'01 Til Now, With Dale Earnhardt...

This week marks 12 years since the 2001 Daytona 500 which ended in the tragic death of NASCAR great Dale Earnhardt.  In the wake of Earnhardt's death, NASCAR embarked on the largest safety renovation in its history, resulting in the safety of the sport in 2013.  After NASCAR celebrated the coming Daytona 500 with a remebrance of Dale Earnhardt, one must think about what might have been.

How would the sport have progressed in the past 12 years had Earnhardt not died?  Would safety measures have been made and what other differences would their be?  Lets take a look back at how the past 12 years would have been with Dale Earnhardt around.

Imagine the victory lane celebration February 18, 2001 when Michael Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Dale Earnhardt finished 1, 2, 3.  Earnhardt now has an established NASCAR Cup Series team, capable of winning and competing each week.  He just finished second in the points in 2000 and is on the upswing again in his career.  After winning a couple races in 2001 he finishes a close second to Jeff Gordon in the 2001 Cup Championship.

In the next couple of years, driver injuries and another driver death add to the recent deaths of Kenny Irwin and Adam Petty to force NASCAR into further safety measures.  Only a handful of drivers still use open-faced helmets, but all drivers use some form of head and neck restraining device.  NASCAR is also developing safety measure in the cars to absorb more force on impact.

After finishing 5th in the 2002 Cup Series Championship points, Dale Earnhardt decides to retire after the 2003 season.  Dale Jr. finished the 2002 season 3rd in points propelling him to a Championship challenge in 2003.  New talk by NASCAR about a wider, taller, safer car with identical front ends for all manufacturers is met by contention from NASCAR veterans.  NASCAR adapts the front ends to incorporate more brand identity.

In 2004 Dale Earnhardt joins Darrell Waltrip in the broadcasting booth for a few races to add commentary, but decides against a long term contract citing too much hot air in the booth coming from Waltrip as a reason to stay on pit road.  With late season coaching from his father, Dale Jr. wins the 2004 Championship, giving DEI its first Championship and the Earnhardt family its eighth. 

Over the next few years NASCAR sees many changes amongst teams.  There is an addition of a 4th DEI team, as Earnhardt has recruited Tony Stewart away from Joe Gibbs Racing, making the DEI stable every bit as strong as NASCAR powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports.  Hendrick, losing hardheaded driver Kyle Busch to JGR, adds newcomer Juan Pablo Montoya from F1 in a single car partnership with Chip Ganassi and adds Mark Martin from Jack Roush's stable, outbidding startup owner Ginn Racing.

Heading into the current decade, NASCAR has now begun to eclipse the NFL in total market share, and continues to expand into new markets, despite a steep downturn in the economy.  However, fans still appreciate NASCAR's roots, such as its annual Labor Day weekend at the Southern 500 at Darlington, South Carolina.

No, that is not how things turned out, and probably light years from how it may have happened, but one could definitely see how the sport would have been different had the '01 500 ended differently.  Dale Earnhardt was a huge part of the sport's success, not always perfect, but always a part of the conversation.  No doubt NASCAR would be different, but one can only speculate in what ways.

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Danica To The Lead, In Silly Season

While the 2011-2012 Silly Season is in full swing, it has, to this point, been less than dramatic. The main players (Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Juan Pablo Montoya, Brian Vickers, and Mark Martin) have either already signed with their current team or aren’t generating much buzz. That is, with exception to Carl Edwards.

Edwards’ contract with Jack Roush and Roush Fenway Racing comes to a close at the end of 2011, and although most people have all but signed the contract for him, Edwards is still a free agent…kind of. He is weighing his options, yet few people think he would leave a team that has made him a contender for a few years now. Be that as it may, his top suitor, Joe Gibbs Racing according to rumors, will continue to gain his attention.

While all of this has been slowly developing, Danica Patrick has been fulfilling her obligations to Andretti Autosport in the Indy Car series, until Friday night. She returned Friday to race in the Nationwide Series race at Daytona International speedway for JRMotorsports.

When she raced there in February, Patrick was timid at best in the two car packs. Although she managed a respectable 14th place finish there, she wowed few. However, in this week’s race Patrick seemed aggressive and comfortable. She was even more comfortable for all of the off-track conversation.

Patrick has been asked before whether she will move from Indy Car to a full time NASCAR ride, a topic she has kept at arms length. This week, though, she simply reacted as if the intention is there but the deal just has not been signed. If she is truly interested in a 2012 ride, the season will definitely get silly.

Danica is no doubt one of the best marketing opportunities that has come to NASCAR in quite a while, but to this point had not proven herself worthy of a full time ride and a shot at a Sprint Cup ride in the future. Although I am sure any team would have jumped at signing her, she is much more profitable to them if she is contending for wins.

In 2010 she had only one finish inside the top 20, often finishing several laps behind the leaders. Yet in 2011, it seems as though Patrick has gotten more comfortable with both the different car and the different style of racing. In only 6 races she has posted 3 top 10 finishes and has only one finish outside the top 20. That is definitely a turnaround from a year ago.

The main question that will have to be answered is where will she go? JRMotorsports would surely be glad to sign her for a full season in the Nationwide Series for 2012, but they do not have a Sprint Cup team, which she will probably want for at least a few races in 2012. No matter where she goes, plan on hearing about it for the rest of this year.

Oh yea, has Carl Edwards signed yet??

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Infineon To Daytona, One Wild Card After Another

This past weekend, NASCAR visited one of its two road courses. Entering Sonoma, California, most people understood that there were those who would benefit from the road course weekend, and, conversely, those that would suffer. I am sure there aren’t many people who thought Dale Earnhardt Jr. would come though the weekend with a great finish, although 41st was a bit low. Also, most people expected Marcos Ambrose, who now sits 2 points outside the top 20, to have a good weekend.

Great. We are all psychic.

Not so fast. Infineon threw some curves at the Sprint Cup field that may not have been expected. Some people left Infineon with poor finishes that were somewhat surprising.

After several instances of contact between Tony Stewart and Brian Vickers, both were relegated to bad finishes. Although Vickers is a good road course racer and Stewart is one of the all time greats, both left California with fewer points than they probably expected.

Along with Stewart and Vickers, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kasey Kahne, and Mark Martin all left with sub-par finishes. Each of these drivers have some ability on road courses, especially Montoya, Martin and Kahne, but have to pick up points somewhere else in the next 10 races in an attempt to make the Chase.

Although the restrictor plate tracks are often seen as wild card races, Infineon has now placed several teams on the offensive in preparation for the Chase. Now, with all of that “cooking”, we head to, yes, a restrictor plate track.

The summer race at Daytona is always stressful for the teams on the cusp of the Chase, as they can be wiped out in the “big one” at any time. Will the teams leave Daytona jumbled up as they were this Monday? Time will tell.

Another question heading to Daytona is what other surprises the track will hold. Each year the Coke Zero 400, customarily held on July 4th weekend, is run on a slightly different track than its sister race, the Daytona 500. The hot, humid summer nights of central Florida usually produce a track with slightly less grip than the February race.

Normally, in the past few years, this has led to a slight stringing out of the field. However, with the repaving of the track during the last off-season, one has to wonder exactly how similar will the track be to the February’s running. Will the “two car tango” work the same way it did earlier in the year, or will the cars have trouble linking up later in a run.

My last question is who is the favorite heading into this weekend? Obviously the Daytona 500 winner, Trevor Bayne, will be without his ride from February, since the winning 500 car is placed in Daytona USA for a year. Even more, no driver has won the Daytona 500 and the July 400 mile race in the same year since 1982.

Certainly Earnhardt Jr. will loom large on everyone’s radar, but who else should be watched this weekend?

Two drivers that immediately come to mind are Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards. Stewart has done very well in summer Daytona races, winning 3 in the last 6. He drafts well, thrives under the lights, and apparently thinks the July 4th post race fireworks are for him. Edwards has zero wins at Daytona, but finished 2nd and 6th in the two previous restrictor plate races this year, so he apparently loves the Tango.

Calm down ladies… I meant the Two Car Tango…


Follow Joseph Davis on Twitter @the_Bumpdrafter

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Should NASCAR Add One Or More Road Courses?

Ok, so we all new this question was coming this week. I saw several people on Twitter lament that we would have to listen to the commensurate road course talk. “Why does NASCAR only race two road course races?” “Will the ‘Road Course Ringers’ perform?” However, the question does deserve an answer.

For the past few years we have seen an influx of interest from open wheel racers from Indy car and Formula 1. It is only natural that with that interest will come fan interest from those loyal to open wheel racing. Wanting to take advantage of that interest, along with new international fans of drivers like Juan Pablo Montoya, from Colombia, and Marcos Ambrose, from Australia, NASCAR should consider adding another road course venue.

Understand, as a NASCAR fan I do not necessarily want another road course. I enjoy the two we currently see at the Sprint Cup level, Sonoma and Watkins Glenn, but two seems to be enough to quench my thirst. I simply think that NASCAR should consider the possibility that adding one could garner international fan support and, more importantly, viewership.

NASCAR has definitely begun recuperating its ratings and viewer losses of the past couple years, but if it could get a boost internationally, why not?

One of the biggest roadblocks to this decision in the past has been a cold response, at best, from its largest fan base, the Southeastern U.S. Most of the lifelong fans did not enjoy the road course racing in the ‘90s due to the slower, green-flag, racing with little side by side action.

However, with the addition of two-wide restarts a couple years ago, racing at these two stops has gotten more aggressive. Also, more teams have shown strength there in the past few years, a departure from 15 years ago when only a handful of teams had a realistic shot at victory. These two changes have helped make road course racing a little more appealing to the average NASCAR fan.

A fellow blogger, “Walking Eagle”, suggested the same in a comment on this site which spurred this article. I replied back to him that I agreed that they should look at it, and possibly look at adding a road course race in the Chase. I understand, and agree, that most fans would emphatically disagree, which is why I think NASCAR should look at it along with a couple other changes.

I think that NASCAR should immediately (2012) move the Southern 500 at Darlington back to Labor Day. The Fontana race has done so-so and would do just as well on another weekend. Give the fans back a great tradition!

I also think that NASCAR should move the Chase finale back to Atlanta. Weather in Homestead is great in November, no argument. But the racing is mediocre at best. They have made strides with the graduated banking, I agree, but they don’t have the checkered flag finishes like Atlanta. Leave the fans with a show and they will walk out of the stands (or away from the TV) eager for Daytona.

Well, there are my thoughts on the matter. Now I don’t have to mumble under my breath every time Wally Dallenbach says “wheel hop” this Sunday. Please let me know your thoughts on the matter!


Follow me on Twitter @the_Bumpdrafter

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High Hopes In Cali

This week the NASCAR Sprint Cup teams will be preparing to revisit California. Sunday’s race at Sonoma, CA will be the first of two road course races this year, which brings many different emotions to the forefront.

For those who love road course racing and do very well at it, excitement abounds. Marcos Ambrose is probably lying awake in bed as I am typing this, constantly looking at the clock to see if it’s time to leave yet. Last year he lost due to a late race fuel concern, and I am sure he is eager to return. Also, Jeff Gordon simply loves the track. He should. He has won the race at the Infineon Raceway at Sears Point 5 times, including 3 in a row from 1998-2000.

A few others are excited about this week’s race, but less out of love for the track and more out of a need for a change of pace. Juan Pablo Montoya has one win at the road course, but will be relieved just to be away from an oval. Over the past few weeks Montoya has been on probation and shoved around quite regularly on track. This past week he had a fuel issue was run over from behind by Andy Lally. Montoya knows that this week, the only way someone like Mr. Lally will see the rear of the 42 car is if they are lapped.

I am sure this week will also bring its normal amount of road course ringers. These racers, like Boris Said and Ron Fellows, see very little NASCAR Sprint Cup driving time, but always get plenty of press heading into the road course races. Of course, all that hubbub dies down as they usually do well just to finish in the top ten.

Last, but not least, there is Dale Earnhardt Jr. Most people think that Sonoma is Junior’s worst track, as he has an average finish there of 20th and has no top 10 finishes there. However, he has worse average finishes at Fontana, Watkins Glen, Indianapolis and Homestead. Part of the reason is that Earnhardt Jr. has had 5 finishes between 11th and 13th.

Although Earnhardt has made an extra effort to be competitive at Sonoma, it always seems to not work out for him. His performance there has definitely improved, though, from when he began in the Sprint Cup Series in 2000. During Junior’s first race there he apparently made contact with quite a few competitors. He had such a rough day, in fact, that his father, the legendary driver of the #3, suggested on the radio that someone should tell Junior to hit the pace car because he had already hit everything else.

In January of 2007, as most fans remember, he had a fiery wreck in a Corvette road course car at Sonoma while practicing for an American Lemans Series race. He had entered the race in order to boost his road course driving ability. Instead he narrowly escaped the wreck and entered into the roughest four years of his driving career.

This week’s race at Sonoma definitely will bring emotions of all types. Some will be eager to get there, others eager to get home. And others will be looking for something specific. Jeff Gordon will be looking to solidify his return to dominance. Ambrose will be looking for his first win. Montoya will be looking for some comfort in turning right. And Earnhardt Jr. will be looking for a first top 10.

Here’s hoping they all get what they’re looking for…


Follow JD on Twitter @the_Bumpdrafter

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What Separates Hamlin And Johnson At Pocono?

When NASCAR goes to certain tracks, there are always particular drivers that stand out above the crowd. At restrictor plate tracks, people point to Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. At road courses, fans think of Gordon, Stewart, and maybe Montoya. At most of the other tracks, people tend to think of Jimmie Johnson.

This weekend, Pocono will bring 500 miles of engine heating, tire failing, (and possibly fan snoring). Over the past few years, nobody has been stronger than Denny Hamlin. With 4 wins, Hamlin has proven he knows his way around the three-cornered beast. Hamlin boasts an amazing average finish of 8.2 with 7 top 5’s in 10 starts. Whether too hurt or too new, he is always too fast at the Pennsylvania track.

No doubt, Hamlin would love to break back into the win column at Pocono and further his rise into the top 10 in points, but there is one driver who may stand in his way. Of course, this driver stands in many people’s way when it comes to the entrance of victory lane. Jimmie Johnson has an average finish of 9.6 and has 2 wins himself at Pocono. And although Johnson is a favorite at almost any track, there may be one advantage Johnson has that Hamlin does not. He might be shiftier.

This week at Pocono, NASCAR is changing their transmission rules package and many drivers are saying that they will be shifting again on the triangle shaped track. In 2005, NASCAR changed their transmission rules to stop the shifting, and the next year was the first for Mr. Hamlin. The last year that shifting was allowed, Jimmie Johnson swept the two Pocono races.

Now, don’t get me wrong! I am sure Hamlin is quite capable of figuring out when and where to shift this weekend. But if there is anything a driver doesn’t want interrupted, its his rhythm. Of course, he could indeed go out this weekend and be even harder to catch than in previous races there.

Some others to watch out for this weekend would have to be the #22 of Kurt Busch, who won here in ’05 and ’07, the #14 of Tony Stewart, who won in ’03 and ’09, and #99, Carl Edwards who won in ’05 and ’08. The almost winner of the past two races in 2011, Dale Earnhardt Jr, has an average finish here of 17.9. However, prior to last week’s second place finish, his average finish at Kansas was 19.1. Also, his average finish during the shifting days at Pocono was 14th.

All in all, it should be a good race this weekend. With the return of shifting, there will likely be some engine failures at a track that is already known for stressing the engine builders out. That is, I think, the main reason why Hamlin will not win this weekend. He probably won’t blow an engine, although JGR has had their problems this year. He may, however, back off of it late in the race if some others blow theirs.

Be sure to follow Joseph Davis on Twitter @the_Bumpdrafter

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Oh, What A Difference A Year Can Make

Last year, the talk of the garage, at times, was that the two car team of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing was on the rise and could be the next team to challenge for a spot amongst the series’ best. They won 4 races, including the Daytona 500, the Brickyard 400, the race at Watkins Glen, and the fall race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. And, although coming up short, both of their drivers, Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya, were on the edge of a Chase berth during the summer.

Down the garage just a bit, there was another team that was struggling for its existence. Although it had the name of the other 7 time champ, Richard Petty Motorsports was being run by George Gillett, Jr. straight into the ground. The team had debt up to its eyeballs, drivers jumping ship, like Kasey Kahne, and a rumor that the doors would be closing. The drivers that currently drive for RPM, Marcos Ambrose and A.J. Allmendinger, were struggling. Ambrose finished 2010 with 2 top five’s and 4 top ten’s, while A.J. finished slightly better with 2 top five’s and 8 top ten’s.

But my, oh my, how things can change in the off season.

RPM was bought back by Richard Petty and a group of investors, placing the control of the team back under someone with proven ability to win in NASCAR. Although there was much to do in the off-season, and many unknowns for the coming year, the RPM crew worked hard, and apparently well. In the first 11 races of this season, the RPM duo has compiled a combined 2 top five’s and 5 top ten finishes. Another great stat for the RPM team is that in 2010 they had a total of 11 DNF’s. So far, for 2011, they have only 1.

Meanwhile, over at EGR, Montoya and McMurray are struggling to find their rhythm from last year. Although Montoya began the year with a head full of steam, lately he has been deflated. His average finish for the first six races was 11th, however, for the last four, his average finish has been 28.5. His teammate has had only two top ten finishes so far, and ranks a dismal 26th in laps run on the lead lap.

We all know about the wide array of changes made at RPM in the off-season to bring about their improvement in finishes. What we don’t know, and Mr. Ganassi, no doubt, will be working to find out, is what was changed at EGR to bring about their disappointing racing.


Follow Joseph Davis on Twitter @the_Bumpdrafter

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Harvick-Busch Adding Spice To A Lively 2011

The 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season has already been a lively one. There have been angry Colombians (Juan Pablo Montoya), steaming engineers (Newman), cursing on the "In Car" radio (almost all drivers), and an appearance by the next Donald Trump (Truex firing his pit crew). Heck, even Jimmie Johnson has been pissy a few times with Chad Knaus on the radio. Shocking, I know!!

Now, to top it off, the two most volatile personalities in the garage, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch, have decided to yet again fill the "NASCAR Bad Boy" role. The only problem is that they apparently decided to do so at the same time.

The two, as any fan knows, got into each other multiple times at Darlington, only to end up making a show on pit lane. The show even included a shove through the window by Harvick only to see Busch push his car into the pit wall. Maybe Busch was in "Bumpdrafter" mode??

The excellent TV has not stopped to this point. This week, the two met again via NASCAR hauler and had separate press conferences to answer about the closed door meetings and on-track horse play. Perhaps NASCAR wanted to capitalize on all of the hubbub. Either way, the two ended up throwing some more verbal "punches" through the press conferences, proving that the dislike is not likely to end any time soon.

As for more on-track issues, NASCAR will likely be as tough on these two as they were on JPM and Newman last week considering they are on a 4 week probation. Whether the 29 and 18 find each other at Dover or not, there will probably be plenty of carnage to go around as the "Monster Mile" is notorious for chewing drivers up and spitting them out in front of coming traffic.

Will there be more tempers this Sunday? I wouldn't bet against it.

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What Do Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, And Charlie Sheen Have In Common?

For many NASCAR fans, the closest they get to know their favorite driver is to see them race, hear their interviews, and maybe someday get an autograph.  What a sad thing for those fans!  You cannot really get to know someone until you have heard how funny they can be or how well they actually engage fans.

A few weeks ago, I became a twit, tweep, whatever you want to call it.  Believe me, I was very reluctant, but wanted to see if it might help me gain insights into the world of NASCAR and help me to better enjoy the sport I love.  Thank God I did.  Every day I laugh at least once at something a NASCAR personality, driver and media alike, has said.

Although the drivers I mentioned in the title are nowhere near as off the wall as Charlie Sheen, what they have in common is that they have embraced the new “Social Media” and are using it to communicate, both with their fans and with each other.  Of course, Sheen’s following on twitter, currently 2.9 million and counting, dwarfs the following of the NASCAR drivers and personalities, their numbers are nothing to discount.

Recently, Jimmie Johnson, “Five Time” himself, joined Twitter, and has quickly grown a following by simply communicating with his fans.  Some drivers, such as Brian Vickers, even ask their fans trivia questions and give away items to correct answerers, sometimes even tickets to the next race!  Kevin Harvick is especially entertaining to follow.  This guy is constantly tweeting comical things about his day and his continuous pranks.

The long list of drivers on Twitter also include Martin Truex, Danica Patrick, Trevor Bayne, Ryan Newman, Michael Waltrip, Juan Pablo Montoya, Elliot Sadler, Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray, Travis Pastrana, Ricky Carmichael and more!  Also, almost every personality on ESPN and Fox Sports are on Twitter.

Even some of the NASCAR media and the team members have large followings.  T.J. Majors, spotter for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Danica Patrick, is definitely one of my favorites to follow on Twitter.  He gives a peak into the NASCAR live and tweets info before and after the races, while also showing the human side of the NASCAR personalities by tweeting about his family life.

Other favorites of mine are Brad Keselowski, who is just as brash on Twitter as you’d imagine, Darrell Waltrip, who tweets as much as he talks, and even Kyle Busch, yes, I said it and I feel better for it.  Any fan who wishes to get the most out of following NASCAR should definitely consider getting a Twitter account and following their favorite drivers and media, you definitely won’t regret it.

For those of you who do follow some drivers and personalities on Twitter, leave me a comment as to who your favorite NASCAR “twit” is.  Oh..  and did I mention you can also follow me on Twitter?  Its @The_Bumpdrafter


Some of the Twitter names I follow:

@danicaracing @JimmieJohnson @JeffGordonWeb @Tbayne21 @Tjmajors @MattYocum @RyanNewman39 @JennaFryer @WendyVenturini @MartySmithESPN @bobpockrass @MikeDavis88 @MW55 @KevinHarvick @Elliott_Sadler @jpmontoya @kaseykahne @dennyhamlin @HermieSadler @RutledgeWood @BrianLVickers @keselowski @bobdillner @TravisPastrana @jeff_gluck @AllWaltrip @DanicaPatrick    

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Early Points: Surprises High And Low

Yes, yes, I know, it is way too early to get caught up in any discussion about points standings with only three races in the books for 2011. Too bad, I will anyway. The reason being, there are several drivers who are surprisingly high and several who are surprisingly low, even after only three races. Although there is much time, and assuredly the top ten staples will return to the top ten for the most part, with the new points system and so many changes in NASCAR, any differences should be noted and watched.

In any off season predictions of this years Chase contenders, you would have found Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle, and Kevin Harvick. You also probably saw Joey Logano, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Burton, and Clint Boyer. The average current points position for these seven drivers is 25.7 and they are an average 52 points behind leader Kurt Busch. Now, under the old system, 52 points would not be much, but in the current system, those are comparable to about 200 points in the old system.

Being behind that far and winning the championship has not happened since Terry Labonte in 1996. Labonte was 211 points behind Dale Jarrett in the old point system after Richmond (the third race that year.) However, that was due mostly to Jarrett’s dominating start to the season. That year, he began with one win and three straight top five finishes and was 86 points ahead of second place Jeff Burton. Also, with the implementation of the “Chase”, a huge lead shrinks quite quickly.

With that said, these seven drivers definitely know that they need some good runs and they need them now! Look for these drivers to have a good deal of damage to their front bumper and right side as they root their way to the front at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The surprises near the top of the points standings are none other than Juan Pablo Montoya, Paul Menard, A.J. Allmendinger, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Although a few predictions may have had Montoya and Earnhardt Jr. in their top twelve for the Chase, I doubt any of those prognosticators would have thought Junior and Montoya would have had such good finishes so early in the season.

None of the predictors would have picked Menard and Allmendiger for the top ten, and definitely not so early. With Menard starting a new team at RCR and Allmendinger racing for a rebuilt RPM, the two drivers would have been happy with mid-teen consistent finishes at this point. Yet they have been competitive in the top ten and near the top five at each track so far.

Of course, the one factor yet to play its little hand in the stats of this blog post has yet to rear its head. Time. A few races will make much clear. Will the perennial favorites move back up with a few good finishes? Or will the surprises at the top trip over a couple of disappointing finishes and not regain their current composure?

That, friends, is why we turn the racing on each and every week!


See more from Joseph Davis at The Spotter Stand and follow him on Twitter @the_Bumpdrafter

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Who Is Up For Grabs In 2011?

Every year in NASCAR there are changes. Such is life. Each season people move from one team to another or new faces come to the Sprint Cup series from Nationwide or other forms of racing.  What will change in 2011?

After a quick look through the top drivers from last year, 2011 could prove eventful when it comes to driver moves.  At the end of 2011, eight big names are coming to the end of their contracts: Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Juan Pablo Montoya, Brian Vickers, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton, Ryan Newman and Mark Martin.

Out of this bunch, I believe Denny Hamlin and Jeff Burton are pretty well set to stay put. Hamlin is on the edge of a championship and Gibbs would probably chase any other owner away from him.  Burton is entering the last few years of his career and likely would want to end it with a top tier team, something that would not happen if he left RCR.

The only driver that will definitely be moving after Homestead is Mark Martin. With Kahne set to take his ride in 2012, most figured Martin would say farewell in 2011, a thought Martin put to rest in the off season. The question is where will he go.  Will he go back to a limited schedule?  Or will he possibly be slated to start a new car for Stewart Haas?  Only time will tell.

The other four drivers fall into two groups: those who could be moved by money, and those who could be moved for more success. Edwards and Biffle, both from the Roush Fenway stable, will most likely be the object of any possible bidding wars. Both of these drivers, especially Edwards, can still compete for championships, and will likely bring a pretty penny.

The two remaining drivers, Newman and Montoya, had some success in 2010, but both teams were inconsistent and could not make the Chase. Both of these drivers want to compete, and if inconsistency turns to stagnation, look for a change.

With any of the last four drivers moving a domino effect could open a few seats, one or two of which could always be filled by new faces. It has been two years since NASCAR had a competitive rookie, no disrespect to Kevin Conway, and several drivers, such as Trevor Bayne, Rickey Stenhouse Jr., or Steve Wallace are chomping at the bit.

2011 could also hold a move for an unknown: someone moving before their contract is up, as some have done in the past. Whoever goes wherever, movement is coming, and will hopefully provide an interesting backdrop to a blockbuster season.


Read more by Joseph Davis at The Spotter Stand and follow him on Twitter @the_Bumpdrafter

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