Roush Racing Rumor Round-up
Rumors first started swirling around Roush-Fenway Racing a few weeks ago on the status of Greg Biffle. Various permutations of them had the driver of the #16 going in more directions than California’s Santa Ana Freeway has exits.
That issue seems close to a settled deal with Biffle saying he’s on the verge of resigning with Roush this past weekend.
But, as these things go as soon as that story wound down certian media outlets in Charlotte floated rumors claiming Jamie McMurray was headed out the Roush-Fenway garage to parts unknown. I haven’t clue #1 whether the story is any more true than the rumor monger that floated it.
But I will say this, it makes far more sense for Jamie to be cut loose than having Biffle on the open market. For one, Biffle is a proven winner although it’s been a while because of various issues not all of his making.
McMurray at this point has all the makings of a NASCAR journeyman driver, someone good enough to stick with the “bigs” but only good enough to stay on the fringe and not be a consistent winner. Maybe that’s not a fair assessment, but you have to assume he’s had the same equipment his teammates have had the last 18 months and he hasn’t shown much.
The larger issue in my opinion is Roush having to cut down to four teams no later than the end of the 2009 season.
Consider this. Roush has under his developmental wing Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. The kid is leading the ARCA RE/MAX Series points at the moment.
Erik Darnell and Colin Braun are driving trucks in the NCTS and working their way up the ladder to the Cup level. And for good measure you may as well toss in Cup/NCTS driver Travis Kvapil, although running a Yates Ford he as close to being a Roush property as you can get without the birth certificate stating such.
(As a side note: Is Kvapil the best unsponsored driver in Cup, or what?)
That’s nine drivers all at the Cup level or with serious aspirations to race at that level.
So what’s a team owner do? Well, you can start the cut down process early and wave good-by to McMurray and run only 4 Cup teams in 2009.
Or make the same waving motion in Jamie’s direction and slot into the #26 one or more of the development drivers for 2009 to test them under fire. Then in Nov. 2009 lop off the fifth team, decide what drivers other than Biffle, Edwards and Kenseth are keepers and go from there.
Looking at the team size from another angle there’s a larger related issue. We’ve all heard the whining, seen the wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth over NASCAR being dominated by the “evil” multi-car teams.
Think about this for a minute. Roush has 3, and if you stretch it and include Kavpil, 4 development drivers he’s paying out big bucks to support.
Bill Davis, not exactly a so-called mega team has signed Chrissy Wallace to a development contact, and is supporting Michael Annett who has never finished out of the top ten in four ARCA RE/MAX starts and gave Toyota its first ARCA win at Talladega. BDR is also supporting Scott Speed and has been rewarded with two wins one in the ARCA RE/MAX Series event at Kansas and this past weekend when the NCTS visited Dover.
Moving to Joe Gibbs, it goes without saying Joey Logano leads the teams development program, but Marc Davis is just outside the major media’s spotlight running in the Camping World East Series and without Gibbs early support Aric Almirola wouldn’t be sharing a Cup Ride with Mark Martin.
Also in the Camping World East Series is RCR’s support of several drivers including the grandson of Richard Childress Austin Dillon. Ryan Foster in Camping World West Series, Jessica Helberg as part of the Drive for Diversity program and few others also are racing on RCR’s dime
DEI is providing the ride Jeffery Earnhardt competes in. Trevor Bayne, Ricky Carmichael, Jesus Hernandez (Drive for Diversity program) and Matt Martin also get DEI support in various series’.
All of this is a very long-winded way to say the “evil” multi-car teams some fans love to hate are the very life-blood of NASCAR.
The days of an aspiring driver cobbling together enough cash and equipment to enter any of the top three NASCAR series’ are long past.
More to the point, they are expending tons of cash not just for their own benefit but for the benefit of NASCAR as a whole and that support will result in some of the smaller teams picking up the left-overs, so to speak.
The one or two car teams who don’t have the cash or other resources stand to be the ultimate benefactors of the largess of the “evil” multi-car juggernauts.
And that can only be a good thing!
Technorati Tags: Mark Martin, Roush Fenway Racing, Greg Biffle, Jamie McMurray, ARCA RE/MAX Series, NASCAR, Joe Gibbs, RCR, DEI, Full Throttle
I hadn’t really thought about this before. Of the teams you mentioned that have good “farm” systems, only BDR would be considered a small money Cup team. I’m surprised more low-budget teams wouldn’t go this route to try and find some young talent. These teams have little chance of competing with the big dogs technology wise, but they could at least try and snap up some good young talent to rival the mega teams.
Mike, as the roster at Roush demonstrates there’s no need for the smaller teams to sign too many development drivers.
Jack and to a certain extent RCR have more under contract than they can possibly use.
As a side note to Bill Davis racing, he is also supporting a couple drivers that are running with the Bill McNally teams out west so even as a “small” NASCAR team he’s punching above his weight class when it comes to developing drivers.
If you are - or know of - an aspiring stock-car star, BDR just ran a help/sponsored driver wanted ad on the arcaracing.com website for a replacement for the car that Michael Annett has been driving in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. Michael is movin’ on up to the truck series.
Charlie, I saw that come across the wires. I thought about making a smart-assed post about it by having Jacques Villeneuve “answer” the ad but didn’t.
The guy currently driving the #5 in Sprint Cup will be looking for work shortly…