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NASCAR Teams looking at Cha-Cha-Changes

August 22, 2008

NASCAR’s Silly Season may be wrapping up.

Scott Wimmer, who until recently has been rumored as a possible driver in the new Richard Childress Racing #33 ride, will not return to the Chevy team in 2009.  Wimmer and Jeff Burton combined to win a Nationwide Series owners championship for RCR in 2007.  The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Wimmer hasn’t posted enough wins in the car and was not the new sponsor’s driver of choice.

RCR has announced that Clint Bowyer will move to the #33 next year with the General Mills sponsorship and soon to be ex-Hendrick driver Casey Mears taking over the #07 Jack Daniels ride for ‘09.  It seems general Mills wasn’t trilled with the former Kellogg’s driver hawking Cheerios.  Will Mears be able to do at RCR what he has not been able to do on a consistent basis at Hendrick Motorsports or at Chip Ganassi Racing?  It will again come down to the equipment that he is given.  Casey could argue that his stuff has been at the bottom of the pecking order at both shops.

Speaking of Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates; Chevron-Texaco dropped their little bomb this week that they will no longer be supporting the #42 car of Juan Pablo Montoya after this season.  It seems the Texaco brand is going the way of DeSoto, and they will be investing their advertising monies in a different direction.  Sirius Speedway/Motorsports Soapbox is also reporting that the Target sponsorship that has been gracing the #41 driven by Reed Sorensen may be gone as well.  Chip will have to do some serious sponsor work in the off season to fill the quarter panels of those rides while trying to get the #40 back up and funded.

Maybe the 2009 version of Silly Season is still going strong.  Not only are there still seats to be filled, but more importantly, there are hoods and quarter panels to be filled.  When long time sponsors leave the sport; as Texaco will, Target might and Kodak, Pfiser and Goodwrench have,  the impact can have a long term affect.  Lets hope there are enough  new willing partners to keep the NASCAR ship afloat.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media

Written by Steve Wronkowicz · Filed Under Chip Ganassi Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR, On Pit Row | Leave a Comment 

Nationwide Series In Mexico Does Not Disappoint

April 21, 2008

Kyle Busch outlasted Marcos Ambrose and Scott Pruett to win NASCAR’s south of the border showdown.

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Rowdy has made the 2008 NASCAR seasons; Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Craftsman Truck, look easy. As Charlie wrote earlier in “Is Kyle Busch the best driver in NASCAR..” The Shrub has been having an unbelievable season so far.

Ambrose and Boris Said had a run in early in the race on Sunday. Said was mad enough to let everyone know his displeasure with Ambrose:

“Just cheap-shotted me and took me out, He hooked my left rear in turn one. He had me sideways for a while and then just turned me around. … I’m not going to cry about it, but I’m going to go apologize to his crew chief because it’s going to cost him a car.”

This type of controversy has become standard when the Nationwide Series moves across the border, whether its north or south.

Rowdy’s win in Mexico City leads to this weeks BUZZ ON PIT ROW:

Kyle Busch leads the Nationwide and Truck Series and is second in Sprint Cup. Is he now the best driver in NASCAR?

photo credit: Icon Sports Media

Written by Steve Wronkowicz · Filed Under Bench Racing blog, Buzz On Pit Row, NASCAR | Leave a Comment