Full Throttle

(With aplogies to Sheryl Crow) The second cut gets you an entire new make over.

Roush Racing has decided to bring back the No. 26, replacing the No. 97, when Jamie McMurray steps into the car next season starting at Daytona.

The sponsors of Kurt Busch’s old ride - Sharpie, IRWIN and Crown Royal - will transfer over to the new number along with new paint schemes.

Although Busch won the championship with the No. 97 in 2004, the move is a smart one from a marketing point of view. With the recent troubles for Busch, the rebranding will help build a new base for McMurray and the sponsors.

The last time Roush ran the No. 26 was during the 1998-1999 seasons with driver Johnny Benson. Benson, who ran the Cheerios sponsored car at the time, posted 12 top-10 finishes in 48 races behind the wheel of the car.

The No. 26 has seen multiple drivers and owners over the years, most recently with Todd Bodine and Haas-Carter Motorsports in 2002.

Hmmm… maybe there is something to the “vindictive theme” that runs through so many of the comments and stories dealing with the “first cut.”

UPDATE: It took 48 hours, but according to this SI.com report the Homestead officials have had a change of focus and “Kurt Busch’s championship banner waved high over Homestead-Miami Speedway” on Friday. It includes a juicy quote by Jack in the Hat also: “Kurt had been a challenge for everybody that interacted with him on the team at some time or other,”Roush said. “He used up his equity with his sponsors. He used up his equity with me.”

Equity is an interesting term to place on the relationship but it is true. When someone shells out a cool 20 mil for that hood position - and some double that with promotions, appearences and the like - it’s a reasonable expectation your corporate name won’t be associated with so many negative headlines.

Don’t think so, ask the owners of the Philadelphia Eagles about now.