Rumor mill

LouieLouie said:
I don't understand this Newman retirement thing. He is only 38 years old. Is it more of a forced retirement because no one will take him? The guy has made the chase almost every year.
Also I see a similar situation with Greg Biffle. He is only 46 and has at least 4 years left in him. I would love to see him at Penske in a 3rd car or SHR if Harvick leaves.
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The sport is changing in this regard. Biffle is the oldest active driver in Cup. He isn't a rising star anymore, he's a has-been. He had a pretty good career overall but his time is up. He regularly says that he's pretty much sick of doing this every week. He doesn't have the drive anymore.

Newman too. He doesn't win races and his best days are behind him. Teammate Austin Dillon now out-runs him. There's too much promising young talent coming up to stick with these guys. Ty is going to get the 31 ride, and so where would Newman fit anymore? SHR already hired him and let him go. Gibbs/Furniture Row is set. Roush has their own kids coming up. Maybe if Harvick doesn't go to the 5 and HMS instead gets Larson then Newman could end up at Ganassi? That's the only scenario I could see playing out for him. But even then I think Ganassi would get Kahne who is younger and more appealing to sponsors.
 
Yeah that would be the only thing I see as an issue is that sponsors don't want a guy that old.

I thought Biffle said he is not looking to retire yet. I think he is just sick of Roush. I wouldn't be surprised if he landed somewhere else.
Anyway, did a quick look at the age of some of the drivers to see where everyone stands.

JJ 40
kenseth 44
harvick 40
jr 41
bowyer 36
biffle 46
kurt busch 37
newman 38
kahne 36
carl 36
Jamie Mac 39
paul menard 35
aric almirola 32
bk 32
truex 35
M. Waltrip 53
Tony Stewart 44

I think Tony is retiring because he is just tired of the B.S. that goes on and he is tired of the spotlight. He wants to start managing the team and Eldora more.
Once Biffle goes, I think Kennseth is right behind him, followed by Harvick. They both want one more championship, so if they get it they will retire right then and there.
 
Give them all the boot. They're all has-beens.

There are a sufficient number of young guys with helmet bags lurking outside the gate to fill all those seats, in spite of the fact that most of them have been psychologically abused by Jack Roush. Apparently.
 
I didn't realize Newman is that young but he's been a mid pack to decent driver since about 2006. Ty is moving up and no other top team is gonna give him an opportunity. If he wants to drive for a backmarker then sure he'll be around. But I can't see him wanting to do that. Biffle IMO is sick of driving for roush and he's too old to get a better opportunity
 
DaBiff1618 said:
I didn't realize Newman is that young but he's been a mid pack to decent driver since about 2006. Ty is moving up and no other top team is gonna give him an opportunity. If he wants to drive for a backmarker then sure he'll be around. But I can't see him wanting to do that. Biffle IMO is sick of driving for roush and he's too old to get a better opportunity
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I thought Ty was the better of the two brothers, but he's been stunningly unimpressive in XFINITY. I don't see either Dillon boy getting a ride outside of Childress.
 
From Jayski.

Newman uncertain of future with Richard Childress Racing UPDATE: Ryan Newman and car owner Richard Childress both offered little on Newman's future with Richard Childress Racing on Wednesday. Newman signed a three-year contact to drive for the team beginning with the 2014 season. This is Newman's third year with the organization. No extension on Newman's contract has been announced. With RCR at three cars and Ty Dillon, Childress' grandson, on the path to move to Cup, the question is what RCR's driver lineup will be next year if it doesn't find sponsorship to expand to four cars. "I'll keep doing this as long as somebody wants me to do it and it's fun doing it," Newman said of his future. Asked about next year's driver lineup, Childress said: "We're not looking at anything right now. We've got to focus and focus hard on trying to go out and win races. That's our No. 1 focus right now." Although Newman has yet to win at RCR, he finished second in the points in 2014 and was 11th last year. He enters this weekend's race at Dover International Speedway 17th in the points. Will winning change if he is back at RCR? "I have no idea," Newman said.(NBC Sports)(5-12-2016)
UPDATE: Certainly, RCR's future inexorably linked to Chidress' grandsons - Austin and Ty Dillon. #3-Austin is currently leading the charge in the Sprint Cup Series. The 26-year-old racer won titles in both the truck and Xfinity Series prior to graduating to Cup, where he is currently eight in the standings. Veterans #31-Ryan Newman (17th) and #27-Paul Menard (24th) have flirted with the Chase zone throughout the first 11 races but both have been plagued with bad luck along the way. Newman, 38, is in the final season of a three-year contract. Galida confirmed Newman's acknowledgement that his sponsor Caterpillar is "a long-term contract." Menard, who turns 36 in August and controls his own sponsorship, structures his deal on a year-to-year basis. Galida told motorsport.com that RCR has "a timeline that we're working towards," when it comes to finalizing driver lineups for 2017. "We'll start moving on that fairly quickly," Galida said. "I just can't discuss the details. Our goal is to put Ty in a fourth car. That's what we're working on. We have a good relationship with all of our car partners."(Motorsport)(5-13-2016)
 
Roush not likely to move back to 4 cars soon: Now that the organization is headed back in the right direction when it comes to their performance, Roush president Steve Newmark said Sunday the focus is on the immediate future of fighting for a Chase berth and not what their driver lineup is going to be. With three drivers running full-time in the XFINITY Series, three more under their banner in Cup, and Chris Buescher on loan to Front Row Motorsports, decisions will soon have to be made of who is running where. When the company felt [Buescher] was ready to be in Cup instead of running a third year in the XFINITY Series, they coordinated with Bob Jenkins and Front Row, who Buescher was already familiar with, to compete in their camp. In a perfect world, admitted Newmark, Roush will get him back under their roof sooner rather than later. "There's a combination of factors that will go into that," he said. "Ideally, we'll have him in one of our cars in the next few years, but I think the focus right now is we got to get him running better in the 34." Under NASCAR's new ownership rules of only being able to run four full-time cars, plus the addition of the Charter System this year, Roush has been in a box. The chance of ever going back to four full-time cars looks slim, but Newmark won't close the door on any possibility. "Jack would rather run 10 cars; he would run as many cars as he would be enabled," Newmark joked. "It really will depend exactly on the driver, sponsorship, and then now you also have to have a charter, so I don't think we would run a (fourth) full-time, but you never know."(Popular Speed)(5-16-2016)
 
LouieLouie said:
Sounds like they are cutting Buescher until Biffle retires or moves.
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Well maybe not exactly cutting but keeping him at front row I would expect him at the 16 car at the latest the beginning of 2018
 
I don't see RCR going to four cars. The charter rules make it difficult now. It's not the way it used to be. I think CAT sponsors Ty and Newman is out. He said he'll keep doing it as long as he's competitive and is still having fun. Well he won't be competitive or having fun from behind the wheel of a Harry Scott car or similar and there isn't any other place to go.
 
LouieLouie said:
He is only 46 and has at least 4 years left in him.
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Sorry, but this is crazy thinking. The frequency of Nascar drivers remaining competitive at age 46, much less age 50, is very rare. Yes, there are a few exceptions, but it is wrong to generalize from the exception and predict that Driver X will be performing well at these lofty age brackets.
 
LewTheShoe said:
Sorry, but this is crazy thinking. The frequency of Nascar drivers remaining competitive at age 46, much less age 50, is very rare. Yes, there are a few exceptions, but it is wrong to generalize from the exception and predict that Driver X will be performing well at these lofty age brackets.
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LOL :puffin:yeah totally crazy thinking! Mark Martin, Rusty Wallace, M. Waltrip, Bobby Labonte were all competitive in their late 40's. The drivers today are in much better shape than drivers in the past and the cars are arguably easier to drive and less taxing on the body.
While Biffle is no Martin or Wallace, he certainly has the talent to be competitve in the next few years if given equipment that is competitve. The problem is Roush is a disaster and fighting to stay in the middle of the pack.

Let's not forget in 2012, Biffle (5th) finished higher than both Kenseth (7th) and Edwards (15th) when they were all on the same team.
In 2013, Biffle (9th) finished higher than Edwards (13th) when they were on the same team.
In 2014, with the new chase playoff format, Edwards finished (9th) and Biffle (14th)
In 2015, Roush completely collapsed.

Let's put Biffle in one of those Toyota's and see how he does. I'm not even a Biffle fan but I do know the guy has talent.

"these lofty age brackets", o_O you need to be careful what you say, most of NASCAR's fans are over 50. I'm not even 40 yet and I know better than to post something like that. haha :whoopee:
 
LewTheShoe said:
Sorry, but this is crazy thinking. The frequency of Nascar drivers remaining competitive at age 46, much less age 50, is very rare. Yes, there are a few exceptions, but it is wrong to generalize from the exception and predict that Driver X will be performing well at these lofty age brackets.
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The thing with Biffle though is that he got started kind of late. It think he was 33 his rookie season. So he wouldn't have the cumulative wear that a typical driver his age would have that started in Cup in their early to mid 20's.
 
Age is a number, if a driver is still psychically and mentally able to wheel a race, then the drivers age should not be an important factor, of course, all within reason.
 
ToyYoda said:
The thing with Biffle though is that he got started kind of late. It think he was 33 his rookie season. So he wouldn't have the cumulative wear that a typical driver his age would have that started in Cup in their early to mid 20's.
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I agree, that is a factor that may come into play. Biffle was full time in Nascar from age 28, and full time in Cup from age 33, so that *might* help him have gas in the tank at a higher age than someone who hit the full time circuit at age 20. We'll see in the coming weeks if Greg can catch up to his teammates, Stenhouse and Bayne.
 
LouieLouie, I think you are confusing getting in the car with being competitive. I do agree, however, that Michael Waltrip is not a "has been." He is a "never was." Bobby Labonte's last win came at age 39.

My expectation is that most drivers suffer significant competitive declines in the 42-43 neighborhood, give or take a year or so. There are exceptions, but relatively few of them. I know you disagree, as is your right. It's just my opinion.
 
Morgan Shepherd turned in a win, three top fives and fifteen top tens in a thirty race schedule at fifty one years of age.
 
aunty dive said:
That didn't take long.

“When you have talented people who consistently deliver results, you hold on to them,” Haas said. “Kevin Harvick is an exceptional talent and we’re very proud to have him a part of Stewart-Haas Racing for years to come.”

http://www.stewarthaasracing.com/shr-announcement3.php
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Good move. I know it's Hendrick and all, but going to the 5 car would have been a step down for Harvick.
 
I don't see what y'all getting hot and bothered about. The whole point of a silly season thread is to make guesses and have fun with it. Obviously none of us know for sure what is going to happen. If this is too much for y'all I can gladly fire up some new Kyle Busch threads :D
 
Something out of nowhere will still happen with the 5 car. That's my prediction anyway.
 
DaBiff1618 said:
I don't see what y'all getting hot and bothered about. The whole point of a silly season thread is to make guesses and have fun with it. Obviously none of us know for sure what is going to happen. If this is too much for y'all I can gladly fire up some new Kyle Busch threads :D
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We're having a good time with this. Is that ok?

Guessing is one thing ... that's not what we're having fun with.
 
So... Hamlin's a free agent too. Wonder where he ends up. 5 car? Demoted to 2nd Furnature row car?
 
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