What Would Earnhardt Think?

While watching yesterday’s Shelby 427 Sprint Cup event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Fox aired Darrell Waltrip briefly interviewing Jeff Gordon. During this interview, DW asked Jeff Gordon about the talent of Kyle Busch. Gordon answered that he wished he had half the talent that Kyle Busch possessed (that’s a brief summary of what Gordon said, mind you).

During the interview the two of them also talked about when Dale Earnhardt, Sr. gave Jeff Gordon the nickname of “Wonder Boy”. Basically, Earnhardt, Sr. gave Gordon that name early in Gordon’s career because he was so young and so impressive during that time. After a while, the nickname just stuck.

All of this made me think about something – If Dale Earnhardt were still alive today, what would he think about Kyle Busch?

No matter how us race fans feel about Kyle Busch, one thing is obvious – the Las Vegas native can drive the wheels off a race car.

And I bet you Dale Earnhardt would say the same thing.

Busch Brothers Earn Front Row At Home Track In Las Vegas

 

It was brotherly love, briefly, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch became the first brothers since 2000 to sweep the front row in qualifying for a NASCAR race, but Kyle Busch's blown motor will prevent the Las Vegas drivers from starting next to each other at their home track.

Kyle Busch blew a motor in his Toyota during Friday's practice session, changed the engine, then ran a pole-winning lap of 185.995 mph to knock his big brother off the pole. Kurt Busch ran a lap at 185.707 mph.

But under NASCAR rules, Kyle Busch will have to drop to the back of the field at the start of Sunday's race. Third-place qualifier Jimmie Johnson will slide onto the front row next to Kurt Busch during the warm-up laps.

Kyle Busch wasn't worried about having to drive to the front.

"Unfortunately for myself, I won't be in the cool photo next to my brother at the drop of the green flag," said Kyle Busch, who celebrated the pole-winning run by crashing a Victory Lane wedding ceremony between race fans and stepping in as the best man.

The 1-2 qualifying effort marked the first time brothers have swept the front row since Rusty and Kenny Wallace at Martinsville in 2000. Bobby and Terry Labonte also took the top two starts at the 1998 Daytona 500.

The motor change spoiled what would have undoubtedly been an intense fight to lead the first lap, so Kurt Busch wasn't bothered that Kyle will fall to the back of the field.

"It would have been great to go after it and see who would leave the first lap, but you can't get caught up in all that," Kurt Busch said.

David Reutimann and Marcos Ambrose qualified fourth and fifth, but also had to change their motors after their laps and will drop to the back of the field. Brian Vickers, who won the pole last week at California but had to forfeit it because of an engine change, and his teammate Scott Speed also switched motors Friday.

In all, five Toyota teams switched motors Friday.

"I don't have any idea," Busch said of the rash of motor problems. Kyle Busch's motor is built by Joe Gibbs Racing, but the others all came from Toyota's factory in Costa Mesa, Calif.

Ryan Newman qualified sixth and was followed by Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart.

A total of 51 drivers entered the race, meaning 16 drivers were vying for the eight available spots in the field. Among those to make the race AJ Allmendinger— a year after he missed the event for Red Bull Racing and was temporarily pulled from his ride the next week, Brad Keselowski and Regan Smith, last year's rookie of the year.

Missing the field was Jeremy Mayfield and Scott Riggs, who both raced their way into the Daytona 500 three weeks ago, as well as Travis Kvapil, Dave Blaney, Sterling Marlin and Tony Raines.

2009 Shelby 427 Starting Lineup

Start Pos	Car#	Driver	Car	Qual Speed	Qual Time
1	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota	185.995	29.033
2	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge	185.707	29.078
3	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	185.688	29.081
4	00	David Reutimann	Toyota	185.624	29.091
5	47	Marcos Ambrose	Toyota	185.459	29.117
6	39	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet	185.395	29.127
7	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	185.382	29.129
8	5	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	185.312	29.140
9	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	185.280	29.145
10	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	185.217	29.155
11	12	David Stremme	Dodge	185.077	29.177
12	77	Sam Hornish Jr.	Dodge	184.989	29.191
13	25	Brad Keselowski	Chevrolet	184.786	29.223
14	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	184.565	29.258
15	55	Michael Waltrip	Toyota	184.540	29.262
16	99	Carl Edwards	Ford	184.496	29.269
17	96	Bobby Labonte	Ford	184.433	29.279
18	78	Regan Smith	Chevrolet	184.433	29.279
19	44	A J Allmendinger	Dodge	184.395	29.285
20	20	Joey Logano	Toyota	184.388	29.286
21	83	Brian Vickers	Toyota	184.168	29.321
22	87	Joe Nemechek	Toyota	184.162	29.322
23	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Chevrolet	184.118	29.329
24	16	Greg Biffle	Ford	184.005	29.347
25	1	Martin Truex Jr.	Chevy	183.999	29.348
26	13	Max Papis	Toyota	183.974	29.352
27	8	Aric Almirola	Chevrolet	183.936	29.358
28	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	183.799	29.380
29	34	John Andretti	Dodge	183.786	29.382
30	71	David Gilliland	Chevrolet	183.748	29.388
31	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet	183.742	29.389
32	7	Robby Gordon	Toyota	183.486	29.430
33	19	Elliott Sadler	Dodge	183.461	29.434
34	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	183.293	29.461
35	6	David Ragan	Ford	183.144	29.485
36	98	Paul Menard	Ford	182.921	29.521
37	33	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet	182.772	29.545
38	26	Jamie McMurray	Ford	182.574	29.577
39	43	Reed Sorenson	Dodge	182.469	29.594
40	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	182.143	29.647
41	07	Casey Mears	Chevrolet	181.928	29.682
42	82	Scott Speed	Toyota	181.257	29.792
43	64	Todd Bodine	Toyota	183.231	29.471
DNQ	28	Travis Kvapil	Ford	183.181	29.479
DNQ	66	Dave Blaney	Toyota	182.673	29.561
DNQ	73	Mike Garvey	Dodge	182.457	29.596
DNQ	41	Jeremy Mayfield	Toyota	182.389	29.607
DNQ	09	Sterling Marlin	Dodge	181.543	29.745
DNQ	36	Scott Riggs	Toyota	180.820	29.864
DNQ	37	Tony Raines	Dodge	180.331	29.945
DNQ	51	Dexter Bean	Dodge	174.154	31.007

Race Recap:2009 Bud Shootout at Daytona

Harvick Takes Win With Last-Lap Pass

Harvick Celebrates In Victory Lane At Daytona

Kevin Harvick used a thrilling last-lap pass to steal a Daytona 500 victory.

He's apparently got the move mastered.

Harvick powered past Jamie McMurray on the outside of the last lap Saturday night to complete a come-from-nowhere victory in the exhibition Budweiser Shootout.

"That was some wild racing," he said from Victory Lane. "What a race. That was wild as heck there at the end."

Wild indeed.

 

 

It was Harvick's first victory in 71 races, dating to the All-Star race in May 2007. The only other event he won that year was the season-opening 500, when he nipped Mark Martin in a photo finish. Harvick was winless in 2008.

Now he's got the momentum heading into next weekend's Daytona 500.

He started 23rd in the Shootout, spent most of the race in the back dodging wrecks, then slowly worked his way up toward the front. McMurray seemed headed for the win until a late wreck between Greg Biffle and David Stremme set up a two-lap overtime sprint to the finish.

Harvick was in fourth on the restart, and didn't seem to have anything for McMurray.

But as they closed in on the finish line, he used a huge push from Denny Hamlin to slide past McMurray on the outside.

"It will be a long night," McMurray said. "I'll think about what maybe I should have done different."

Harvick coasted to the win as Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch all crashed behind him.

McMurray finished second and Tony Stewart was third.

Here is the final standings for the 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona (start position in parentheses):

1. (27) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 78 laps, 70.9 rating, $200,000.

2. (15) Jamie McMurray, Ford, 78, 102.9, $100,000.

3. (6) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 78, 92.3, $60,000.

4. (28) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 78, 95.4, $51,000.

5. (18) A.J. Allmendinger, Dodge, 78, 79.3, $50,000.

6. (14) Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 78, 102.6, $49,000.

7. (11) Carl Edwards, Ford, 78, 114.8, $47,000.

8. (25) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 78, 75.9, $45,000.

9. (12) Kurt Busch, Dodge, 78, 74.8, $43,000.

10. (10) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 78, 95.6, $41,500.

11. (7) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 78, 86.6, $41,000.

12. (1) Paul Menard, Ford, 78, 50.9, $40,500.

13. (5) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 78, 92.1, $40,000.

14. (21) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, accident, 77, 96.9, $38,500.

15. (24) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, accident, 77, 55.3, $38,000.

16. (20) David Stremme, Dodge, accident, 73, 57.7, $37,000.

17. (26) Greg Biffle, Ford, accident, 72, 51.7, $35,000.

18. (9) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, accident, 64, 110.6, $33,000.

19. (8) Bobby Labonte, Ford, accident, 63, 51.5, $30,000.

20. (22) David Reutimann, Toyota, accident, 56, 48.5, $28,000.

21. (2) Elliott Sadler, Dodge, accident, 54, 56.5, $26,000.

22. (17) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, accident, 43, 46.1, $25,000.

23. (3) Reed Sorenson, Dodge, engine, 36, 51.8, $23,500.

24. (23) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, accident, 32, 33, $21,000.

25. (4) Scott Speed, Toyota, accident, 4, 35.6, $20,000.

26. (16) David Ragan, Ford, accident, 3, 40.1, $19,000.

27. (13) Robby Gordon, Dodge, accident, 3, 36.4, $18,000.

28. (19) Joey Logano, Toyota, accident, 3, 32.9, $17,154.

***

Race Statistics

Average Speed of race winner: 127.243 mph.

Time of race: 1 hour, 31 minutes, 57 seconds.

Margin of victory: Under caution.

Caution flags: Eight for 23 laps.

Lead changes: 23 among 14 drivers.

Lap leaders: P.Menard 1-2; D.Hamlin 3; D.Earnhardt Jr. 4-10; E.Sadler 11-12; T.Stewart 13-16; C.Edwards 17-25; J.McMurray 26; K.Kahne 27-28; J.McMurray 29; J.Gordon 30; J.McMurray 31-32; D.Hamlin 33-35; Ky.Busch 36-40; D.Earnhardt Jr. 41-49; M.Kenseth 50; D.Earnhardt Jr. 51-56; C.Edwards 57-58; Ky.Busch 59; D.Earnhardt Jr. 60; J.Gordon 61; J.Johnson 62-63; B.Vickers 64-65; J.McMurray 66-77; K.Harvick 78.

Leaders summary (Driver, Times led, Laps led): D.Earnhardt Jr., 4 times for 23 laps; J.McMurray, 4 times for 16 laps; C.Edwards, 2 times for 11 laps; Ky.Busch, 2 times for 6 laps; T.Stewart, 1 time for 4 laps; D.Hamlin, 2 times for 4 laps; J.Gordon, 2 times for 2 laps; K.Kahne, 1 time for 2 laps; B.Vickers, 1 time for 2 laps; P.Menard, 1 time for 2 laps; J.Johnson, 1 time for 2 laps; E.Sadler, 1 time for 2 laps; K.Harvick, 1 time for 1 lap; M.Kenseth, 1 time for 1 lap.

This was one of the most exciting Bud Shootout’s I can remember. I can’t wait to see what happens during the Daytona 500!

Busch, Johnson Lead Shootout Practice

 

Kyle Busch, driving the M&Ms #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry, posted the fastest speed during the first practice session for the 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona on Friday. Busch’s fastest time was 47.009 or 191.453 MPH.

Defending Sprint Cup Champion, Jimmie Johnson paced the second practice. Johnson posted the fastest time of both sessions at 46.724 or 192.620 MPH.

Some other news worth posting during the first and final Bud Shootout practices:

• Jeff Burton, driver of the Caterpillar #31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Impala, blew an engine two laps into the final practice for the Bud Shootout.
• Paul Menard, who drew the pole position for the Bud Shootout, wrecked his car after probably blowing a right rear tire. Rookie Scott Speed was also involved in the accident, getting extensive damage to the right front of his Toyota Camry. Neither driver will have to go to a backup car for tonight’s race.

If you would like more information on the Bud Shootout practice times and speeds, you can check out these links:

2009 Bud Shootout First Practice

2009 Bud Shootout Final Practice

 

It is almost here! The Bud Shootout will air tonight (February 7, 2009) at 8 P.M. (EST) on Fox!

The Top 20 Drivers of 2009 Part 5

The fifth installment of this series will bring a veteran that is either loved or hated, an exciting, talented, yet booed young driver, and a driver that is close to bringing home a coveted Sprint Cup Trophy.

#8 Greg Biffle

Greg Biffle was born December 23, 1969 in Vancouver, Washington. Biffle was first noticed by legendary NASCAR Champion and TV broadcaster, Benny Parsons, when he raced in the NASCAR Winter Heat Series covered by ESPN2 in 1995-1996. Parsons told NASCAR Sprint Cup team owner, Jack Roush, that he should hire Biffle before someone else did.

Roush ended up hiring Biffle to race in the Craftsman (now called Camping World) Truck Series, where he won Rookie of the Year honors in 1998. Two years later, Biffle won the championship for that series. He moved up to the Busch (now called Nationwide) Series, winning the title for that series in 2001.

Biffle started competing full time in the Sprint Cup Series in 2003.

In 2008, Biffle had 36 starts, 2 poles, 2 wins, 12 Top 5s, 17 Top 10s, an average start of 14.0, an average finish of 13.0, finishing third in the points with 6,467.

Biffle will be back in the #16 3M/Dish Network Ford Fusion for Roush Fenway Racing in 2009. The crew chief will be Greg Erwin.

I expect Biffle to have a very solid year overall, but will have some trouble in the Chase. This will be the reason he finishes eighth this season.

#7 Kyle Busch

Kyle Busch was born May 2, 1985 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is the younger brother of former Sprint Cup Champion Kurt Busch. Busch’s driving career started with go-karts and Legends cars when he was 13 years old. Between 1999 and 2001 he gathered over 65 wins and two track championships at Las Vega Motor Speedway’s Bullring.

Busch moved into a Craftsman Truck race in 2001, but was booted from the garage area because of a rule disallowing anyone under 18 to compete.

He quickly gained recognition as a very talented driver and eventually was hired by Rich Hendrick to drive in the Nationwide Series and select races in the ARCA/REMAX Series after turning 18. Busch was then slated to take over the #5 Kellogg’s machine after Terry Labonte announced his retirement.

Busch has been lauded as an immensely talented driver, but lacks patience. He is notorious for being too aggressive at times, thus not creating too many allies in the garage.

Busch had a breakout year in 2008, starting 36 races, 2 poles, 8 wins, 17 Top 5s, 21 Top 10s, an average start and finish of 12.0, finishing tenth in points with 6,186 points. Busch led the points for most of the season, until having terrible luck during the Chase.

Busch will again be driving the #18 Interstate Batteries/M&Ms Toyota Camry in 2009 for Joe Gibbs Racing. Steve Addington will continue the crew chief responsibilities. 

#6 Jeff Gordon

Jeff Gordon was born August 4, 1971 in Vallejo, California. Gordon began racing at the age of five in quarter midgets. By age six, he had won over 35 races and five track records. At age 13, he became interested in Sprint cars. His family eventually moved to Pittsboro, Indiana so that there could be more opportunities for Gordon to race. In 1990, Gordon won the USAC Midget Crown, then captured the USAC Silver Crown a year later.

In 1991, Gordon began racing in the Busch Series for Bill Davis Racing, winning the Rookie of the Year. In 1992, he set a NASCAR record by grabbing eleven poles in one season.

Gordon began his Sprint Cup career in 1992, driving for Hendrick Motorsports. His very first Sprint Cup start was Richard Petty’s very last at the season finale in Atlanta.

Gordon has gone on to win three Daytona 500’s, and four Sprint Cup Championships. He is the driver that everyone either loves, hates or loves to hate.

During the 2008 campaign, Gordon posted 36 starts, 4 poles, 0 wins, 13 Top 5s, 19 Top 10s, an average start of 11.0, an average finish of 15.0, and ending the season seventh in points with 6,316.

I believe Gordon will end his winless streak in 2009, nabbing 2 wins. He will be in contention for a championship, but will eventually fall short during the Chase.

For the seventeenth year in a row, Gordon will again be piloting the famous #24 DuPont/Pepsi/U.S. National Guard Chevrolet Impala for Hendrick Motorsports. Steve Letarte will again be the crew chief.

That is the scoop for drivers eight through six in this series. Tomorrow’s installment will crack the top five, so I know you don’t want to miss that! Until then have a good one!

Garage Insider

It’s Wednesday so it is time again for the Garage Insider. Garage Insider is just a short post, looking at some of the latest news around the NASCAR scene. Each headline is a link to an article about the subject. You can click each link for more details.

Kvapil Lands Sponsor For Daytona

Yates Racing has signed with Golden Corral as sponsor for Travis Kvapil in the 2009 Daytona 500. Golden Corral will debut on the No. 28 Ford Fusion during the season-opening practice on Saturday.

Joe Gibbs Racing Gets New Shoes

Joe Gibbs Racing signed a partnership with New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. to supply the crew of all three Sprint Cup teams and two Nationwide Series teams with a shoe that is specifically designed to improve the performance of the pit crews going over the wall.

Mayfield Gets Much Needed Sponsor For New Team

Jeremy Mayfield acquired a new full-season sponsorship with All Sport for 2009. Mayfield has became the car owner/driver of the No. 41 Toyota Camry in recent weeks. The team is co-owned by Gary Smith, CEO of Big Red,Inc.

Bill Davis Merges With Penske, Points Go To 77

Penske South Racing has purchased the No. 22 team from Bill Davis Racing. Penske hasn’t decided what will happen to the number 22, but may keep it to align with the already present numbers 12 and 2.

For now, the 2008 owner points acquired by the 22 car will move to the 77 car. This will guarantee Sam Hornish a starting spot in the Daytona 500, since the 22 was in the top 35 in owner points.

 

That’s it for the biggest headlines thus far this week. Check back in next Wednesday for more news at Garage Insider.

2009 Bud Shootout Entry List

Here is the official Entry List for the 2009 Bud Shootout. Remember, the Bud Shootout will be February 7th, at 8:00PM (EST) on Fox.

Car #	Driver	Owner	Crew Chief	Car Make	Sponsor
00	David Reutimann	Michael Waltrip	Rodney Childers	Toyota Camry	Aaron’s Dream Machine
2	Kurt Busch	Walter Czamecki	Patrick Tryson	Dodge Charger	Miller Lite
6	David Ragan	Mike Dee	Jimmy Fennig	Ford Fusion	UPS
7	Robby Gordon	Robby Gordon	Kirk Almquist	Dodge Charger	Jim Beam
07	Casey Mears	Richard Childress	Gil Martin	Chevrolet Impala	Jack Daniels
9	Kasey Kahne	George Gillett Jr	Kenny Francis	Dodge Charger	Budweiser
11	Denny Hamlin	J.D. Gibbs	Michael Ford	Toyota Camry	FedEx Express
12	David Stremme	Roger Penske	Leroy McCauley	Dodge Charger	Penske Dodge
14	Tony Stewart	Margaret Haas	Darian Grubb	Chevrolet Impala	Old Spice/Office Depot
16	Greg Biffle	Jack Roush	Greg Erwin	Ford Fusion	3M
17	Matt Kenseth	John Henry	Drew Blickensderfer	Ford Fusion	DeWalt
18	Kyle Busch	Joe Gibbs	Steve Addington	Toyota Camry	M&Ms
19	Elliott Sadler	George Gillett Jr	Kevin Buskirk	Dodge Charger	Stanley Tools
20	Joey Logano	Joe Gibbs	Greg Zipadelli	Toyota Camry	Home Depot
24	Jeff Gordon	Rick Hendrick	Steve Letarte	Chevrolet Impala	DuPont
26	Jamie McMurray	Geoff Smith	Donnie Wingo	Ford Fusion	Crown Royal
29	Kevin Harvick	Richard Childress	Todd Berrier	Chevrolet Impala	Shell/Pennzoil
31	Jeff Burton	Richard Childress	Scott Miller	Chevrolet Impala	Caterpillar
43	Reed Sorenson	Richard Petty	Mike Shplett	Dodge Charger	McDonald’s
44	A.J. Allmendinger	George Gillett Jr	Sammy Johns	Dodge Charger	Valvoline
48	Jimmie Johnson	Jeff Gordon	Chad Knaus	Chevrolet Impala	Lowe’s
55	Michael Waltrip	Michael Waltrip	Bootie Barker	Toyota Camry	NAPA
82	Scott Speed	Dietrich Mateschitz	Jimmy Elledge	Toyota Camry	Red Bull
83	Brian Vickers	Dietrich Mateschitz	Ryan Pemberton	Toyota Camry	Red Bull
88	Dale Earnhardt Jr	Rick Hendrick	Tony Eury Jr	Chevrolet Impala	National Guard/AMP Energy
96	Bobby Labonte	Jeff Moorad	Brad Parrott	Ford Fusion	Ask.com
98	Paul Menard	Max Jones	Larry Carter	Ford Fusion	Menard’s
99	Carl Edwards	Jack Roush	Bob Osborne	Ford Fusion	AFLAC

 

The starting order is determined by a drawing for the Bud Shootout. It will be interesting to see which of these 28 drivers get the pole!

Thursday I will have a special post on the Bud Shootout called The Big Bud Shootout Shindig. This post will cover everything from the Bud Shootout history, famous events during previous Shootouts, former winners and much more!

Be sure you don’t miss it!

Follow The Chaos For The 2009 Season

As the 2009 season approaches, I felt like it would be a good time to list some of the new driver/crew chief/team changes. This Silly Season probably represents more changes than any other year I can remember.

So hang on and try to keep up as I list some of the biggest changes thus far for the 2009 Sprint Cup Series season.

 

• Mark Martin left a part time schedule, driving the #01 U.S. Army Chevrolet, to run full time again for Hendrick Motorsports. Martin will be steering the #5 Kellogg's/Car Quest Chevrolet with Alan Gustafson being the crew chief.
• Casey Mears left that Hendricks Motorsports #5 to drive for Richard Childress Racing. Mears will be driving the #07 Jack Daniels Chevrolet with Gil Martin serving as crew chief.
• Clint Bowyer, the previous driver of the #07 Jack Daniels Chevrolet, will move over to Richard Childress Racing's fourth team the #33 General Mills/BB&T Chevrolet with crew chief Shane Wilson.
• Ryan Newman left the #12 Alltel Dodge of Penske South Racing to drive the #39 U.S. Army Chevrolet of Stewart Haas Racing with crew chief Tony Gibson.
• Tony Stewart left Joe Gibbs Racing to become half owner of Stewart Haas Racing and pilot the #14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet with new crew chief Darian Grubb.
• David Stremme was hired by Penske South Racing to drive the #12 Alltel Dodge with crew chief Roy McCauley.
• Rookie Joey Logano was promoted to the Sprint Cup Series by Joe Gibbs Racing. He will steer the #20 Home Depot Toyota with crew chief Greg Zipadelli.
• John Andretti was hired to drive the #34 Window World Chevrolet for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. This team is from an alliance between Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and Front Row Motorsports. The crew chief will be Scott Eggleston.
• Rookie Scott Speed has moved into the #82 Red Bull Racing Toyota vacated by A.J. Allmendinger. The crew chief will be Jimmy Elledge.
• A.J. Allmendinger has signed to drive the new #44 Valvoline Dodge with Richard Petty Motorsports (now a part of Gillett Evernham Motorsports) for 2009. As of this post, Allmendinger is set for eight races this season, but the team is working on getting more races.
• Reed Sorenson will be piloting the #43 Gillett Evernham Motorsports Dodge in 2009 with crew chief Mike Shiplett. Their will be five primary sponsors for the team in 2009, most notably the U.S. Air Force.
• Former Sprint Cup Champion Bobby Labonte will be driving the #96 Academy Sports and Outdoors Ford for Hall of Fame Racing with crew chief Todd Parrott.
• JTG Daugherty Racing will add a Sprint Cup Series car to their team in 2009. They have primarily fielded cars in the Nationwide Series. The new Sprint Cup car will be the #47 Little Debbie Snacks Toyota driven by rookie Marcos Ambrose. Frank Kerr will be the crew chief.
• Paul Menard has left DEI, after the merger with Ganassi, to join Yates Racing. Menard will drive the #98 Menard's Ford. The crew chief will be Larry Carter.

There have been some notable team mergers during the off season as well.

• Richard Petty Motorsports has merged with Gillett Evernham Motorsports. It will be referred to as Richard Petty Motorsports.
• Dale Earnhardt Inc. has merged with Ganassi Racing to form Earnhardt Ganassi Racing or EGR.
• Yates Racing has formed an alliance with Hall of Fame Racing. It will be called Yates Racing.

Boy! This stuff can get confusing. It is no wonder they call it the Silly Season. The team mergers can get real confusing, because different people call the new team a different name. It all depends on who you talk to.

It can get mind-boggling the first couple races trying to figure out which driver is driving what. Hopefully this list will help to clear it up a bit.

The Top 20 Drivers of 2009 Part 2

Welcome to Day 2 of The Top 20 Drivers of 2009. This installment will cover who I think will finish 17th, 16th, and 15th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for 2009.These next three drivers should be interesting to watch during the upcoming season, so here we go!

#17 Brian Vickers

Brian Vickers was born on October 24, 1983 in Thomasville, NC. Vickers started racing go-karts at eight years-old and lived around racing the whole time growing up. Vickers’ father, Charlie, was an instrumental player in racing around the state of North Carolina.

Vickers had some impressive runs in 2008, considering how new the team was. Vickers had 36 starts, 1 pole, 0 wins, 3 Top 5s, 6 Top 10s, an average start of 22.0, and an average finish of 21.0, finishing 19th in points with 3,580.

Vickers will be back with Team Red Bull driving the #83 Red Bull Toyota Camry

#16 Kurt Busch

Kurt Busch was born on August 4, 1978 in Las Vegas, NV. Like many other drivers, Busch started racing go-karts at an early age. It was the Dwarf Car Series that got Busch recognized as a very talented racer. In 2000, Jack Roush hired him to drive a Craftsman Truck Ford, winning Rookie of the Year honors. Four years later, Busch clinched the 2004 Sprint Cup Championship.

In 2008, Busch had 36 starts, 0 poles, 1 win, 5 Top 5s, 10 Top 10s, an average start of 20.0, an average finish of 22.0, and finishing 18th in points with 3,635.

He will probably run a tad better in 2009. Just as in 2008, Busch will struggle on the intermediate tracks. Busch is able to shine the most on short tracks, road courses, and the superspeedways.

Busch will again be driving the “Blue Deuce” , the #2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger for Penske South Racing in 2009.

#15 Martin Truex, Jr.

Martin Truex, Jr. was born on June 29, 1980 in Mayetta, NJ. Truex also got his start in go-karts, but found great success in the Modified ranks, then winning the 2000 Rookie of the Year in the Busch North Series.The New Jersey native made his Sprint Cup debut in the 2004 Bass Pro Shops 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and also won the Busch Series Championship the same year.

Truex, Jr. had an up and down season in 2008 making 36 starts, 0 poles, 0 wins, 3 Top 5s, 11 Top 10s, an average start of 17.0, an average finish of 18.0, and ending 15th in points with 3,839.

Truex, Jr. will continue his ride with the #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Impala for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in 2009.

That is what I think will be the finishing order in points for #17 through #15 for the 2009 season. I will present #14 through #12 tomorrow.

The Top 20 Drivers of 2009 Part 1

Today I will begin a pre-season look at how I think the points will end up for the upcoming year. The Top 20 Drivers of 2009 will showcase what I think will be the finishing order in points, starting at number 20 and finishing on February 7th with the 2009 Sprint Cup Champion. I will display three drivers each day until February 5th. On February 6th, I will have the second place driver, and on February 7th I will have who I think will be this year's champ. All just in time for the February 8th kickoff of the season - the Budweiser Shootout! It is just around the corner, so let's get started!

#20 Ryan Newman

Ryan Newman started off 2008 with a bang by capturing the 50th Annual Daytona 500. The rest of his year was somewhat disappointing, finishing 17th in the final points standings.

Newman was born December 8, 1977 in South Bend, Indiana. He received a degree in Vehicle Structure Engineering from Purdue University. He won the USAC Silver Crown National Championship in 1999. His Sprint Cup career began at Penske Racing South in 2000.

In 2008, Newman had 36 starts, 1 pole, 1 win, 2 Top 5s, 8 Top 10s, average start of 16, average finish of 20, and 3,735 points.

2009 looks to be a trickier ride for Newman, as he joins Tony Stewart at Stewart-Haas Racing. He will be driving the #39 Chevrolet Impala sponsored by the U.S. Army and Haas Automation.


#19 Joey Logano



Joey Logano will kick off his rookie season in 2009. Logano has shown much promise and has been the most talked-about newcomer all of 2008. Everyone has high expectations for the 18 year-old.

Logano was born May 24, 1990 in Middletown, Connecticut. Logano started racing at the age of six. He has won in everything from quarter-midgets to USAR Hooters Pro Cup to the Nationwide Series. Logano became the youngest driver to ever win a Nationwide Series race during the Meijer 300 at Kentucky Speedway. He was 18 years, 21 days old at the time.

Look to hear a lot about Logano during the 2009 season. He will have a bunch of good finishes and may even see Victory Lane this year, but he will also see some growing pains and rookie mishaps.

Logano will be taking over the #20 Home Depot Toyota Camry from Tony Stewart at Joe Gibbs Racing.

#18 Kasey Kahne



Kasey Kahne started the 2008 season in pretty decent shape, knocking off six Top 10s in the first ten races. Kahne even seemed like he was on track to challenge for a possible championship run towards the middle of the 2008 season. He posted wins for the NASCAR All-Star race at Charlotte, then winning the Cocoa-Cola 600, a win two weeks later at Pocono, and a second at Michigan the following week. After that Kahne's season fell apart, recording only six Top 10s in the next 21 races.

Kasey Kahne was born April 10, 1980 in Enumclaw, Washington. Kahne has driven everything from World of Outlaws to USAC Midgets. He started racing at the age if 14.

I expect Kahne's woes to continue in 2009. He will have the occasional spurt of good runs but most of his season will be as lackluster as 2008. Ray Evernham will not be as involved with the race teams in 2009, as he is pursuing other ventures. This will might have a negative impact on all the Gillett Evernham teams.

Kahne will continue to drive the #9 Budweiser Dodge Charger for Gillett Evernham Motorsports in 2009.


That is it for numbers 20 through 18 for The Top 20 Drivers of 2009. Check back tomorrow for numbers 17 through 15!