2009 predicted to set a new high for "Silly Season"

There's been lots of "Silly Seasons" in Nascar that dominated the news, most recent when Dale Earnhardt, Jr left DEI, Inc and last year when Tony Stewart & Ryan Newman left their teams to become team mates.

However, no season has the forecast this one does. Most predict 2009 to be "The Perfect Storm" for some teams, drivers and sponsors.

The economy already had it's impact over the off season wrecking havoc with teams. The majority of Cup teams layed off employees, lost sponsors, cut back schedules, released drivers or shut down all together. It's expected to continue in 2009 with sponsors looking to cut cost and drivers under strict performance expectations. The talent on the sidelines waiting for a phone call will leave little room for error. Drivers such as: Dave Blaney, Jeremy Mayfield, Scott Riggs, Patrick Carpentier, Michael McDowell, Elliott Sadler, Jeff Green, Joe Nemechek, Ken Schrader, Bobby Labonte, Kyle Petty, J.J. Yeley, Sterling Marlin and Tony Raines will be ready to get another chance. When drivers start swapping seats, it usually starts a domino effect.

Then you add drivers who have their contracts run out in 2009 like: Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray, Juan Pablo Montoya, David Ragan, David Reutimann, Martin Truex Jr., Brian Vickers. These drivers could become big time free agents. McMurray drives for Roush, who must reduce his team by 1 after 2009. Truex and sponsor Bass Pro Shops could be in the rumor mill all year if DEI doesn't produce right out of the box, with most speculation Truex would take Bass Pro Shops and bolt to Stewart-Hass.

Dodge will grab headlines too, expect them to be contenders again at Daytona and then fall to the side afterwards. Dodge will only have 6-7 teams next year and could be out of the sport all together if they don't produce in 2009. The new Dodge engine will be heavily counted on if Dodge plans to stay in Nascar.

Less than 43? You will probably see a few races with less than 43 cars. Only 36 or 37 full time teams plan to compete the full schedule, along with 4-5 part timers.

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Permalink Reply by C2B on January 6, 2009 at 7:25am

When the guys who can only run a limited schedule find out that a race only has 39-40 cars entered, you will see Carl Long, Stanton Barrett and Morgan Sheperd filling the field. The bigger, well funded teams will have to think about bringing a test driver to the track to run an extra car for the knowledge that would be gained in a real world setting, which it seemed like Hendrick did with the number 5 car the last few years.

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Permalink Reply by Lance on January 6, 2009 at 10:45am

Bring back Kirk Shelmerdine!

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Permalink Reply by Randy Hoeft on January 6, 2009 at 11:13am

Any truth to the report that Robby is switching to Toyota for 2009?

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Permalink Reply by kevin dinsmore on January 6, 2009 at 11:23am

he will be running a Toyota.

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Permalink Reply by NIKAL on January 6, 2009 at 3:47pm

I think we should see 43 cars at every race. You might see several start and park teams, but at the green flag you should see 43 cars. It pays too well for them to not have 43 cars. Also from what I heard on a radio interview with some of the TV/Media people in the sport, was that its their understanding that the TV contracts state that NASCAR must provide 43 starters to fulfill their TV obligation. Now I'm sure if it got to the point were 43 cars just cant happen then NASCAR could work it out with the broadcasting companies and give them a financial re-deduction on the original cost. And really the only tracks where you might have issues would be the West Coast races were the travel is to expensive. But then again this might just open a door for the West Coast Camping World racers to attempt to race a Cup race. We already see some of the West Coast series racers attempting Sanoma and Phoenix every year.

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Permalink Reply by alan4s on January 6, 2009 at 4:16pm

For example"

Baldwin: Genius or Madman?
What kind of madman starts his own unsponsored Sprint Cup team a month before the season starts, in the middle of a global economic meltdown and without a driver, sponsor or car number?

Say hello to Tommy Baldwin, lifelong racer and — perhaps — somebody who is a whole smarter than most of us are giving him credit for.

Baldwin, who cut his teeth with his late father on the short tracks of New York and New England, knows the racing game better than most. His plan is to keep costs at a bare minimum — no fancy shop, no luxury items, no high-dollar driver or crew chief. Make sure costs are low, low, low. It’s a sound strategy on several levels.

With so many teams now out of business or drastically scaled back, Baldwin’s fledgling squad stands a good chance of actually making races, instead of piling up a lot of costly DNQs. And NASCAR Sprint Cup races actually pay pretty well these days: Last year, Kenny Wallace earned a cool $256,735 for his last-place finish in the Daytona 500, while Sam Hornish Jr. pocketed $125,539 by coming home 43rd at California the following week. By my unofficial research, the least amount of money any driver earned in a single Sprint Cup race last year was the $60,373 “Mad Max” Papis took in at Watkins Glen International.

Do the math: If Baldwin’s car can make every race and average $100,000 each time out, the team will pocket $3.6 million. Add a few sponsor dollars in there, and as long as Baldwin’s driver doesn’t crash too often or blow too many engines, the team can make it.

Will they win races? Of course not. But if they can stick around for one season and build something, they could be here a long time. It’s a formula that’s worked for Robby Gordon and it could work for Baldwin, too.

source: Tom Jensen's blog