Elliott Sadler and Bobby Labonte have moved to the front of the line of unemployed Nascar drivers. Both are candidates for the same rides. Both bring experience and are attractive to sponsors. Labonte holds a Cup Championship, but Sadler is younger and has a TV gig with SPEED adding extra exposure.

There options:

EGR #41 Chevy -First on the list is the EGR (Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing) #41 Chevy. Labonte had a potential sponsor and looked like a done deal, but nothing has been finalized and the longer the deal sits the more unlikely it appears to happen. Sadler has to finalize his termination & release with GEM first. His sponsors are also looking for a way out to follow Sadler. Both Best Buy & Stanley are unhappy with Sadler being released, but both could be stuck for a year like M&M's was with driver David Gilliland. GEM officials have stated their sponsor contracts have no ties with who drives, leaving those decisions up to GEM. If AJ doesn't make a splash expect both Best Buy & Stanley to bolt after 2009.

Penske Racing #77 Dodge - This was has stipulations. Hornish is the driver, but an opening would happen if Penske's Sam Hornish Jr. replaces Helio Castroneves in the IRL IndyCar Series [who faces a trial and possible jail over IRS charges].

#22 Toyota - The odd man could end up in the #22 at Daytona. Having Labonte or Sadler could be enough to lure a sponsor and pending results could help land a sponsor. As of today, doesn’t yet have sponsorship in place for the upcoming season. “It’s difficult, there’s no doubt about that,” Held said. “If you think we’re sitting here with something in our back pocket that we’re just not ready to announce yet, I can assure you that’s not the case. ... We’ll keep trying and we’ll keep looking, and we know it’s not going to be easy.” He and BDR Vice President Marty Gaunt have “made the decision, having owned our own teams before, the one thing we both made a pact to do was we would not attempt to do something that is short of funding — it always ends in disaster,” he added. “If we come out onto the track (in 2009 with a Cup team) it’s because it makes good business sense and nothing more.”