppose something could happen with Martin Truex Jr. leaving DEI, but I don’t picture a move to Gibbs being in his future, either. And, yeah, Casey Mears is still out there, but I think Home Depot would be likely to throw a fit if they were told that they were going from Stewart to Mears (no offense, Casey). The only scenario I can see playing out that doesn’t involve Joey Logano driving the no. 20 full-time next season is if he drives it part-time with Gibbs hiring another “lesser” talent out there to run the balance of the races just to keep the car inside the top-35 …. but, let’s face it, that doesn’t seem likely, either.

Long story short - Newman to the no. 4 car, Logano to the no. 20 ….. they just haven’t announced it yet.

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Joe Gibbs Racing has been left with a void to fill ever since a couple weeks ago when their franchise driver, Tony Stewart, announced his departure from the team following the conclusion of this season to venture into the realm of car ownership at the Sprint Cup level to become a 50% owner of the newly formed Stewart Haas Racing. In the absence of Stewart, Gibbs will still hold claim to two of the top young stars in the sport with Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin, but the fact of the matter is that Stewart has won two championships for the organization over his ten years with the team, and that’s just something that’s not easily replaced.

Now Joe and JD Gibbs are left with a decision to make. They had previously expressed interest in starting a fourth Cup team to build around their young star in the waiting, Joey Logano, and that’s still a viable option if they’re able to land a solid driver to fill their current void. Whatever they decide to do, though, whether it’s stay at three teams or expand to four, it’s very likely that their decision will revolve around Logano. At the very tender age of 18 years old and with only a few Nationwide Series races under his belt, Logano has already expressed his desire to climb into the no. 20 seat next season, and that could force Gibbs’ hand to give him an early promotion to the Cup level in an effort to protect their interests and keep other teams from pursuing him.

Another huge variable that has to come into play here, though, is Ryan Newman’s recent announcement that he will leave Penske Racing at the end of 2008. Newman is hands down considered the biggest player left on the free agent market, and he has a proven track record that when he’s surrounded by the right team and the right equipment, he’s more than capable to go out and win some races and put a bid in towards winning a championship. Gibbs’ best bet could be to pursue Newman as an option for the no. 20 car and begin building a part-time fourth team around Logano next season that would give him some seat time in the Cup through about six or so races, and then get him ready for a full-time run in 2010. This would also give him a full season in the Nationwide Series to work with Crew Chief, David Rogers, and continue to build a relationship with him, and then bring Dave to the new team with him.

That is a very circumstantial plot, however, as Newman has already stated that there are really three contenders for his services next season, and his other two options are considered to be the seat alongside Tony Stewart over at Stewart Haas Racing and the newly formed no. 33 ride at Richard Childress Racing. Other free agents on the market such as Casey Mears are not considered to be primary contenders for a spot within Joe Gibbs Racing, so if Newman’s name gets scrapped from the table, then expect to see Logano full-time in 2009.

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Ever since we learned that Hendrick Motorsports scheduled a press conference this weekend at Daytona, most people believed that they would announce Mark Martin as the driver for their no. 5 car next season, and they were right. What was unclear, however, was whether it would be on a full-time basis, or if Mark would engage in another driver / mentor program to bring the young Brad Keselowski up through the ranks of the Sprint Cup Series … it turns out it may have been both.

With Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. both on-hand for Friday’s announcement, team owner Rick Hendrick announced that the team had signed Martin to a two-year deal to drive for the team. Mark will run a full schedule in 2009 in his last-ditch effort to win his elusive first Sprint Cup championship, and then he will run a 26-race schedule in 2010. Mark has finished in the top-five in points a record 12 times, and has finished runner-up on 4 occassions. Even though he will turn the ripe age of 50 years old in January, a run with Hendrick Motorsports may just give him his best shot yet to win the title.

With many moves in NASCAR’s Silly Season still up in the air, the second and third order effects of this announcement could be astronomical. Had Hendrick signed Mark Martin to just a 1-year deal, then the prospect of Tony Stewart taking over the car in 2010 after his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing expires would still be in play. However, as it now looks as though Hendrick will be grooming that seat for the future of Brad Keselowski, the only other GM team out there that could satisfy Stewart solely as a driver would be Richard Childress Racing, but heading there would be a very unlikely scenario for the two-time champ. That means that the potential deal to take over partial ownership of Haas CNC Racing could be back in play as early as next year

While it’s easy for some of us to say that Tony should just ride out the rest of his contract with Gibbs and take another look at the deal with Haas CNC sometime closer to the 2010 season, the fact of the matter is that this could be a “now or never” situation. With both Haas CNC cars currently outside of the top-35 in owner points and the sudden crisis in NASCAR sponsorship, there’s a good chance that without Tony Stewart or a name like Ryan Newman driving their cars, this team might not make it to 2010.

Joe Gibbs has stated that the talks between the team and Stewart are still focused on 2010 - not next year - and, that despite popular belief, GM has not made an offer to buyout the remainder of Tony’s contract. Yet, reports still indicate that Tony has reached an agreement that would make Office Depot the primary sponsor of his car should he make the move over to Haas CNC next season.

Another possibility that we could see play out if Tony is unable to get out of his contract with JGR early would involve either Ryan Newman or Martin Truex Jr. Newman is in his contract year with Penske Racing and has told the team that he will not re-sign unless the team’s performance improves over the next couple of months. Truex, on the other hand, had his 2009 option picked up by DEI, but Martin has since disputed the legality of the contract, which means he, too, could be available in the offseason. Both drivers have been rumored to be involved in the potential Haas CNC deal, so what we could see happen is one of those two drivers head over to Haas in 2009 to keep the team afloat until Stewart arrives in 2010.

Stewart is rumored to possibly be ready to make an announcement a few weeks from now when the series heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the running of the Allstate 400. That reace is scheduled for July 27th.

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Dave Rogers has done absolutely nothing short of a spectacular job since taking over the helm as the Crew Chief for Joe Gibbs Racing’s no. 20 entry in the Nationwide Series in 2006. In his 2 1/2 seasons with the team, Rogers has helped coach five different drivers to a total of 14 Nationwide wins, to include: Denny Hamlin (6), Tony Stewart (5), Kyle Busch (1), Joey Logano (1), and Aric Almirola (1). More impressively, 8 of those wins have come this season with four different drivers behind the helm (five by Stewart). After putting Tony Stewart into Victory Lane last weekend at New Hampshire, Rogers will now have the task of getting Denny Hamlin back to Winner’s Circle Friday night at Daytona.

Rogers has previous experience at the Sprint Cup level, having served as the Crew Chief for Jason Leffler in the series back in 2005. The tandem was unable to produce satisfactory results, and Gibbs aptly found a place for Dave down at the Nationwide Series. Since then, however, Rogers has been compiling a very impressive resume’ that could land him back into Cup competition by 2010.

Why 2010, you ask? Because Joe Gibbs Racing has two very lucrative scenarios that could play out in Rogers favor between now and then, the first being that of Tony Stewart’s contract situation. Forget about all the hooplah that’s governed our Stewart talks in concerns of where he’ll be driving in 2009, the fact is that even if he stays, his contract expires next year, and he’ll most likely be driving for GM in 2010. And, with Smoke most likely goes his longime companion, Greg Zipadelli, as the two form the longest driver / chief combination currently active in all of NASCAR.

The second scenario, and truly the most likely one regardless of the Stewart situation, revolves around the young phenom, Joey Logano - or, “Sliced Bread” as you may know him better by now. Logano has all of the tools to be a great competitor in the sport, and Dave Rogers has been given the task of molding and fine-tuning his talents behind the wheel of the no. 20 car in the Nationwide Series. The team has already made it known that they plan to run Logano in a fourth team car in the Cup Series on a partial schedule next season, and possibly even get him a few races this year. Don’t be surprised - as it completely makes sense - if JD and ‘the Coach’ find it appropriate to keep the tandem of Logano and Rogers together as Joey goes about his Cup Series endeavours.

Some might chalk it up to simply being Gibbs’ superior equipment, but I don’t care who’s funding the goods … to switch over to a completely new manufacturer and have to work with a different driver every week and still find the level of success that this team has is truly special. Dave Rogers deserves all the credit in the world for what the no. 20 team has accomplished this year, and he adequately deserves a promotion back to the big leagues in the not-so-distant future.

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In only his third start in the Nationwide Series, 18-year old Joey Logano was nothing but masterful during Saturday’s Meijer 300 at Kentucky Speedway en route to picking up his first career victory in the series. Logano passed teammate, Kyle Busch, for the lead on lap 147 and stayed there for the ensuing 53 laps to become the youngest winner in Nationwide history at 18 years, 21 days (the former record was held by Casey Atwood at 18 years, 10 months, 9 days in 1999 at Milwuakee). The victory also gives Joe Gibbs Racing their leading 10th victory on the season.

Logano finished 2.259 seconds ahead of Scott Wimmer, who ran second in the race, with veteran, Mike Wallace, coming home third. Fourth place went to last week’s race winner, Brad Keselowski. Rounding out the top-five was rookie driver, Bryan Clauson. Sixth place was taken by second year Nationwide driver, Marcos Ambrose, and David Ragan, Mike Bliss, Clint Bowyer, and Jason Keller completed the top-ten finishers.

Kyle Busch had a great day turned sour. After flying into Kentucky Speedway late, he was forced to start the race dead last in 43rd. Forty laps later, however, Busch found himself with the lead and went onto lead a race high 85 laps on the day. After surrending the lead to Joey Logano on lap 147, Busch tried to fight back from the second spot, but he lost control of his car on lap 164. The spin sent Busch slamming into the outside retaining wall down the backstretch, and he went onto finish 30th.

Clint Bowyer retained control of the points lead, and now leads Brad Keselowski by 170 points. Keselowski jumped three spots in the standings to take over 2nd over David Reutimann and Carl Edwards, who finished 13th and 20th. Kyle Busch’s run dropped him from third to fifth in the standings.

For Logano, he has now led laps in each of his first three starts in the series. Those three starts have resulted in a win, 2 top-ten’s, and 2 pole awards. Between Logano’s driving abilities and the dominant team that Joe Gibbs has assembled for him over in that no. 20 car, the rest of the series could be in for a very long, agonizing season.

Click here for the complete results from the Meijer 300.

Nationwide Series Standings:

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Some of the most popular talk this year in NASCAR’s ever growing rumor mill has circulated around Tony Stewart and his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing, which currently carries him through the 2009 Sprint Cup season. With numerous rides potentially being opened for 2009, and offers reportedly being thrown at him all over the place, the media has long speculated that Tony has asked for an early release from his contract following the conclusion of this year, though sources have yet to confirm such allegations. Many want to believe him to be a solid candidate to fill the new seat opening up over at Richard Childress Racing, while some claim that he is looking towards Haas CNC Racing or maybe even JR Motorsports (should Dale Earnhardt Jr. elect to bring the team into Cup competition next year) where he could potentially gain ownership interests in the team, as well as reviving his long-standing relationship with GM and Chevrolet.

On the other side of the spectrum, there’s been a lot of hype revolving around 18 year old, Joey Logano, who is set to make his Nationwide Series debut this weekend at Dover for the Heluva Good! 200 on Saturday. Not since the emergence of Jeff Gordon to the stock car world in the early 90’s has a driver’s NASCAR debut been so highly anticipated, and some have even taken to nicknaming the kid as “Sliced Bread,” in reference to the ol’ saying, “the best thing since sliced bread.” Mark Martin spotted Logano out three years ago at the age of 15 and already claimed that he was a driver to keep an eye on. Since then he’s managed to win the 2007 Camping World East Series championship in a season that brought him seven victories, and he also won in his ARCA Series debut earlier this year. He’s so highly thought of that Joe Gibbs Racing has even decided to debut him in the Nationwide Series behind the wheel of the no. 20 car - the winningest car in the series so far this year - and, even signed him to an 18 race deal this year.

The only problem currently staring the suits at Gibbs Racing in the face right now - and, it’s a good problem to have - is that they have too much talent, right? Already filling their lineup in the Cup Series is a two-time Cup Series champ in Stewart, the current points leader in Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin, who made the Chase field in both of his first two seasons in the series, and appears to be well on his way to doing so again this year. So, when you take these two stories and add them together, the quick summation is that Logano would be a very likely candidate to take Stewart’s place upon his departure from Joe Gibbs Racing … but, according to David Newton over at the Sporting News, that’s not exactly what Gibbs has in mind.

JD Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing, says that rather than focusing on replacing one of their current drivers, their goal is to have Logano seat a fourth team car when he’s ready to progress to the Sprint Cup Series. He stated that they’re still negotiation with Stewart for an extenstion beyond 2009. He also stated that under no circumstances would they release Smoke from his current obligations, and also reitterated the fact that Tony has never asked to be released.

“We’re still just trying to feel out exactly where he is and exactly he feels. We want him to be here,” says Gibbs. “I want him to be here for a long period of time. At the end of the day, all we can control is through next year.”

A large factor in determining Tony’s future with the organization also lies with sponsor, Home Depot, whom has sponsored Stewart since his arrival to NASCAR in 1999. Home Depot reported a first quarter decline in earnings of 66 percent, and their long-term future in the sport is reported to be uncertain.

“They really are in a lot of ways the decision maker,” Gibbs added. “We want to make sure whatever we do is something that encourages them. We wouldn’t do anything unless they were on board and excited about it.”

I fully expect Stewart to not only finish out his current contract obligations with Joe Gibbs Racing, but to also sign another long-term contract that will lock Tony up with the organization until the near-end of his driving career. I do, however, see him pursuing ownership opportunities outside of JGR, very much in the same fashion that Dale Earnhardt Sr. did late in his career. The only obstacle to doing so is JGR’s current commitment to Toyota, but if anybody could cut a deal to drive for one manufacturer and run a team in the same series under another, a name like Tony Stewart just might be it. Then again, with the horsepower that Toyota’s pumping out, as well as the money and resources they carry in their pocketbook, the best business decision for Tony should he pursue this course could very well be the emblem already on his car.

DYN Imposes:
This week, Do You NASCAR also asks its readers …

1. Will Tony Stewart sign a deal with JGR past the 2009 season?
2. Logano or Stewart - Who would Home Depot rather sponsor on a long-term deal?
3. How long will it take for Joey Logano to progress to the Sprint Cup Series?
4. Which driver will give JGR their next Cup Series championship?

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That’s right, folks, arguably the most talented Wide Receiver playing in the National Football League has decided to make a major multi-million dollar business decision, and it’s got NASCAR written all over it. Randy Moss, star WR for the New England Patriots, announced this past Tuesday the official formation of Moss Motorsports, LLC and his intent for the team to race a partial schedule in the Craftsman Truck Series as early as in the second half of this year, with a full-time schedule on his radar for 2009.

With sponsorship and personnel to be announced at a later date, Moss admitted that it would probably make more sense for the organization to attempt to find a driver with a veteran status that can get them into Victory Lane as quickly as possible, rather than attempting to build a team from the ground up centered around an unproven talent as many other race teams have attempted. Moss does not currently have anyone in mind, though, but is already scouting the market to see who will be available.

In terms of sponsorship, this is likely to be an area that Moss should find very little resistance. Aside from being one of the most marketable athletes in professional sports, the single season receptions record holder has purchased several local businesses, and has aligned himself with a slew of others. Though some of these companies may not necessarily serve as a full-time primary sponsor for his team, Moss does believe that these businesses will be delighted at any opportunities they may have to reach out to a new audience through this avenue. To help expedite matters, he has also contracted out with Integrity Sports Marketing LLC, one of the leading marketing companies for NASCAR.

Something that many of you may not know already, is that this is not the first venture in the racing world for Moss. He has been involved with sponsorship for local dirt track racing, and has also served as an ambassador for the Urban Youth Racing School. And, as we all know, he is certainly not the first person from the NFL to throw their hat into the NASCAR arena. A few years ago, hall of fame Quarterbacks, Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach, teamed together to form Hall of Fame Racing which they later sold towards the end of 2007. Oh, and it’s rumored that a former head coach by the name of Joe Gibbs may have something to do with the sport as well.

Moss told the media on Tuesday, “I am by nature a very competitive person and this is an outlet for me to compete at another level. There are some pretty awesome challenges in building a program like this from the ground up, but I am looking forward to it.”

The addition of Randy Moss to NASCAR’s roster is certain to be viewed as a positive step for the sport as it continues to evolve and reach out in their diversity programs. In the last few years, NASCAR has has already added drivers with immense international popularity, such as Juan Pablo Montoya and Dario Franchitti, and just earlier this year Chrissy Wallace signed a deal in the truck series that is expected to draw a larger female audience. This could prove valuable in their search for an untapped urban fanbase.

For more opinions and insight on this topic, please be sure to read Moss Motorsports to Hit NASCAR Tracks Running over at Full Throttle.

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Rumors are once more rearing their head in the NASCAR garage area, and once again the center of attention is NASCAR’s most controversial driver, non-other than Tony Stewart – or, the man we’ve come to know as “Smoke”.

It’s become public knowledge that Tony’s contract with Joe Gibbs Racing expires at the end of 2008, but when posed with the question as to whether or not he had any interest in driving RCR’s newly added no. 33 Chevy Impala next year, Stewart implied that he was quite happy at JGR and had no intention of leaving the organization.

Now, there is another rumor … one that insinuates that Stewart could potentially have interest in a partnership with Haas CNC Racing as a driver/owner. Such a venture wouldn’t mean necessarily that Stewart would have to stop racing for Gibbs, but the interesting factor in this equation is that while JGR has made the jump to Toyota this year, Haas CNC is currently committed to General Motors.

While Stewart has joked that he doesn’t feel as though he’s politically correct enough to be a team owner in NASCAR’s highest ranks, many in the garage area feel that he’s exactly the kind of owner that NASCAR needs. One veteran driver felt that since the death of Dale Earnhardt Sr, there hasn’t been a driver/owner in the garage that could stand up for the drivers’ concerns in a manner that NASCAR would take seriously.

In Other News:
- Anticipation in the media is that Penske Racing will announce on Tuesday that David Stremme will take on the task of being their new test driver. Stremme currently drives the no. 64 car for Rusty Wallace Inc. in the Nationwide Series – a team that still has strong ties to the Penske organization – but, hasn’t driven in the Cup Series since being relieved of his ride in the no. 40 Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge in favor of rookie Dario Franchitti. Many people feel that Roger Penske may decide to field Sam Hornish Jr, the driver of his no. 77 Cup entry, into the Indianapolis 500, which could open the doors for Stremme to drive the Cup car that weekend.

After winning the Super Bowl with the Washington Redskins in 1991, Joe Gibbs turned around the next year and decided to enter the realms of the NASCAR [then] Winston Cup Series, and he’s done nothing but reap the benefits of that decision ever since. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen any team enter the sport at NASCAR’s highest level and have as much immediate and continued success as Joe Gibbs Racing has.

With only Dale Jarrett driving for the team in its first three years, they finished 19th, 4th, and 16th in points from 1992 to 1994. After ’94, they parted ways with DJ and replaced him with Bobby Labonte, who finished 10th and 11th in ’95 and ’96 … and, that would be the last time that Joe Gibbs failed to place at least one car inside the top ten in points. Gibbs expanded to two teams in 1999 to make room for Tony Stewart, and the next season they won their first championship with Labonte. In 2002 and 2005 they would win two more thanks to the efforts of Stewart.

Looking back now, over sixteen seasons and just shy of 1,000 races in the sport, Joe Gibbs Racing has accumulated three Cup Championships (one by Labonte, two by Stewart), two Rookies of the Year (Stewart, Hamlin), and 58 wins. There have now been 537 points-races in which a Gibbs car has started in the field, meaning that the organization has won in approximately 11% of their opportunities.

 Equally impressive is the fact that Gibbs has won championships in both the old Pontiac and the Chevy Monte Carlo. This year they will venture into new waters as they climb aboard the Toyota wagon and hope to turn things around over there. They are undoubtedly being viewed as the driving force in the R&D for these cars, particularly in the engine department, and by the looks of the Daytona Speedweeks and early testing at Las Vegas and California, it appears that it may be paying off. With the addition of Kyle Busch to the team, every driver on the current Gibbs lineup made the Chase field last season, and they will look to continue their tradition of fielding at least one team in the Chase ever since the playoff format was first introduced to NASCAR.

Cup Series Roster:

#11: Denny Hamlin – First receiving his shot by Joe Gibbs to run in the Cup Series in 2005 after the team released Jason Leffler, Denny ran 7 races that year that resulted in three top-ten finishes. The following season he exploded with two wins, eight top-five’s, and twenty top-ten finishes en route to securing the 2006 Rookie of the Year Honors. He again qualified for the Chase field last year, picking up another victory along the way, but a late season slump resulted in Hamlin finishing only 12th in the standings. As the Gibbs camp makes their move to Toyota this year, he will rely on the veteran of the team, Tony Stewart, more than ever, and in the long run that could be the primary factor that determines this year’s outcome for the driver of the #11 Fed-Ex car. I think the Toyotas are going to hold up over the long haul, but they’re not going to dominate the way that some are hoping, which means that there’s only going to be room at the table for so many people. Hamlin’s going to have some good runs this season, maybe even pickup a win along the way, but look for him to fall just short of making the Chase for the Sprint Cup … likely somewhere between 13th and 15th.

#18: Kyle Busch – Yet another former Rookie of the Year (yes, all three Cup Series drivers for Gibbs won ROY in their respective seasons), Kyle Busch first came into the Cup circuit in 2004 to run six races. He went full-time in ’05 and picked up two wins of his own, nine top-five’s, and thirteen top-ten’s, but managed to finish only 20th in the standings for car owner Rick Hendrick. The following season he showed dramatic improvement, however, qualifying for the Chase for the Cup and jumping up to tenth in the points, earning himself another victory. Last year he did his share to contribute to a Hendrick-dominated season, with another win and a fifth place points finish. This year he will venture into unchartered waters by joining Joe Gibbs Racing at the most – or least (depending on how you look at it) – opportune time as they make their switch to Toyotas. It’s hard to say how Busch will handle the new Camry’s, but he’s certainly worked his way towards establishing himself amongst NASCAR’s best. It’s also uncertain how well he’ll be able to get along with new teammate Tony Stewart. Aside from Smoke’s current ongoing feud with Kyle’s brother, Kurt, he’s also had some run-ins with Kyle himself in the past. I think Busch is going to do what he needs to do to make this thing work, and I fully expect to see Kyle in the Chase competition, finishing somewhere between 10th and 12th.

#20: Tony Stewart – With the 1999 Rookie of the Year honors, two Cup championships, 32 wins, 119 top five’s, 191 top ten’s, an average points standings finish of 4.9, and an overall average race finish of 12.5 all in 9 seasons and 320 points races, I think it’s safe to say that this is also the single driver on the track that can push Toyota to the next level and really get them on the map. All off-season everyone’s been wanting to count him out of it – including me - for the simple fact that he’s going to be driving a Toyota this year, but the fact of the matter is that Stewart has won in every car model and in every type of car he’s ever driven, so why should this be any different? Everybody’s also been up in arms about his attitude, especially after we witnessed it flare up again this past weekend in Daytona. Now he’s on probation for the next six races, but it’s my opinion that NASCAR’s going to be very lenient on Stewart, meaning they’re going to do everything they can to make sure that he stays on the track for every race, regardless of how far he pushes the envelope. Why? Revert back to my opening statements on the guy … he’s the one guy that can legitimize the Toyota brand in NASCAR. Folks, he’s going to be competitive all season long, he’s going to pick up some wins, and he’s going to make the Chase field once again. I’m still not convinced myself that he’s got a real chance to win the whole thing, but he is my pick to finish sixth.

Driver Roster: A
Off-Season: B
2008 Outlook: A-

Is Michael Waltrip the right man to lead Toyota’s march into NASCAR? Based on results from the 1st quarter of the season, I’d say definitely not. He committed a cardinal blunder in the first race of the season (Daytona 500) by entering a car that was caught with illegal fuel additives. How does this happen? Especially when you’re trying to make a great impression, not only to your new owners (Toyota, Inc), but NASCAR, your peers, and everyone else that are stakeholders in your team. And things have gone progressively downhill since then for Waltrip’s racing team.

What I don’t understand is why Waltrip was picked to actually run the entire organization. Yes, Waltrip is great at marketing his team and sponsors, week-in and week-out, and this has always been his strength. He’s always come across as somewhat goofy,but he’s everyman’s type of racer, and that sells in the greater NASCAR markets. But this hardly makes him qualified to manage and run an entire business organization. He’s been racing for 22 years in NASCAR and has 4 wins to his name, all when he was with Dale Earnhardt, Inc., and all on restrictor plate races. So he doesn’t bring a winning record to Toyota either.

And you have to wonder why didn’t Waltrip go to Rick Hendrick, Robert Yates, Joe Gibbs, and Richard Childress to pick their brains as much as possible. People make great organizations. Not technology. This has been true of successful businesses for ions and its no different in auto racing. If I’m Toyota, I give Waltrip to the July Daytona race to turn things around for at least one of his cup teams, and if not, then I’m looking for someone else.