Racin' With Russ

Racin’ with Russ

By RUSSELL SCHMIDT

Each year at this time, I dive into the many driver, crew, sponsor and paint scheme changes for next year. I’ll also throw in my predictions as to how well the various combos will fare, so either save these articles to keep up with the many changes or take some notes.

Car No. 1 - Jamie McMurray will return behind the wheel of this Earnhardt-Ganassi ride after a pretty dismal 2011 season. Finishing 27th in points with no wins after winning several times the year before is certainly not what this group had in mind.

Perhaps changes in upper management along with crew chief Kevin Manion will turn things around for what could be a winning combo. Chase material? Probably not. The paint schemes for sponsors McDonald’s and Bass Pro Shops look pretty similar.
2 - Brad Keselowski surprised many people last year with 3 wins, a berth in the Chase and fifth overall in the standings. His crew chief Paul Wolfe can certainly be patted on the back for helping this young Penske pairing achieve one pole, three top five’s, 14 top ten’s and $5 million in earnings.

Miller is back aboard and the paint schemes remain similar to 2011. I’d predict more of the same success for this year with a top three overall not unattainable.

5 - After winning one final time for the now defunct Red Bull team, Kasey Kahne moves over to this Hendrick ride vacated by Mark Martin. Kahne will bring his crew chief Kenny Francis with him to help meld things together at a faster rate, read win!

Sponsors Farmers Insurance, Carquest and perhaps GoDaddy will help pay the bills with fresh paint schemes. My crystal ball says this combo should work well, land at least one win and a berth in the Chase.

7 - Independent owner/driver Robby Gordon will return in a part-time situation with Speed Energy Drinks his major backer. Several other associate sponsors will be primary’s along the way for this also-ran entrant.

Just getting in the races is an accomplishment and certainly top 10 runs at the road course venues is possible.

9 - As part of Richard Petty Motorsports, Marcos Ambrose put on some impressive performances, especially on the road courses with one win, five top fives and a dozen top 10 runs overall. Most of the teams ingredients are still in place including Stanley tools as the major backer. Todd Parrott may be the crew chief; the paint scheme has more black in it and is more attractive.

Results? I’d say more of the same top 20 in points and may even break through the barrier to earn that first win on an oval.

11 - Denny Hamlin has had the tools to win a title for the past two seasons. He blew it last year, read choke and this year, well this year, while he made the Chase, he was never a threat and barely cleared the top 10 in points. One win, five top fives and 14 top tens does not equal a champion.

The Joe Gibbs driver is at the tail end of his contract and I would predict another lackluster season could see the Virginia driver on the unemployed list for 2013. Crew chief Mike Ford was just replaced with Darien Grubb, certainly a move in the right direction of success. Fed Ex is back as check signer with several slightly more attractive paint schemes, but still predominantly black with white numbers.

Results? The kid needs to get his head in the game and Grubb just might be the guy to get him back on track. Chase? Yes. Title? No.

From Rumorville - Don’t be surprised to see unemployed Kurt Busch driving the James Finch No. 51 this year among the Cup ranks. It’s probably one of the few decent rides available at this time. I had to laugh when team owner Finch was asked about Kurt’s talent and in-car tirades and what he thought of them. Finch replied, “He’s not first on my list and as long as I’m paying him, he won’t talk like that to me!”

--- While Kurt Busch is beating the pavement for a job, so is David Regan, only Regan is looking in the Penske direction and is the most likely candidate to land a one-year deal….or will it be Scott Speed? What do you think? Drop me a line.

That’s it for this week. Next week, RWR will continue with Part 2 of Who’s Where for 2012 NASCAR’s Sprint Cup series along with racing news from around the globe.

Questions? Comments? Contact Russ at racinwithruss@comcast.net