Transactions:
- Hendrick Motorsports has announced the release of Casey Mears for next season.
- Richard Childress Racing has extended Clint Bowyer’s contract through 2011.
- Roush-Fenway Racing has extended Greg Biffle’s contract through 2011.
- Gillette-Evernham Motorsports has signed Elliott Sadler through 2010.
- Richard Childress Racing has announced the addition of the #33 car as a fourth Cup team in 2009.
- Petty Enterprises has signed Bobby LaBonte through 2012.
- Roush-Fenway Racing has signed Carl Edwards through 2011.
- Due to a lack of sponsorship, Chip Ganassi Racing is forced to shut down the no. 40 car driven by Dario Franchitti for the remainder of the season.
- Hendrick Motorsports has signed Mark Martin to drive the no. 5 car full-time in 2009 and part-time in 2010.
- Tony Stewart announced his departure from Joe Gibbs Racing to go to Stewart Haas Racing (formerly Haas CNC Racing) as a 50% owner and a full-time driver in 2009.
- Ryan Newman has announced that he will not re-sign with Penske Racing for the 2009 season.
- JTG Dougherty Racing has signed Marcos Ambrose to drive their new no. 47 entry in the Sprint Cup Series next year.
- Martin Truex Jr. has re-signed with DEI for the 2009 season.
- HOF Racing has released JJ Yeley and will replace him with Brad Coleman in the no. 96 car.

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

Transactions:
- DEI has picked up the 2009 option on Martin Truex Jr, though Truex disputes the legality of the verbiage in the contract.
- Hendrick Motorsports has announced the release of Casey Mears for next season.
- Richard Childress Racing has extended Clint Bowyer’s contract through 2011.
- Roush-Fenway Racing has extended Greg Biffle’s contract through 2011.
- Gillette-Evernham Motorsports has signed Elliott Sadler through 2010.
- Richard Childress Racing has announced the addition of the #33 car as a fourth Cup team in 2009.
- Petty Enterprises has signed Bobby LaBonte through 2012.
- Roush-Fenway Racing has signed Carl Edwards through 2011.
- Due to a lack of sponsorship, Chip Ganassi Racing is forced to shut down the no. 40 car driven by Dario Franchitti for the remainder of the season.
- Hendrick Motorsports has signed Mark Martin to drive the no. 5 car full-time in 2009 and part-time in 2010.
- Tony Stewart announced his departure from Joe Gibbs Racing to go to Stewart Haas Racing (formerly Haas CNC Racing) as a 50% owner and a full-time driver in 2009.
- Ryan Newman has announced that he will not re-sign with Penske Racing for the 2009 season.
- JTG Dougherty Racing has signed Marcos Ambrose to drive their new no. 47 entry in the Sprint Cup Series next year.

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

Transactions:
- DEI has picked up the 2009 option on Martin Truex Jr, though Truex disputes the legality of the verbiage in the contract.
- Hendrick Motorsports has announced the release of Casey Mears for next season.
- Richard Childress Racing has extended Clint Bowyer’s contract through 2011.
- Roush-Fenway Racing has extended Greg Biffle’s contract through 2011.
- Gillette-Evernham Motorsports has signed Elliott Sadler through 2010.
- Richard Childress Racing has announced the addition of the #33 car as a fourth Cup team in 2009.
- Petty Enterprises has signed Bobby LaBonte through 2012.
- Roush-Fenway Racing has signed Carl Edwards through 2011.
- Due to a lack of sponsorship, Chip Ganassi Racing is forced to shut down the no. 40 car driven by Dario Franchitti for the remainder of the season.
- Hendrick Motorsports has signed Mark Martin to drive the no. 5 car full-time in 2009 and part-time in 2010.
- Tony Stewart announced his departure from Joe Gibbs Racing to go to Stewart Haas Racing (formerly Haas CNC Racing) as a 50% owner and a full-time driver in 2009.

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.

Transactions:
- DEI has picked up the 2009 option on Martin Truex Jr, though Truex disputes the legality of the verbiage in the contract.
- Hendrick Motorsports has announced the release of Casey Mears for next season.
- Richard Childress Racing has extended Clint Bowyer’s contract through 2011.
- Roush-Fenway Racing has extended Greg Biffle’s contract through 2011.
- Gillette-Evernham Motorsports has signed Elliott Sadler through 2010.
- Richard Childress Racing has announced the addition of the #33 car as a fourth Cup team in 2009.
- Petty Enterprises has signed Bobby LaBonte through 2012.
- Roush-Fenway Racing has signed Carl Edwards through 2011.

Teams Without an Assigned 2009 Driver:
- Dale Earnhardt Inc. - No. 01 car
- Hendrick Motorsports - No. 5 car
- Penske Racing - No. 12 car
- Dale Earnhardt Inc. - No. 15 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
- Haas CNC Racing - No. 66 car
- Haas CNC Racing - 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
- Mark Martin
- Jeremy Mayfield
- Brad Keselowski
- David Stremme
- Jacques Villeneuve
- Kenny Wallace
- Ken Schrader
- Ward Burton

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
- Joe Gibbs Racing - No. 20 Car - Current Driver: Tony Stewart
- Roush Fenway Racing - No. 26 Car - Current Driver: Jamie McMurray
- Penske Racing - No. 77 Car - Current Driver: Sam Hornish Jr.

10.  Good for anyone: The 2008 Ward Burton dictionary.

9.  From sibling to sibling:  The Darrell Waltrip, “I’ve Got You Covered” excuse kit.

8.  From boyfriend to girlfriend: Kurt Busch cover-up makeup kit.

7.  From girlfriend to boyfriend:  “Kyle Petty Knockout” video game.

6.  From boyfriend to girlfriend: Bottle of Jeremy Mayfield ’99 Octane perfume.

5.  From boyfriend to girlfriend: A Jeff Gordon Rainbow Carebare.

4.  From Mother to young Son:  A case of Kasey Kahne non-alcoholic beer.

3.  From boyfriend to girlfriend:  A 2008 Tony Stewart custom whig.

2.  From Son to Mother:  Dale Earnhardt Jr. “Greatest Mom Ever!” coffee mug.

1.  From girlfriend to boyfriend:  Dalana Harvick

Entering into their sixteenth season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Bill Davis Racing has yet to find the keys to success to put them on a more competitive level with NASCAR’s elite. The organization hasn’t won a race at this level since 2002 – the season that Ward Burton captured the Daytona 500 – and even worse, they’ve only had 12 top-ten finishes over the last 5 years.

Business wasn’t always so bleak for this race team, however. In 2001, Burton finished 14th in the points standings for Bill Davis, but then dropped down to 25th in ’02, and the two parted ways in 2003, replacing Ward with Scott Wimmer. Burton’s 2002 performance would be the last time a Bill Davis Racing team finished the season inside the top 25 in owner points.

In 2005, the team only ran the no. 22 car of Scott Wimmer full-time, starting their no. 27 team in only 10 races with Mike Skinner behind the wheel. In ’06, they scrapped the 27 team completely, but decided to bring it back as the no. 36 last season in the inaugural debut for Toyota into the Cup Series putting Jeremy Mayfield behind the wheel. Mayfield would later be relieved of his driving duties with just four races left in the season, replacing him with the combination of Skinner and Johnny Benson. It didn’t really matter at that point, though. 2007 was a complete catastrophe for the entire organization, as the two race teams combined for a total of only 50 of a possible 72 starts. The 36 team failed to record a single top ten all season long, while Dave Blaney – now driving the no. 22 – finished 31st in points, making him the only Toyota to finish last season inside the top 35.

2008 is looking a little better, though, with the addition of Joe Gibbs Racing to the Toyota mix and some extra horsepower behind the Camry engines, and it’s shown so far in the pre-season practice sessions. The 36 team has gone back to the no. 27, and Davis has brought in former IndySeries star Jacques Villeneuve to drive the car full-time. The organization will be looking for a win or two at some point in the season – particularly at the superspeedways with Blaney and the road courses with Villeneuve – but, more importantly the primary focus has to be making sure that both teams finish inside the top 35 in owner points and getting things in line for the 2009 campaign.

Cup Series Roster:

22: Dave Blaney – He looked extremely well at quite a few races last season, and was really the main guy to give us an early glimpse of the muscle that Toyota was capable of providing. He won the first pole award for Toyota at the race in New Hampshire and scored a total of 4 top ten finishes, including a Toyota-high 3rd place finish at Talladega in the fall. With the exception of the Joe Gibbs cars, he’s also the only Toyota driver that will begin the season inside the top 35 in owner points, which will guarantee him starts in the first five races of the season. He’s also looked great so far in the Daytona Speedweeks, and if he can keep his nose clean, should contend for at least a top five spot in that race. In my mind, with the changes that have been made to the engine package of the Toyota’s, Blaney’s a shoe-in to remain in the top 35, and I wouldn’t be extremely surprised to see him finish up somewhere around 20th in points. As overlooked as this guy’s always been throughout his career, it could be him – not Villeneuve – that actually gets Bill Davis Racing on the map.

27: Jacques Villeneuve – The former F1 Series Champion got his start in professional racing back in 1990 racing in the Italian and Japanese F3 Championships and has raced in the F1 Series since 1996, but until the end of 2007, he’d never sat behind the wheel of a stock car. Last year he competed in 2 Sprint Cup Series races, finishing 21st at Talladega and 41st at Phoenix. This year he joins 3 other former open wheel stars in one of NASCAR’s most highly anticipated rookie classes of all-time, but he’s going to have a long road ahead of him due to the fact that his car is not currently in the top 35 in owner points, which means he’s going to be forced to qualify his car every week based on time alone. That could be a huge factor on Jacques’ first full season in the Cup Series, and ultimately I would expect him to spend the majority of the season flirting with the bubble for the top 35 spot.

Driver Roster: C
Off-Season: B
2008 Outlook: C+