Bump-Drafts.com

It’s gotta be a bummer knowing that your racing team was the punch line in the joke that was your manufacturer’s season in 2007. Sad to say, that was the case for Michael Waltrip Racing in 2007.

It all started at Daytona, when the team owned by the legendary Darrell Waltrip’s younger brother was penalized for an illegal fuel additive. It pretty much went downhill from there. Team owner Michael Waltrip’s failure to qualify became so legendary he began to joke about it in his Napa auto parts commercials. The champion’s provisional is meant to be a safety net, but the automatic qualifier became a lifeline for 1999 Cup champion Dale Jarrett. Once he ran out of provisionals, Jarrett had qualifying troubles of his own. About the only bright spot for the fledgling team enjoyed is when Waltrip took the pole for the fall Talladega race, and the performance of NASCAR rookie David Reutimann- who also made the top 5 in the Busch Series.

The good news for Michael Waltrip Racing is things can only get better in 2008. “Mikey” won the outside pole for the Daytona 500 Sunday, and the younger Waltrip ran very well at the Bud Shootout. Reutimann ran 4th best in qualifying last Sunday, and Jarrett also scratched and clawed his way into the field. As 2007 wore on, one certainly got the impression that Toyota got the hang of building a better engine, the question for 2008 is one of whether or not Toyota has engine built to last the long race distances. Before petering out late in races, Waltrip, Reutimann, and Jarrett all had great early race runs in the late schedule.

Despite calls to leaves the cockpit to assume full-time ownership duties, “Mikey” returns to the #55 Camry in 2008. It will be interesting to see how the 43 year old Kentuckian does at Daytona. In fact, all 4 of Waltrip’s victories have come at restrictor plate races- 3 of them at Daytona Super Speedway. Waltrip’s first victory in 2001 was marred by the death of his employer at that time-Dale Earnhardt.

2008 is the season Dale Jarrett rides off into the sunset- actually the broadcast booth- following in his father Ned’s footsteps. After the first handful of races, Jarrett will turn over the wheel of the #44 UPS car to David Reutimann, who will in turn hand over the #00 ride to Michael Mc Dowell. It’s been tough to watch the former champion and owner of 32 victories who rose to greatness at Joe Gibbs struggle the way he has, especially when you suspect that the lousy runs have been the result of crappy equipment and not any diminishing driving skill. Jarrett will replace Rusty Wallace in the broadcast booth at ESPN, something I think we all are look forward to.

Look for good things from David Reutimann. “Ruty” has been a winner wherever he’s gone- including the NASCAR Autozone Elite Division Southeast Series where he never finished lower than 7th from 1997-2002, as well as the Busch Series (where he finished 3rd in the 2007 standings) and the Craftsman Truck Series. The Floridian has it in his blood. His father “Buzzie” ran a Cup race at Golden Gate Speedway in Tampa in 1963, and was also a competitor in DIRT modifieds. He’ll make a slightly unusual switch by changing rides for the same team in the same season.

Jarrett’s retirement has the net effect of opening a door for Michael McDowell. The 23 year old has enjoyed success as a go-kart racer and 4 races and 9 poles in the ARCA series in 2007. Michael made his NASCAR debut in the Craftsman Truck Series with one 2007 start. What’s interesting about Mc Dowell is he will be one of the few rookies of the 2008 class to take the more traditional path to Cup competition.

The beauty of starting from the bottom is you can only go up from here. In spite of the struggles, Waltrip and Jarrett have a faithful legion of fans cheering them on to greater success.

Maybe it’s all the red paints schemes on the cars. Maybe it’s the foreign intrigue that Dario Franchitti and Juan Pablo Montoya bring to the sport. Perhaps its all the young drivers in the garage. It could be Chip Ganassi’s success as an owner in open wheel racing. Whatever it is- there’s something very eye grabbing and very “new school” about Chip Ganassi Racing. 2008 should hold more of the same for Ganassi, be it for the good, or for the bad.

Juan Pablo Montoya is the face of Ganassi Racing. If you look at the description in the above paragraph, they all seem very reflective of Montoya himself. Montoya made a lot of headlines right from the get-go. In early 2007, Montoya became the first F-1 driver to defect to NASCAR, where he spent six seasons. The winner of the 2000 Indianapolis 500 showed indications of his brashness by all but skipping the lower tiers of NASCAR to compete in Cup racing. After a relatively quiet Daytona 500, the 32 year old Colombian made waves by crashing out a teammate in the Mexico Busch Series race. He made further dubious headlines for a number of in-race rubs and crashes. The most famous incident was his collision at Watkins Glen with the equally tempestuous Kevin Harvick. All the pushing and shoving didn’t amount to much, but the melee did a lot to push Montoya’s unpopularity to an all-time high, especially the more traditional NASCAR fan base. These events overshadowed Montoya’s first victory in a late surge to victory at Sonoma in June.

It can certainly be argued that as the season wore on, Montoya got the hang of the driving. It remains to be seen how his attitude will be going into 2008. Montoya’s experiences in making the adjustments from open wheel to “stock” car racing may prove valuable for Ganassi’s latest addition- Dario Franchitti. The former Indy car champion tested the water late in 2007 in the Busch Series, and apparently felt the call to go full-time in Cup racing in 2008. His development will be interesting to watch as Franchitti seemed to struggle and just plain looked uncomfortable in the heavier, boxier NASCAR rides. Nonetheless, the Scot will have his chance to try his hand at NASCAR racing free from having to worry about making the field, thanks to the top 35 owner points qualifying rule. In spite of the struggle, Franchitti has loyal fans and plenty who believe he’ll figure out the learning curve quickly, thanks to a greater commitment to the sport. Franchitti takes over David Stremme’s old ride- the #40 Dodge.

After arriving at the Cup level with great expectations in 2006, the forthcoming season may very well be hot seat time for Reed Sorenson. The youngster from Peachtree City, Georgia is still searching for his first Cup victory and some measure of consistency. Sorenson has shown promise, finishing 4th in the standings at Busch Series level in 2005. As a 17 year old in 2003, he became the youngest driver to win ASA regional rookie of the year honors. For the most part, Sorenson has shown an ability to run well on the one mile tracks, but has generally struggled in restrictor plate competition. Perhaps the most intriguing question may very well be what he thinks of the path his teammates have taken into NASCAR, as opposed to his own more traditional ascent to the Cup level.

With a crowd rooting for Sorenson, against Montoya, and studying the development of Franchitti- Chip Ganassi will NOT be a fly under the radar team. It seems this team has a Dale Earnhardt philosopy. Whether they’re cheering you or jeering, you know they’re paying attention to you.

One way or the other, Chip Ganassi is on the map.

(Prepared specially for NASCAR_Nation from the pages of bump-drafts.com)

What’s This? For our new readers, On Track was born shortly after I joined a Yahoo! Group devoted to NASCAR- NASCAR For Dummies. Group owners wanted to put my background in media to work in the form of a weekly newsletter. Drew and Amanda gave me free rein to do what I wanted with it, so I cobbled together a newsletter that was a combination of NASCAR news, information, track trivia and a primer of terms for the beginning fan. In the Fall of 2007, NASCAR For Dummies merged with NASCAR_Nation, and at that time I graciously accepted the invitation to keep it going.

Operations shut down at the end of the season, and with excitement building for another season of track pounding, fire breathing, fender bending action- I present the first edition of On Track for the 2008 season.

Coming Up- The Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida. Sunday, February 17, 2008 at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Televised by FOX.

This race is the Super Bowl of NASCAR. Daytona National Speedway opened in 1959, the inspiration of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. Daytona is a 2 1/2 mile speedway with 31-degree banking in the turns (wicked steep), 18-degree banking in the turns and 3- degrees on the back stretch. The length of the track is 3,800 feet on the front stretch, 3,000 feet on the back stretch. DIS is home to two races per season- in addition to this Sunday’s Cup race is the Pepsi 400 in July.

Chevy driver Kevin Harvick won last year’s season opener in a thrilling photo finish against veteran Mark Martin. Lee Petty, the Petty family patriarch won the first race at this track by whisker in 1959 over Johnny Beauchamp in a highly publicized controversial finish as Beauchamp was at first named the winner. France invited witnesses from all over the country to submit photos to help determine the outcome, and with a few days- the original decision was reversed and Petty was named the winner.

For the Record- For TRACK records (again- there are two Cup events here per season, two Nationwide events, plus a Craftsman Truck event)- Bill Elliott owns the fastest qualifying record with a speed of 210.364 mph in days before restrictor plates. Buddy Baker owns the fastest race speed of 177.602 mph, running the February 17, 1980 Daytona 500 in a time of 2 hours, 48 minutes, 55 seconds.

“The King” is the King- Richard Petty has won the most Cup races here with 10. Jeff Gordon leads active drivers with 6 visits to victory lane. Cale Yarborough is the “President of Poles” at Daytona with 12 pole victories. Bill Elliott leads active drivers with 5. “Front Row” Joe Nemechek earned 6 Nationwide (formerly Busch) poles here.

Other track trivia- The oldest winner was Bobby Allison at age 50 in 1987, Jeff Gordon the youngest at age 23 in 1995. The most lead changes occurred in February, 1974 with 60. The Summer 1960 race had only ONE leader- Jack Smith- the pole-sitter. The 2006 Daytona 500 had 18 different leaders before Jimmie Johnson took the checkered flag. The Most cautions came with 12 in the 1989 Pepsi 400, the fewest? Zero. That happened 12 times, the most recent in the 1971 edition of the Daytona 500. In the 2006 Pepsi 400, 40 drivers took the checkered. In the 1965 Daytona 500, only 7 crossed the finish- Freddy Lorenzen getting there first.

In News- This weekend’s festivities represent a fresh start. Just ask Bud Shoot Out winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. or front row qualifier Michael Waltrip. Each has their own embarrassments and trials- no doubt their recent accomplishments providing hope for a much better year. “Go or go-homers” David Reutimann and Joe Nemechek must also be relieved to know they are in the race, though for these two, their position won’t be known until after the running of the Gatorade Duel 150s Thursday.

Of course now the question for many doubters is whether or not the events of the last few days represent a true new beginning or a mirage. Some doubt Junior can keep up his success for 500 miles without burning his engine out. Those who loathe the existence of Toyota in NASCAR are left wondering how their cars will run outside of qualifying. Admittedly, Toyotas had a difficult time sustaining success in 2007, and their season got off to an embarrassing start when Michael Waltrip Racing was penalized for “illegal fuel substances.”

Speaking of trouble, Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch were place on 6 weeks probation today for their practice behavior last week. Stewart and Busch have bad blood between them going back to a pit road incident last summer. Stewart tapped Busch into the wall during practice last week, Busch returned the favor by slamming into Stewart three times going down pit road. It also widely believed, but unconfirmed that Stewart punched Busch inside the NASCAR hauler. The season hasn’t started and we’re already having tempers flare. Just wait ’til the racing starts.

NASCAR Terminology- your opportunity to learn terms that will help you impress your newbie friends at back yard barbecues this summer.

Draft- This has nothing to do with beer or military conscription, but “draft” is a slang term for something that Junior Johnson discovered in the 1960 Daytona 500, enabling him to win in spite of having a slower car. Draft in NASCAR-speak is: “…the aerodynamic effect that allows two or more cars traveling nose-to-tail to run faster than a single car. When one car follows another closely, the one in front cuts through the air, providing a cleaner path of air (that is, less resistance) for the car in back.”

RPM- Revolutions per minute. This is a measurement of speed for the engine’s crankshaft. Drivers don’t have speedometers in their cars, relying more on RPM’s to determine how fast their going.

Tachometer- This dashboard instrument enables drivers to measure RPM’s, assisting them in gear selection and monitoring engine power.

That’s all for this week. Enjoy the festivities and as Red Green says: “Keep your stick on the ice.”

Thanks to NASCAR media.com and the 2007 edition of the Sporting News’ Officially Licensed NASCAR Record and Fact Book.

Extra Special thanks to my fellow fans at fanzone.com, NASCAR_Nation and letsgoracingfans.com- your friendship means a lot to me.

Extra, extra special thanks to- God, my wife and my kids for their love and support.

For the last several hours, I’ve been trying to wrap my head around qualifying for the Daytona 500. I now have arrived at the same conclusion as ol’ D.W. “It’s not hard to understand if you understand it.”

To boil it down, here’s what we know:

1) All drivers in the top 35 owner points are in. Except Kurt Busch, who’s points the esteemed boss Roger Penske gave to Cup rookie Sam Hornish. Hornish is in, Busch is a “Go or go homer” except that he has a “Past Champion’s provisional” he can use, so he’ll be in anyway.

2) Jimmie Johnson has the pole. He did it the old-fashioned way- he ran faster than everyone else. Phew. That was easy.

3) Michael Waltrip has the “outside” pole with the 2nd fastest qualifying time. Mikey also heads the go or go home class with it. He and Johnson are the only ones as of tonight who know where they’ll start Sunday.

4) Because the top 4 racers from pole qualifying get in the race, David Reutimann and Joe Nemechek are also in the race. Unlike Mikey, they don’t know where yet.

That’s where things are sitting now. Thursday, the flag lowers for two qualifying races known as the Gatorade Duel 150. The TWO highest finishing cars from each of the duels not already qualified will get in.

One of those spots may be taken away thanks to the usage of the Past Champion provisional. Three go or go-homers have one: Bill Elliott, Dale Jarrett and Kurt Busch. Who gets dibs on it is ranked by the most recent champion, so the order is : Busch, Jarrett and Elliott. Suffice it to say one of these guys will have to use it.

If you want a more stripped down version of this, here’s what I am copying verbatim off of FOX-TV’s coverage from Sunday. I must add, it was funny as heck listening to Mike Joy trying to explain this:

DAYTONA 500- HOW THE LINEUP IS SET:

* FRONT ROW: 2 FASTEST CARS IN QUALIFYING (ed: Johnson, Waltrip)

* TOP 35 IN CAR OWNER POINTS FROM 2007 ARE “LOCKED IN” TO RACE

* 2 HIGHEST FINISHERS IN EACH QUALIFYING RACE

* PAST CHAMPIONS PROVISIONAL IN IF NEEDED (ed: one person from list of Busch, Jarrett and Elliott are eligible)

* FASTEST 1-4 QUALIFIERS FROM POLE QUALIFYING (ed: Johnson, Waltrip, Reutimann and Nemechek).

Here’s the “Go or Go Homers” List when qualifying began Sunday:

00- David Reutimann (he’s in the race, positioned not yet determined)
2- Kurt Busch (2004 Champ)
08- Carl Long
09- Sterling Marlin
10- Patrick Carpentier
21- Bill Elliott (1988 Champion)
27- Jacques Villenueve
34- John Andretti
37- Eric Mc Clure
44- Dale Jarrett (1999 Champion)
49- Ken Schrader
50- Stanton Barrett
55- Michael Waltrip (he’s in at #2)
60- Boris Said
78- Joe Nemechek (he’s in, position not yet determined)
83- Brian Vickers
84- A.J. Allmendinger
87- Kenny Wallace

The question of WHERE racers will be in the Sunday field will be settled by Thursday night.

Unfortunately, somebody who ran well today won’t get in. of the guys left, I thought Said, Carpentier, Villenuve, Jarrett and Mc Clure ran very well today. You could even make a good argument for Bill Elliott. You do the math, and you figure one or more of these guys will watch it on TV with the rest of us.

I hate to say it because I like these guys, but the Petty cars (Kyle and Bobby Labonte) didn’t look like they belonged in the field. Neither did J.J. Yeley, or even Jeff Burton.

What a mess!

NASCAR.com writer Dave Rodman had it pegged when he referred to the top 35 points rule as “infernal.”

I need an Advil.

If last night’s action is any indication of what’s in store for 2008, fans can look forward to a great 2008. This year’s edition of the Bud Shootout had all the things fans have been clamoring for.

A Junior Victory- Let’s face it, the vast majority of NASCAR fans love the driver of the #88 National Guard/ Amp Chevrolet. NASCAR’s favorite son didn’t disappoint by delivering the first victory he’s had of any kind since the spring of 2006.

Not to put more pressure on him, but I think NASCAR needs Dale Earnhardt Jr. He represents all the things that fans love about the sport with that down-home demeanor and legendary pedigree. Though he races for the New York Yankees of NASCAR, to many, he just comes across as a lot less corporate, a lot less processed than his Hendrick teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. As I mentioned in posts on a couple of message boards, this has no real bearing on the season, but it sure sets the tone.

Side-to-side racing- Even in a 70 lap race, you would have thought there would have been some separation at the end. When the checkered flag lowered, cars were still side-by-side. Though Junior won, Any one of a number of drivers from Jimmie Johnson to Dave Blaney could have pulled it out.

I remember comments made recently by Jeff Gordon and Bobby Labonte that with the “new” (we really can’t call it the Car of Tomorrow anymore) car, we’d see the driver become more a part of the race and less so the car itself. They had it pegged.

Smoke fans need not worry- Given Toyota’s performance and Tony Stewart’s second place finish, fans of the “Big Orange” need not worry that the change in manufacturers will hamper Tony Stewart’s quest for a third Cup title. It still remains to be seen if Toyota can keep it up over 500 miles, but they sure had no problem last night.

Now if they can just solve the Hendrick dominance, they’ll be just fine.

Good race coverage- I’d forgotten how much I’d missed the work of Mike Joy, Larry Mac, DW, Hammond, and Dick Berggren. Unlike many fans, I can’t say I have a deep dislike for ESPN’s work, it’s just there’s something about the way FOX puts on the show that ABC/ ESPN doesn’t.

We’re racing again- Face it fans, we’re spoiled. NFL fans will have to wait until August until their pre-season gets underway. Baseball fans have been on vacation since late October and we’re still weeks away from the spring training getting it on in earnest. NASCAR’s schedule ended a week before Thanksgiving and we’re already at it again- AND WE’RE ACTING LIKE IT’S BEEN 6 MONTHS.

Still- it’s good to see racing again and not just talking about.

COMING TUESDAY: The first 2008 edition of ON TRACK- our special weekly preview of bump-drafts that previews the upcoming weekend’s race. This edition is complete with track facts, the history of the event, trivia, and current trends in our favorite motorsport.

FanZone, Inc. Official Press Release

Contact: Kyle Ocker
(641) 715-3900 ext. #6329023
kylejocker@mchsi.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FanZone, Inc. Announces new Partnership
NASCAR FanZone will now feature a staff writer section

Today, NASCAR FanZone and FanZone, Inc. is announcing a partnership with blogger, die-hard NASCAR fan, Jim McCoy. Starting immediately, McCoy’s blog will be feature on FanZone.WebNg.Com. Every blog will be posted and highlighted on NASCAR FanZone’s website.

# #

For more information, please email Kyle Ocker at kylejocker@mchsi.com.

Jim McCoy’s website can be found by visiting http://bump-drafts.com.

NASCAR FanZone’s website can be found by visiting http://fanzone.webng.com
.

I am excited to be entering this partnership with NASCAR FanZone. I really like what Kyle is doing in terms of offering a NASCAR website that offers the total package for the die-hard NASCAR fan. Kyle has built a great audience and it’s not hard to see why, as there’s a little something for everybody.
NASCAR Nation is a big tent with ample room for a wide variety of fans. For those of you who are new to fanzone, I encourage you to check out Kyle’s site. Visit http://fanzone.webng.com.

Solid performances by Kurt Busch helped solidify Penske Racing as Dodge’s top team in 2007. Not only did Busch pick up wins and run well in the Chase, Ryan Newman continued to fortify his reputation as the “King of Qualifying”- picking up poles like track officials pick up debris. Though Newman’s victory drought continued, he narrowly lost his bid to make the Chase, edged out by the promising Clint Bowyer. For all that noise, the biggest has been made by a driver who has yet to run a full Cup schedule, former Indy champ Sam Hornish. The Ohio native will climb into the #77 for a full-time run in 2008, part of a wave of former open wheel studs (Jacques Villenueve and Dario Franchitti as well) to abandon Indy cars for the Car of Tomorrow.

Hornish struggled to make the field race after race, but seemed to pull it together by Homestead. In watching his qualifying efforts, you could see that little by little, Hornish began to master the turns. Team owner Roger Penske has successfully lobbied for a little insurance: Kurt Busch’s driver points have been transferred to Hornish, guaranteeing him a spot in the field while Hornish continues to learn. It’s a clever maneuver (though I hate it personally) as Busch will have a past champions provisional (Busch won the Cup title in 2004- the first year of the Chase) that guarantees him 6 starts. Still, I doubt Kyle Busch’s big brother will need it much- he proved he had a fast car all throughout 2007.

Busch’s performance helped keep Dodge from completely fading into obscurity in 2007 as other Dodge teams (Petty Enterprise, Gillett Evernham, and Chip Ganassi) all struggled. The Las Vegas native continues to rehabilitate a tarnished image cultivated by aggressive driving and a police incident in Arizona in 2005- a mishap that ultimately spelled the end of Kurt’s run with Roush Racing. Busch’s image took a hit with a collision he had with his brother Kyle during the all-star weekend, and a pit road melee with Tony Stewart’s team in mid-summer. Still, you can tell that Busch regrets some of the brash moves of his youth and he’s earnestly trying to earn the affection of more NASCAR fans. At 29 years old, the driver of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge has plenty of career left, and his 17 wins puts him on a path to build a strong legacy if he can keep it up. Winning also has a way of making fan forget prior indiscretions if he can avoid further on-track rumbles.

Hoosier Ryan Newman is a driver with a lot to prove in 2008. If qualifying equaled greatness, Newman would already be a legend. He has over 40 for his career- one of the best totals you’ll ever see. Unfortunately, “Rocket” hasn’t won since 2005, leaving him stuck on a career total of 12 trips to victory lane, not bad, but by no means immortal. These frustrations aside, Newman was in a position to win in numerous races, and he is one of my picks to make the top 12 in 2008. He’s too good to go winless this long.

By virtue of Busch’s success, one can’t help but think Penske Racing will be heard from in 2008. It’s not really a stretch to think Busch, Newman and Hornish all three are capable of being among the best. The question remains as to how well this team has mastered the Car of Tomorrow.

If this team has any sense of teamwork (and they seem to), they’ll figure it out.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Time will prove me right.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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