Every season, it seems as if NASCAR's silly season begins earlier and earlier.
The 2007 silly season actually began in December of 2006 when Dale Earnhardt, Inc. owner Teresa Earnhardt publicly called out Dale Earnhardt Jr. What made it ‘silly’ was the fact that Earnhardt Jr was approaching the final year of his contract with DEI. Once Earnhardt Jr decided to leave DEI, the dominoes began to fall.
All drivers ranked below are drivers that moved from one full-time Sprint Cup ride to another.
1. 88-Dale Earnhardt Jr, From DEI to Hendrick Motorsports- Upgrade
No other storyline came close to matching the enthrallment of the Dale Earnhardt Jr to Hendrick Motorsports announcement. In one of the most publicized driver changes in NASCAR history, Earnhardt Jr appears to have upgraded his status on paper by joining the organization that dominated NASCAR in 2007. NASCAR’s most popular driver has been accused of being NASCAR’s most overrated driver ever since he has failed to match his six wins in 2004. Since then, he only has two wins, none of which were in 2007. So the time has come for Earnhardt Jr to compete for the championship and prove to all of the cynics that they are oblivious when it comes to his skills behind the wheel. That is why he chose NASCAR’s premier organization. Tony Eury, Jr, Earnhardt Jr’s crew chief at DEI, will tag along as well as a few former DEI employees. The cars will likely be faster and the equipment will be more reliable, so Earnhardt Jr should have the most success of all drivers in new uniforms following his move from DEI.
2. 18-Kyle Busch, From Hendrick Motorsports to Joe Gibbs Racing- Very, very slight downgrade
Kyle Busch was the odd-man out once Dale Earnhardt Jr became available. Who wouldn’t want Earnhardt Jr on their team? The man could turn Waste Management into a cool sponsor. ‘Depends’ could be his sponsor and he would still sell millions of hats and shirts. Anyway, the youngest of the Busch brothers became the hottest commodity once Earnhardt Jr was signed by Hendrick Motorsports. Joe Gibbs Racing was arguably the second best organization in 2007, so his decision to sign with them made sense. Additionally, he will have solid sponsorship with M&M’s. Nevertheless, there are a couple of drawbacks and concerns such as the fact that the 18 team has struggled in recent years while the 20 and 11 have flourished. In fact, the 18 team has not won a race since Bobby Labonte won at Homestead in 2003. However, Busch is one of the most talented young drivers in the sport, and the 5 team was not actually tearing it up when he joined that team in 2005. Also, Joe Gibbs Racing will be fielding Toyota Camry’s in 2008 after a decade in a half of fielding GM products. Toyota is entering its second season in NASCAR Sprint Cup, and the first season was clearly a disappointment. But all signs point to brighter days for Toyota in NASCAR.
3. 5-Casey Mears- From Hendrick Motorsports #25 to Hendrick Motorsports #5- Upgrade
Casey Mears will be driving for his fourth team in as many years once the green flag waves at Daytona in February. He will take over the seat vacated by Kyle Busch with Alan Gustafson as the crew chief. This team won four races in three years, and was consistently the third best among Hendrick Motorsports teams. So logic has Mears improving from his 2007 season with the 25 team. Still, Mears will lurk in the shadows of Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson. Moreover, is it possible that Hendrick Motorsports could have four championship contenders?
4. 96-J.J. Yeley- From Joe Gibbs Racing to Hall of Fame Racing- Parallel Move
J.J. Yeley was actually the most sought after free agent at one brief point in 2007. After Dale Earnhardt Jr’s and Kyle Busch’s destination was revealed, Yeley was the driver that owners with empty seats were contacting. But Yeley chose to stay under the Joe Gibbs Racing umbrella by signing with Hall of Fame Racing. Yeley’s move from the 18 to the 96 is neither an upgrade nor a downgrade. He will no longer be in the shadows of Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin. He will be the main focus with a solid sponsor in DLP Texas Instruments. However, the fact remains that Hall of Fame is a single-car outfit and it is evident that multi-car operations dominate the sport. Like Joe Gibbs Racing, Hall of Fame Racing will field Toyota Camry’s.
5. 70-Jeremy Mayfield- From Bill Davis Racing to Haas CNC Racing- Upgrade
After Jeremy Mayfield revived his career with Evernham Motorsports in 2004, things took an abrupt turn for the worse two years later. A less than amicable parting of ways with Ray Evernham began the downward spiral for one of NASCAR’s top prospects of the late 1990’s. Mayfield signed on with Bill Davis Racing’s new team in 2007, but he missed the first four races of the season, and the team never recovered. Mayfield’s reputation in the garage suffered following the feud with Evernham, therefore, few owners pursued him when he became available again last fall. Ultimately, Mayfield aligned with Haas CNC Racing, a smaller budget team that is provided engine support from Hendrick Motorsports. Mayfield replaces Johnny Sauter in the #70 Chevrolet. He will be in a better position than he was a year ago with Bill Davis Racing; however, it is highly unlikely that he will be anywhere near a Chase for the Championship contender.
6. 66-Scott Riggs- From Gillett Evernham Motorsports to Haas CNC Racing- Parallel Move
The 2007 season was a disaster for Scott Riggs and the entire Gillett Evernham Motorsports organization. By the time the season had reached its mid-point, it was safe to say that Riggs would not be back with the organization in 2008. Ultimately, Riggs was replaced with open-wheel veteran Patrick Carpentier. Riggs was advised by Rick Hendrick to accept a ride with Haas CNC Racing, so the 36 year old driver signed on to replace Jeff Green in the #66. State Water Heaters is expected to provide sponsorship for the #66 team. One positive fact involving the 66 team is that they finished in the top ten three times in 2007, all with the Car of Tomorrow.
7. 44-David Reutimann- From Michael Waltrip Racing #00 to Michael Waltrip Racing # 44- Parallel Move
David Reutimann will begin the year in the #00 car, but after five races, he will replace Dale Jarrett in the #44 UPS Toyota. Reutimann showed signs of improvement and had some decent showings in 2007, which could be why Michael Waltrip retained him. And moving to a neighboring team within the organization should not hinder Reutimann’s development. What will be interesting to see is if Reutimann can provide as much humor as Dale Jarrett did in the series of UPS ‘Drive the Truck’ commercials.
