Edwards and Biffle Could Be Next to Join the "Dark Side"

Carl Edwards (L) and Greg Biffle could be waving goodbye to
Roush-Fenway Racing after 2014

At the end of the 2012 season, Matt Kenseth left Roush-Fenway Racing, his home since he began his full-time Cup Series career, to take over the No. 20 Toyota at Joe Gibbs Racing. Kenseth's former owner, and all-around Ford company man Jack Roush, said that his driver was joining the "dark side" because of JGR's affiliation with a Japanese nameplate. Now, it appears Roush's other veteran drivers will be joining Kenseth on the dark side of the garage.

There has been a lot of speculation lately as to whether or not Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards would return to their RFR Ford's next season. Biffle joined the Cup tour in 2003 and Edwards in 2005, and both have only ever driven Fords for Jack Roush in that time. But fans watching the NASCAR on FOX prerace show from Dover International Speedway this past Sunday might have been given a sneak peek into Biffle's Sprint Cup Series future.


FOX analyst Darrell Waltrip was asked by anchor Chris Meyers were discussing where Biffle and his teammate Carl Edwards would end up next year, as both their contracts expire after 2014. Waltrip said he thought Edwards would land at Penske Racing, and then peculated that, "Greg Biffle will go to some two-car team that maybe one time had a third car." While the response seemed harmless enough, he put his arm around his younger brother, fellow FOX analyst and owner of Michael Waltrip Racing, Michael Waltrip when he said it. MWR was a three car organization until last season when they lost sponsor NAPA after the Richmond cheating scandal and were forced to scale back to running two cars. (This wouldn't be the first time Ol' DW let the cat out of the bag. He tweeted that Dale Jr was running a throwback Wrangler paint scheme in the July Nationwide race at Daytona in 2010 before the team could hold a press conference to announce it).
 

How much longer will Greg Biffle be at Roush-Fenway Racing?

 The younger Waltrip looked at the camera almost in shock that his brother had let some top secret information leak, then tried to do a little bit of backpedaling. "Uhhhhhh, I think [Biffle's teammate] Carl [Edwards] goes and Greg stays," he said. "I think the Biff stays at Roush, he's going to be the veteran, the anchor to that rookie lineup for the young guys that are going to race at Roush."

While this is still speculation and it always seemed that the Biff bled blue and would retire with Roush and Ford Motor Company, the idea of him leaving Roush for MWR does actually hold water. The only reason MWR lost their third team was because of the cheating scandal that haunted them after the Richmond race last Septermber that caused sponsor NAPA to jump ship and join JR Motorsports and Chase Elliott's Nationwide team this year. Biffle has been with sponsor 3M for years and the two have become fairly synonymous. If he left for MWR, 3M would no doubt follow the Vancouver, Wash. driver to back him at his new home. This would provide the funding for Biffle to run a full-time schedule, just as they do for his No. 16 team now. The only question mark is if the Richmond scandal is still on the minds of 3M executives and if such a large company would want to be associated with a team that tried to manipulate the outcome of a race. NAPA Auto Parts sure didn't.

Both of MWR's current drivers, Brian Vickers and Clint Bowyer, have been extremely inconsistent this year and the organization hasn't won a race since Martin Truex, Jr won in the team's now shuttered No. 56 car at Sonoma in 2013. But Biffle's team has also had some trouble finding victory lane, with no victories so far this year and only one win last year. While this seems like something of a lateral move at best, the rumors surrounding Edwards have him driving for a much more consistent team.

Edwards may be flipping for a different team next season

Like Biffle, the Columbia, Missouri driver can always be found talking about Fords, their great fuel mileage and how much he loves driving his Fastenal Fusion because of it. But Edwards also thinks himself a modern day Michael Waltrip; a great pitchman who could sell ice to an Eskimo. Gibbs would need to expand to four cars to accommodate Edwards, something the team has said they would do if the funding could be found to do it competitively. So should current sponsors like Fastenal, Aflac and Subway follow  that could prompt JGR to start a fourth team. But if they can land Edwards, his skills as a salesman could also help the team land a corporate backer as well. But this seems like the least likely of the two options. There has been talk at some point over the last several seasons that Edwards would be leaving his familiar No. 99 in favor of the "Dark Side" and a JGR Camry, so if they were banking on signing Edwards and finding a sponsor for his car after the ink dried, they probably would've done that the last time his contract expired.

We still need to wait and see where all of the cards will fall and whether both these drivers stay or go come next season. Fans may have seen a glimpse into Biffle's future this past Sunday, but where Edwards lands could be a little bit more difficult to figure out. While Roush might not want to see two of his current drivers piloting foreign nameplates next season, it might behoove Edwards and Biffle to join the "Dark Side." Kenseth won three races and finished seventh in points in 2012, his final year at Roush, he won seven races and finished second in the standings, almost winning the Sprint Cup championship for Gibbs the next year in 2013. Whose to say his former RFR teammates wouldn't experience the same level of success?

NAPA to End Longtime Relationship With Michael Waltrip Racing After 2013

Michael Waltrip (left) and Martin Truex, Jr are far from all smiles
after news that NAPA will leave MWR after 2013 (Google Images)

They say that "when t rains, it pours." If that's the case, then Michael Waltrip may want to start taking swimming lessons because the little black rain cloud that has been over his team the last two weeks just grew into an all-out hurricane.

In what could be the most shocking sponsorship news in recent memory, NAPA Auto Parts announced Thursday morning that they will not return to Michael Waltrip Racing for the 2014 season. This comes as a result of the team's actions at Richmond two weeks ago when it tried to manipulate the outcome of the race to get Martin Truex, Jr and NAPA into the 2013 Chase for the Sprint Cup when Clint Bowyer intentionally spun in the closing laps and Brian Vickers pitted late to forfeit his position to Truex.

After thorough consideration, NAPA has made the difficult decision to end its sponsorship arrangement with Michael Waltrip Racing effective December 31, 2013," the company posted on it's Facebook page Thursday morning. "NAPA believes in fair play and does not condone actions such as those that led to the penalties assessed by NASCAR. We remain supportive of the millions of NASCAR fans and will evaluate our future position in motorsports."

While the news came as a surprise, it was not unexpected. NAPA announced after MWR's actions at Richmond that it was reviewing it's relationship with the team and that it would make a decision regarding that partnership. The auto parts giant is leaving MWR with two years left on it's contract and, at roughly around $15 million per year, that is going to leave a major void in Waltrip's lineup.

Martin Truex Jr's lone win for NAPA so far came this past June
at Infineon Raceway (Google Images)

Perhaps the biggest reason this news came as such a shock is that NAPA has been a sponsor of Waltrip since he began driving for Dale Earnhardt, Incorporated in 2001. In that time, he won four races from 2001 through 2003, including a pair of Daytona 500 victories. While he has not had a very illustrious career, the auto parts supplier, Waltrip has seldom been seen without some article of clothing emblazed with the NAPA shield. It was that loyalty that prompted them to stick with him when he began MWR in 2007. However, this is when the downward spiral begins.

In one of the several inspections before the 2007 Daytona 500, Waltrip's Toyota was found to have a mysterious fluid (it was never confirmed, but many maintain it was some sort of jet fuel) in the intake manifold that was meant to enhance performance. Waltrip eventually qualified for the race, but the scandal cast a dark shadow over the team and it's partners. Waltrip went on to miss 25 total races that year and, in an off track incident, crashed his personal car in the early hours of the morning and left the scene of the accident. Waltrip vehemently denied being under the influence of alcohol, but whether he was or not was never determined.

Through all of the controversy, struggles and missed races, NAPA Auto Parts was a constant at MWR. They stuck by their driver and even poked fun at him in several television commercials. But you can only poke a sleeping bear so many times before it wakes up and bites you. And that is exactly what appears to have happened Thursday.

After all of those trials, NAPA appeared content with where MWR was, despite only netting one win in four seasons with Truex. They renewed their partnership with the driver last August in their home base of Atlanta and were set to remain a major backer of MWR through the 2015 season. But after the fallout from that intentional spin by his teammate that got him into the Chase, Truex is now without a sponsor for the next two seasons. He was an innocent bystander when Bowyer spun his car to purposefully cause the caution that got him into the playoffs, but his team is the one that is taking the brunt of the fallout.



Waltrip (left) and Truex after they thought they had made the Chase
(Google Images)

MWR released a statement and it appears that they are more than ready to move on without the auto parts giant.

"Michael Waltrip Racing respects the decision NAPA announced today following the events at Richmond. There is no doubt, the story of Michael Waltrip Racing begins with NAPA Auto Parts, but there are many more chapters yet to be written. MWR has the infrastructure and support of Toyota for three teams plus three Chase-caliber, race-winning drivers. With the support of our corporate partners we are preparing to field three teams in 2014. MWR is a resilient organization capable of winning races and competing for the championship and that remains our sole focus. "

Waltrip himself also put out a release and he seemed much more apologetic than the man who just one week ago threw team general manager, Ty Norris, under the bus for the team's actions, showed almost no remorse and called his detractors "mean."

"NAPA has been with me from winning two Daytona 500s, to missing races with a new start-up team, and back to victory lane again" said Waltrip. "The relationship grew far past that of just a sponsor, but more of a partner and a friend. We will not be racing a NAPA car in 2014, but I have friendships that will last a lifetime. To the fans and those who made their voice heard through social media, as the owner, I am responsible for all actions of MWR. I sincerely apologize for the role our team played and for the lines NASCAR has ruled were crossed by our actions at Richmond. NASCAR met with the competitors in Chicago and we all know how we are expected to race forward. "

But while he has finally apologized for his teams transgressions, it is too little too late for Waltrip, whose team is still without much of its integrity, credibility and, now, without one of the most lucrative sponsors in the garage. Until the hurricane surrounding MWR subsides and the damage is assessed, there is no telling how costly this gaffe will wind up being.

NASCAR Slams MWR for Richmond Shenanigans; Truex Out of Chase, Newman In

MWR in hot water after NASCAR penalties (Google Images)

When NASCAR said that they would look into whether Clint Bowyer spun his 5-Hour Energy Toyota intentionally with just seven laps left in Saturday night's race in Richmond to help teammate Martin Truex, Jr make the Chase, most fans probably did not expect much in the way of penalties. Perhaps just probation and a "don't do that again," as has been the case in the past. But when the sanctioning body announced it's penalties late Monday night, they left many fans, drivers and reporters surprised by what they heard.

After an in-depth investigation into what happened Saturday night, NASCAR decided to drop the hammer on Michael Waltrip Racing. Each of the team's three cars (Nos. 15, 55, 56) have been docked 50 championship driver and 50 championship owner points and crew chiefs Brian Pattie (No. 15), Scott Miller (No. 55) and Chad Johnston (No. 56) have been place on probation until Dec. 31. MWR was also fined a staggering $300,000 and the team's General Manager, Ty Norris, has been indefinitely suspended from NASCAR competition. But perhaps the biggest part of the penalty is that Truex has been bumped out of the Chase for the Cup field and Ryan Newman has taken his place.



Bowyer's spin continues to confuse (Google Images) 

Because the penalties were assessed after the race and not before the Chase seeding, Truex falls to 17th in the standings, which puts Newman ahead of him. Because both drivers had only one win, Newman got the final of two Wild Card slots Truex previously held. MWR has already announced that they have accepted NASCAR's penalties and will not appeal.

NASCAR president Mike Helton said that there was no concrete evidence that Bowyer spun intentionally, but they were convinced that the team tried to alter the outcome of the event because of what was said over the No. 55 car's radio between driver Brian Vickers and Norris, who also spots for Vickers. Late in the race, Norris implored Vickers to pit his car to help Truex gain the single point he needed to gain a Wild Card spot. "Are you talking to me?" responded Vickers. "I don't understand. Pit right now?" Norris responded, "You've got to pit this time. We need that one point." Truex  would gain that lone point for passing Vickers while he was on pit road and when Vickers returned to the track, he asked his team if they had found something wrong with one of his tires that would have warranted an unscheduled stop. Norris simply replied, "I'll see you after the race Brian. I owe you a kiss."

Meanwhile on teammate Clint Bowyer's radio, spotter Brett Griffin tells his driver that "that 39's going to win the race." On the next lap, Pattie asks his driver if he's hot inside the car and if his arm hurts. "Scratch it," Pattie says. Bowyer then proceeds to execute a controlled spin and move on. You can watch the video below and judge for yourselves whether it appeared premeditated.

"Obviously, we're very pleased with NASCAR s decision to provide Ryan Newman' s rightful place in this year's Chase," Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner Tony Stewart said in a statement. "NASCAR was put in a very difficult position Saturday night at Richmond and we commend the sanctioning body for taking the time to do the necessary due diligence to ensure that the right call was made. " SHR driver Ryan Newman added, "I am proud that NASCAR took a stand with respect to what went on Saturday night at Richmond. I know it was a tough decision to make. With that being said, myself, Matt Borland (crew chief) and this entire #39 team are looking forward to competing for the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. "

In addition to announcing that they would not appeal NASCAR's ruling, MWR co-owner Michael Waltrip released a statement saying, "what occurred on the #55 radio at the end of Saturday night 's race in Richmond was a split-second decision made by team spotter Ty Norris to bring the #55 to pit lane and help a teammate earn a place in the Chase. We regret the decision and its impact. We apologize to NASCAR, our fellow competitors, partners and fans who were disappointed in our actions. We will learn from this and move on. As general manager, Ty Norris has been an integral part of Michael Waltrip Racing since its founding and has my and (co-owner) Rob Kauffman' s full support."

Jeff Burton Out at RCR After 2013; Newman, Dillon May Replace Him

,

Jeff Burton will not return to RCR next season (Google Images)

Another major domino has fallen this silly season and made the 2014 season that much clearer. NASCAR veteran, and longtime fan favorite, Jeff Burton announced Wednesday afternoon that he will not return to Richard Childress Racing after eight seasons together. This has lead many to speculate, not only as to who will replace the 46-year-old racer, but also about what his new plans might be. The leading candidates for the open seat are Ryan Newman and Childress' grandson Austin Dillon.

Burton and his owner held a teleconference today and explained that the South Boston, Va. driver's contract ran through the 2014 season, and once that deal ran out, Burton would run a partial schedule beginning with the 2015 season. But when there was no funding available to make that happen, the duo decided to expedite the process by a year.

"There has been a lot of rumors and speculation over the last several months concerning my time at RCR," Burton said Wednesday. "This is not necessarily the best thing in the world for me, but my wife and I have talked a lot about it. We've been in a lot of situations where we had no idea what was going to happen next, and every time we ended up in a better situation. I'm an optimistic person and I'm going to work to make this a better situation as well."



Burton has driven for Caterpillar since 2009 (Google Images)

Burton went on to say that the financial state of Childress Racing is what prompted the move. With limited funding for next year, it would not have been feasible for RCR to run the majority of Burton's schedule out of his own pocket.

"I had gone to Richard a while ago and told him at the end of 2014, I would step back and not run a full schedule anymore,." said Burton. We're just accelerating that a year early, to give RCR an opportunity to continue to move that team forward and put the funding in place with a really good driver that can go out and be successful."

"We have been working hard to try and get all the funding in place to have four Sprint Cup teams in 2014," said Childress. "With the date on the calendar getting closer to 2014, we just couldn't run partially funded teams next year. Knowing what Jeff's plans were in 2015, he and I worked out an agreement for him to step out of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet after this season."

Sources had Burton moving to either Swan Racing's No. 30 car or one of the two rides at Tommy Baldwin Racing next year. Other rumors have him jumping to the broadcast booth to join NBC Sports when they begin live race broadcasts in 2015. But contrary to these reports, Burton said that he has not spoken to any teams and that he has no concrete plans in place for 2014.

Burton's most recent win was at Charlotte in 2008
(Google Images)

"This is a scary time. It's also an exciting time. It's a little but of both," said Burton of finding a ride for next year. "The one thing I know is I want to be involved in the sport. I like the people. I like the camaraderie. I like the competition. I like the atmosphere. I'm comfortable at a racetrack, and I want to stay involved." Burton also said that he wants to be in a competitive car and that, if none were available in the Cup Series, he would consider a move back down to the Nationwide Series.

As far as who will land the No. 31 car next year, most signs point to Newman. Because Caterpillar will stay with the team and likely sponsor around 24 races, Newman bringing along his current sponsor, Quicken Loans, would fill out the team's sponsorship slate quite nicely. Another option would be for Childress to give the ride to his grandson. Though it hasn't been formally announced, an AdvoCare press release saying they were leaving RCR's Nationwide Series program indicated they were doing so because Dillon would be moving to the Sprint Cup Series next year. While Newman is the most likely candidate, Childress could possibly find it easier to foot the bill for some races so his grandson could run the full schedule.

Burton moved to RCR in the final races of the 2004 season from Roush Racing's No. 99 car. He has won 21 times in his career, including four times for RCR. He has qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup three times, once in 2006 and again in 2008 and 2010. However, since that most recent championship bid, Burton has finished 20th and 19th in 2011 and 2012 respectively. While he made a solid run at the top ten in points over this summer, bad racing luck has relegated him to 22nd in points heading into this weekend's race at Richmond International Raceway.

Childers Leaving MWR for SHR and Harvick in 2014

Rodney Childers will leave MWR for Kevin Harvick's new team at SHR
next season (Google Images)

While the rumors had been circulating for quite some time, it still came as a surprise when Rodney Childers announced Friday morning that he would leave Michael Waltrip Racing after the 2013 season. The consensus in the garage area is that he is headed to Stewart-Haas Racing to turn wrenches on Kevin Harvick's No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet.

"As far as next year, it's not actually 100 percent done, but I think everybody has a good idea what it is," Childers said. "Going to SHR and working with Harvick is an opportunity that not many people ever get. I was afraid if I didn't take it, I would regret it the rest of my life. That's not something I wanted to do." MWR confirmed the news, which no doubt took the organization by surprise. Last week, the team announced Brian Vickers as the full-time driver of their No. 55 entry next year, but they did not announce that Childers would be back with the team. Despite this, MWR co-owner Michael Waltrip was more than confident a deal would get done.

"We feel like it's imminent," he said of re-signing the 37-year-old Childers. "It's going to happen. Obviously, putting together a driver/sponsor combination to go race for a championship is very appealing." However, that combination proved not appealing enough to Childers, who now will have the chance to work with Harvick, a 21-time winner in NASCAR's premiere series, and the chance to work on the Hendrick Motorsports equipment SHR runs on a weekly basis. MWR has made major gains since they began and then nearly went bankrupt in 2007, but they are not at the same level as SHR, who won the 2011 Sprint Cup Series championship with driver and co-owner Tony Stewart.

Childers (left) poses with then-driver David Reutimann
after the duo won Chicago in 2010 (Google Images)

While there are many reasons, both personal and professional, why Childers made this decision, he said there was not one major factor that led him to this point. “There was no one big thing that stood out at all. Everybody at MWR has treated me great for five years and really has had no issues at all," he said. "It's just a personal decision. I've thought about it for a long time and just woke up one day and that's what my heart told me I should do." He also said it was difficult to explain his decision to his team. "I was pretty much a mess trying to tell them," he said. "This team is the best group of guys I have ever been around and a pretty big family. After being here for five years, it's pretty hard to walk away from that." But while Childers values the relationship with his crewmen, it is the relationship he has with Vickers, who he has known since childhood, that may have taken a serious blow.

"The part with Brian is the hardest part for sure," he said. "We've had a long relationship together. It'll be difficult these next few races together, but hopefully they work out. I think after a while it will blow over and hopefully, we'll remain friends like we've always been our whole lives." But the 29-year-old Vickers did not sound as sure as his soon to be former crew chief.

"I was only disappointed the way it was handled with the team and me personally," said a clearly annoyed Vickers. "But at the end of the day, if someone wants to leave, they should leave. The last thing you'd ever want is someone on your team who doesn't want to be there, whatever the reason is." He also told reporters after Friday's first practice session that the "foundation" of his team would not crumble because of "one brick," saying he was in the situation he is for next year because of MWR as an organization and not simply because of Childers. He also did not know who would be atop his pit box next year, but said he is anxious to find out.

As far as what the rest of the year holds for Childers, he said he is "not exactly sure yet." It would not be surprising to see MWR release him from his contract early (the team released Mark Martin of his driving duties 13 races early to fill in for the injured Tony Stewart, coincidentally, at SHR). "We're just going to play it day by day and talk things over and see what's best for MWR," he said. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make this team a winning contender when I leave.

 "All in all, we'll do the best job we can, move forward wit everything and do the best job we can for the rest of the year (or however many more races they allow me to do this)," Childers said. "They've been pretty good about it so far."

Childers joined MWR in 2009 after a five-year stint at Gillette-Evernham Motorsports and a one-year deal at MB2 Motorsports. A former driver himself, he has won three times as a crew chief at NASCAR's top level. His first two victories came with David Reutimann in the 2009 Coca-Cola 600 and the 2010 race at Chicagoland Speedway. He also won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with Vickers this past July.

UPDATE: Childers has been officially let go by MWR. Competition Director, Scott Miller will sit atop Vickers's pit box for the final 12 races of the season. Childers took his crew out to lunch one final time, tweeting a picture of he and his crew at "the Last Supper." (8/26/13)

"It's Only Business;" Corporate Inner-Workings of NASCAR Can Be Puzzling for Fans

Austin Dillon, who drives for his grandfather, Richard Childress, subbed
for Tony Stewart Sunday (Google Images)

NASCAR has always been different than conventional stick and ball sports. That used to be simply because the equipment required was a 3,400 lb. race car rather than a bat and a glove. And the inner workings of the sport used to be no simpler than trying your best to build a car that goes faster than the other 42 cars on the track each week and promote your sponsor in a good light. But now, the sport is driven by corporate sponsor interests and those interests can cause the deck to shuffle, enough so that fans can be left wondering how stock car racing became so complicated. Nowadays, contract or no, big moves can still be made and fans may feel that they need a scorecard to keep track of them.

Case in point. This past weekend at Michigan International Speedway, Austin Dillon was tapped to drive the No. 14 Mobil 1 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing while the car's regular wheelman, Tony Stewart, recovers from a broken leg. Dillon typically drives for his grandfather's team, Richard Childress Racing, running a full Nationwide schedule and a handful of Cup events in preparation for a full-time move to the series in 2014. Dillon, ridiculous looking cowboy hat or not, is quite likely the next big Cup star (next to Kyle Larson), so why would he turn down the opportunity to run what is essentially a Hendrick Motorsports Chevy? There's a lot of information that he could learn right?

Wrong. Fox Sports 1 reported during practice that the team kept Dillon to generalized terminology in describing how the car felt on track. The notebooks were closed, with SHR not wanting Dillon to report anything he could learn back to "Pop-Pop." So what other reason could Dillon have for moving over to the No. 14 at MIS and later this year at Talladega? Stewart and Dillon both share a sponsor in Bass Pro Shops. No doubt Johnny Morris, owner of Bass Pro, had at least little input as to who pinch hit for Smoke.



Martin will have to trade in that royal blue suit
for a black and orange one (Google Image)

So who will fill in in Stewart's Chevrolet SS for the other 12 races Dillon doesn't run? Why Mark Martin of course! That's right. The same Mark Martin who has driven a Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota Camry the past two seasons, and was still under contract to do so for nine more events this year. The team made it no secret that they loved having the 54-year-old driver in their cars from the day they unceremoniously kicked David Reutimann to the curb so Martin could fill his seat. Martin was the same way, praising the efforts of his team, crew chief Rodney Childers, sponsor Aaron's  and Toyota Racing Development. But now, MWR says that this move "makes sense for (the team)," because now they can get a head start with Brian Vickers, who will drive the 55 car in 2014. Suddenly Martin's supposedly valued experience and knowledge of the sport is no longer required. Likewise, fans will now have to unassociated him with Aaron's, who had done a commendable job of making Martin part of their brand, having featured him in commercials with Waltrip since 2012. Now, Martin will have to eat soda cookies for Mobil 1 instead of polishing the headlights on his Aaron's Dream Machine.

But it is not only contracts and sponsor relationships that are now apparently devoid of meaning in NASCAR racing. Words have recently proven to ring just as hollow.
 
Ryan Newman was told before the race weekend at Loudon, New Hampshire that he was the first casualty of the team's acquisition of Kevin Harvick. The reasoning? SHR just doesn't have the funding or resources to run a fourth car. "We're not ready to expand to a fourth team," Stewart said. "I truly wish we were able to facilitate four teams at this time.  We're just not able to do that.  Down the road, I'm sure if that becomes a possibility, he'll most definitely be on the list to fill the fourth seat again." Newman responded to the news of his ouster by going out the next week by not only winning the pole for the Brickyard 400, but the race as well.

Well, this past weekend at Michigan, rumors began to circulate that SHR had, in fact scrounged up enough funding to run a fourth car in next year. So just who is at the top of the list to drive this fourth car?



Busch may head to SHR in 2014 (Google Image)

That would be one Kurt Busch. The hot-headed driver, who's career has had something of a rebirth this year at Furniture Row Racing is rumored to be in talks with SHR to drive a fourth Chevy with sponsorship from Haas Automation, a leading producer of CNC machining tools and the company owned by the "H" in SHR, Gene Haas. This would be a similar model that MWR has followed the past two season's branding the team's No. 15 and No. 55 cars with co-owner, millionaire Rob Kauffman's company, RK Motors. SHR did not confirm or deny talks with Busch, but team spokesman Mike Arning said, "Stewart-Haas Racing constantly strives to improve itself, and expansion is something that is often discussed. If the right opportunity presents itself, it's something the team will certainly consider."

Newman's situation brings to mind the one that faced Reutimann at MWR referenced earlier. He was, at the time, the only driver to win under the MWR banner, victorious in the 2009 Coke 600 and the 2010 race at Chicago. After winning that event, the team offered the Florida driver a 2-year contract extension, saying he and his team had proven themselves worthy of a new deal. But one year later, sponsor Aaron's and Waltrip decided to replace the driver once known around the shop as "The Franchise," with Martin, the driver who has become known by many fans as being like "The Favre," due to his unwillingness to hang up his helmet. With one full year left on that new contract he earned with a hard fought victory (he held off Carl Edwards and Jeff Gordon to get it), and just three races left in the 2011 season, Waltrip texted (yes, TEXTED) Reutimann that he was out and that Martin was in for the 2012 season. At the time, Reutimann was told, "It's just business." He responded with, "It's only business if it doesn't happen to you."

Now Newman, who was no doubt fed that same cliché, and had been promised the fourth car that SHR is now miraculously able to run , has received the same slap-in-the-face treatment Reutimann did two seasons ago. Stewart had promised a future ride to his fishing buddy, but it appears that promise was nothing more than a whopper of a fish story that Newman fell for hook, line and sinker.

STP still sponsors Petty's famous 43 car today (Google Images)

There was, however, a time in NASCAR when sponsor relationships were valued, contracts were worth more than the paper they were printed on, and fans could rest assured that their driver would race for the same team for at least a whole season. Seven-time champion Richard Petty made his name racing STP-sponsored Dodges and Pontiacs from 1972 until he retired in 1992. In fact, STP and "The King" still enjoy a successful business relationship, with Petty still making appearances on their behalf and shooting commercials for the oil treatment producer. Dale Earnhardt will forever be linked to his jet black No. 3 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet. While he is also associated with the yellow and blue Wrangler Jeans Machine he ran from 1982 to 1987, Earnhardt will forever be known as "The Man in Black" because of his relationship with Goodwrench and a paint scheme that remained unchanged from 1988 until his death in 2001. Jeff Gordon has been sponsored in some form or fashion by DuPont since his rookie campaign in 1993. Waltrip, the antithesis of Gordon (winning just four races in over 25 years as a driver), has been synonymous with NAPA Auto Parts since 2001. Dale Jarrett had the UPS "Package Car" from 2001 to 2008.

Yes, NASCAR is now ruled by sponsorship dollars, and the current economic state is such that many drivers need multiple companies to fill out their racing schedule, as one sponsor can no longer write a big check to cover the full 36-race schedule. The latter is bad enough for continuity, but when drivers that have major corporate backing change allegiances at the drop of a hat, fans could be left to wonder, not only what car number their favorite driver is in this week, but "how good can my driver's old sponsor be if he doesn't endorse them anymore?"  NASCAR is more business than sport these days, and that business model relies on fans buying the participating sponsors' products to make their cars go 'round. If fans begin to think of their favorite drivers as businessmen instead of racers, then the sport of stock car racing may be closing in on it's final laps.

Stewart Sidelined Till 2014, Martin Moves to No. 14, Vickers to No. 55

Smoke won't climb back into his No. 14 SS until 2014 (Google Images)

Tony Stewart, who broke the tibia and fibula in a 440 Winged Sprint Car wreck three weeks ago, confirmed Monday afternoon that he will not race again in the 2013 Sprint Cup Series season. This came as no surprise, since the three-time champion no doubt wants to return to his Chevrolet in top form, which will require sitting out for the foreseeable future. Also not surprisingly, it was announced that Mark Martin will fill in for Stewart in 12 of the season's final 13 events (Austin Dillon will drive the No. 14 at Talladega), which means that Brian Vickers will climb behind the wheel of the now vacant No. 55 he split with Martin and team owner Michael Waltrip since 2012. Waltrip will wheel the No. 55 at Talladega as originally scheduled.

Martin has had success in Hednrick-powerd
Chevys before (Google Images)

This unusual game of musical chairs was put in motion over the course of the last weekend at Michigan International Speedway. Stewart's car had been driven by road racer Max Papis at Watkins Glen the week before and Dillon at MIS (both drivers finished 15th and 14th respectively). Stewart-Haas Racing competition director, Greg Zipadelli, had stated that the team wanted to use one or two drivers for sake of continuity. Meanwhile at Michael Waltrip Racing, Vickers had just been named the full-time driver of the team's No. 55 Aaron's Toyota for next year, as Martin would be moving on to another, still unknown opportunity. So with Vickers scheduled to run the No. 55 at Bristol this weekend anyway, rumors began to persist that Martin would not only fill in for Stewart in Thunder Valley, but in all of the following races as well. This would also allow Vickers and his team to get a head start on next season.

"Obviously, I'm disappointed to be out of the Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevy for so long, but the team is in very good hands with Mark Martin and Austin Dillon," Stewart said. "Mark is someone I' ve looked up to my entire career and I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. Austin is a great young talent, and he showed that Sunday at Michigan. Greg Zipadelli, Steve Addington and everybody at SHR supports them 100 percent. This isn' t a situation anyone wanted, but we' re going to make the best of it. In the meantime, my focus is on getting healthy and getting back into my Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevy. "

On it's face, this move seems like a lot of work for just a dozen races. Why didn't SHR just tap a Nationwide driver like Regan Smith or allow Dillon to run the rest of the races? Well for one, the 54-year-old Martin has raced Hendrick powered Chevrolets before, winning five races in 2009 for the NASCAR juggernaut. He would also provide a consistent face for Bass Pro Shops and Mobil 1 until Stewart makes his return at Speedweeks 2014. Martin filled in for the then injured Denny Hamlin at Martinsville, but Aaron's would not permit him to run any other races for the team, which meant Vickers filled in for Hamlin. But now, Aaron's knows that Vickers will run their car full-time next year, so why not allow him to get a jump on it with his team and also allow fans to begin associating him with their brand? This is a move that, in the long run, should benefit all those involved.

"Aaron's is supportive of the arrangement with Mark Martin agreeing to drive for Stewart-Haas Racing ," said Ronald W. Allen, Aaron's Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We're energized about Vickers' availability to drive the No. 55 Aaron's Dream Machine for the remainder of the season. MWR talked about how this move would better position our team for 2014 while helping Stewart-Haas Racing so we believe this is the best of all possible outcomes for everyone."



Stewart's lone win of 2013 came at Dover in June (Google Images)

Vickers, who is also driving a full slate of Nationwide Series races for Joe Gibbs Racing, added, "No one wants to see Tony out of the 14, but I am appreciative of the opportunity to get more  seat time in the 55 as a result."

The three-time Cup Series winner added, "I didn't think things could get any better than last weeks announcement with Aaron's, but having a chance to run the rest of the 2013 season creates a tremendous opportunity for our team and we're excited that this came together the way it did. Mark gets to help out Tony and we get to start our program early in the No. 55."

Despite having nine pole starts, 16 top-five finishes, 23 top-10s and leading over 1,200 laps in his 46 starts at Bristol,  Martin is keeping his expectations for Saturday night's race realistic, citing the difficulty he faced when hopping in Hamlin's No. 11 at Martinsville.

"It's going to be challenging and challenges are good for me," he said. "They drive me hard and I will do everything I can to step up to the plate."

In all, Martin has claimed 40 victories, 56 pole awards, 271 top-fives and 452 top-10s in 870 starts in NASCAR's premier series. The No. 14 is currently ranked 13th in owner points, just 10 points out of the top-10. The team is also currently in line for one of the two wild-card spots thanks to Stewart's win at Dover's this past June.