The "Fortune 5"- The Change Will Do Them Good

Here’s Some Good News: These Drivers Will Benefit From A Change of Scenery

You thought the move of Dale Earnhardt Jr. from DEI to Hendrick shook things up in 2007? That was a mere preview to what these last few months have held in store. It’s like somebody took the Taj Mahal and put it through a 7.5 earthquake. Amid the mess, however, are some driver moves that just may work out….

Tony Stewart to Stewart- Haas Racing- Anybody who thinks this was just about getting away from Joe Gibbs’ switch to Toyota is full of crap. “Smoke” has a track record for success in other business dealings, including car and track ownership. It was just a matter of time and Haas-CNC came knocking at the right time. In addition to his business acumen, Stewart learned well the importance of assembling a good team on every front from JGR, and the 2-time champ has brought some real stalwarts into the fold. Success may not necessarily mean a boatload of wins right away, but long term- this team will be a force to reckon with, right up there with Hendrick, Gibbs and Roush.                                                                                                                            

Ryan Newman to Stewart- Haas Racing- Not since Lennon and Mc Cartney have we  seen a pairing this natural. OK- so I’m exaggerating here- but you get the idea. You’ve got a 2-time champion paired with a master qualifier. Newman’s career has been stuck in second gear at Penske for the past few seasons, and now “Flyin’ Ryan” will have that Hendrick horsepower at his disposal.

Mark Martin to Hendrick Motorsports- This is “The Kid’s” last best shot at that elusive NASCAR Sprint Cup crown. I honestly believe Martin can win a title here, if he’ll not go out with the kind of season a driver hopes to go out with. Can you imagine the depth HMS is going to have, adding Martin to a mix of Johnson, Gordon, and Earnhardt? If he can’t get it done here, it isn’t meant to be, but I gotta tell ya, for Martin, this has got to be like falling into the Fountain of Youth.

A.J. Allmendinger to Gillett- Evernham Motorsports- While Scott Speed may have real potential, Team Red Bull will regret the way they jerked this guy around. He’s rough around the edges, but everything I’ve seen from A.J. suggests he’s progressing in the right direction. Allmendinger has done nothing but get better in spite of being parked for a handful of races, and then being let go. Give a driver of this talent a little stability and watch what he does. He’s a keeper in my opinion.

(Pending, but looking done) Bobby Labonte to Earnhardt- Ganassi- Let’s face it, Petty Enterprises saw it’s best days back in the Nixon era. Ganassi and DEI were dysfunctional on their own, but putting the two organizations together and pooling their resources together could really put them back on the map. Labonte would serve as a perfect complement for the upstart drivers in the EGR garage. You know Martin Truex Jr., Juan Pablo Montoya and Aric Almirola. The 2000 NASCAR Cup champion would provide leadership, a calming influence, and he’d benefit from better equipment than what he had at Petty. By no means an old man, the 44-year-old Labonte still has plenty of miles in the tank.

CREDITS: Stewart’s photo courtesy of Karaleigh, Martin’s by Walter G. Arce, and Labonte’s by Mulsanne. More of  their photography may be seen at flickr.com.