Silly Season Ideas

A

A.C. Sativa

Guest
Know it's a bit early, but I love the silly season stuff. I'll post what I think is happening...

Kenseth: Pretty much assumed that he's going to JGR. Outside chance he's in the 39.

Kurt Bush: Most say he's taking over the 39. I don't see that happening, him and Tony would kill each other. If JGR can pull the sponsorship together for a 4th car, Kyle will probably talk old man Joe into giving Kurt the seat. If not, Kurt will be next year's Brian Vickers. Outside shot he gets the 56 or 43.

Ryan Newman: I say he stays. Outside of Kurt Bush, Ryan's the best driver out there, and Stewart-Haas is the best job Ryan's gonna get. And as I said above, Tony's not hiring Kurt. Never mind the obvious personality conflict, Tony's not hiring a guy that's one blow-up from being blackballed. If Ryan decides he needs a change of scenery, he takes over the 56 or 43.

Martin Truex Jr: In the 22 next year, no matter how the Allmendinger thing plays out.

Regan Smith: To the Nationwide series, if he's lucky. Maybe gets the 51.

Brian Vickers: Takes over the 78 from Regan Smith. Might stay in the 55 if Mark Martin finally decides to hang it up.

Joey Logano: I could see Gibbs talking Joey into running the Nationwide series full-time. I can also see Joey declining that offer. Either way, he's not back in the 20 next year, or in the 4th car for JGR. I say he takes over the 1 for Ganassi, or an outside shot he gets the 56.

Jamie McMurray: To the 43, or takes over the 56 when Truex leaves for Penske.

Aric Almirola: My best bet to getting the 51 next year. Even under the best-case scenario (Logano goes to the NW series and McMurray stays in the 1), the 43 is going to the guy that gets canned between now and the end of the season. Don't be shocked if JP Montoya is that guy, and Logano is in the 42.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: Basically confirmed that he's in the 17.

David Regan: Stays in the 34

David Reutimann: The last man left. If someone starts a new team and just needs a guy to keep them in the top-35, he's the guy. Or he takes over one of the start-and-park teams.

A.J. Allmendinger: B-sample tests positive, Keselowski's "death sentence" quote becomes reality.

Other thoughts: I could easily see Jeff Burton getting canned and replaced by Austin Dillon. Any seats left over could possibly go to Trevor Bayne, if Roush is willing to let him go, and he should due to the fact that there's no sponsorship for him He gets the 56.

So, to recap:

1: Joey Logano
17: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
20: Matt Kenseth
22: Martin Truex Jr.
43: Jamie McMurray
51: Aric Almirola
56: Trevor Bayne
78: Brian Vickers
number TBD for Joe Gibbs: Kurt Busch.


Any thoughts?
 
Welcome to the forum A.C. ,that's quite an impressive list you have there . All of those things could indeed happen . I think that you may be overly optomistic though ,about the numbers of potential sponsors out there . I think that ,for the first time , a number of high profile drivers may be without rides .Good to hear your comments , keep them coming.
 
Why would Truex leave MWR, an organization that has proved over the last two seasons that they are a true contender almost every week! They qualify well, they race well, and they have good sponsors. I could see Vickers staying in the 55 depending on how he does this year and if in fact he gets more chances in the 55. I see Newman staying with Stewart, Logano maybe going to Penske if JGR gives him the boot. The lesser rides , well those are always musical chairs it seems week to week.
 
Well thought list, AC, and welcome.

I've been wondering about Truex and MWR. I think he isn't signed yet, and Michael has shown that he will dump a driver when something better comes along.
 
Lagano to Penske? Maybe to a NNW ride but more than likely back to driving Legend cars at Waterford.
 
Interesting thoughts AC and welcome to the forum. Have any spare Crystal Ball Polish?
 
FenderBumper said:
Well thought list, AC, and welcome.

I've been wondering about Truex and MWR. I think he isn't signed yet, and Michael has shown that he will dump a driver when something better comes along.
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And if you look at the names that are available, there's a lot better out there. Truex in 244 starts, one win in 2007 and just 21 top 5's. There'd be no reason I think of who's out there to keep him in the #56. I also think a lot of the silly season business will come down to what Dodge does. If Andretti comes over that adds some seats and some drivers that'd be out would be in. It's incredible to think about how different the team line ups are gonna be next year. Think the only two we know for sure is Hendrick and Roush right now. The rest are open to speculation and interpatation.

Welcome to the Forum. Here's a couple of my thoughts.....
39- Kurt Busch
56- Brian Vickers
20- Matt Kenseth
31 becomes the 3- Austin Dillon
22- Trevor Bayne
1- Ryan Newman
 
Thegroundpounder99 said:
And if you look at the names that are available, there's a lot better out there. Truex in 244 starts, one win in 2007 and just 21 top 5's. There'd be no reason I think of who's out there to keep him in the #56. I also think a lot of the silly season business will come down to what Dodge does. If Andretti comes over that adds some seats and some drivers that'd be out would be in. It's incredible to think about how different the team line ups are gonna be next year. Think the only two we know for sure is Hendrick and Roush right now. The rest are open to speculation and interpatation.
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Same thoughts on Truex. Why isn't he signed already? If I were Martin Truex, I would be pressing michael right now. As if enough isn't up in the air, Andretti could turn the world upside down. Also, Andretti is a name that could grab some big sponsors. Does anyone know if Danica is signed with SHR next year? Andretti and Tony are friends, so what if Tony is just helping Danica make the switch and keep people from asking about Andretti coming in until they are ready to make an announcement. Danica has run all the tough tracks this year, so any improvement with the Andretti team would give them instant credibility. The possabilities are endless this year.

Next year, it could be a whole new nascar.
 
FenderBumper said:
Same thoughts on Truex. Why isn't he signed already? If I were Martin Truex, I would be pressing michael right now. As if enough isn't up in the air, Andretti could turn the world upside down. Also, Andretti is a name that could grab some big sponsors. Does anyone know if Danica is signed with SHR next year? Andretti and Tony are friends, so what if Tony is just helping Danica make the switch and keep people from asking about Andretti coming in until they are ready to make an announcement. Danica has run all the tough tracks this year, so any improvement with the Andretti team would give them instant credibility. The possabilities are endless this year.

Next year, it could be a whole new nascar.
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Is Andretti a definite to come into Nascar next year?
 
Mopardh9 said:
Is Andretti a definite to come into Nascar next year?
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No. I don't think he's even 50-50 yet, but they said they are strongly considering it. GoDaddy is still with their Indy program, so it would be strange to see them in nascar and GoDaddy with a different team.
 
FenderBumper said:
No. I don't think he's even 50-50 yet, but they said they are strongly considering it. GoDaddy is still with their Indy program, so it would be strange to see them in nascar and GoDaddy with a different team.
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The rumors of them buying Dodges' engine program have been debunked as far as I can see and I haven't seen anything in the news about them coming to Nascar lately. I think it would be a stretch to consider them for next year, it seems there would of been an announcement by now, so that sponsors, drivers, crews, and shop workers would start to be put in place. I think it is highly unlikey that Andretti goes to Nascar, unless he has a ton of money lined up, Nascar is more expensive than Indy Car and you need a lot more people in place.
 
Bayne is not driving for MWR if Truex leaves. He already drove for them in NNS and they went another direction.
 
Penske seems like an incredibly patient man, and he is going to lengths not to throw Allmindinger under the bus prematurely. I do respect that.



This is pure speculation but the odds are the B sample will render the same results. If Penske believes AJ made an honest mistake, I could see him flipping Hornish and Allmindinger for 2013 and putting AJ in the NWS car after reinstatement.



He is committed to Hornish and after the last two NWS seasons I am thinking he wanted Hornish in Cup for 2013 anyway.



I can't see Tony putting Kurt in the 39 ever. I would try to get Newman signed until Harvicks contract expires.



Harvicks isn't a Dillion and best start looking in 2014, or 15 when the contract expires. I think him and Tony would be good together.
 
MRM said:
Bayne was replaced by Ryan Truex because he brought a sponsor. Besides, Bayne will be in the #6 NNS car next year.
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The way I remember it is that Michael couldn't guarantee a fulltime NW ride in 2011. Bayne went to Roush because they could. Michael was bitter, Saying 'we gave him his start. I THINK he appreciates that'. Michael felt that Trevor should have given him until the end of the year to put something together. Truex went from a part time MWR ride in the 00 to fill Trevors empty seat in the 99, using the very same sponsors Trevor had run for all year. Michael wouldn't dump the kid he had crowned 'something special' and the future of MWR.

It turns out Trevor made the right move, because Truex didn't run fulltime the next year because of a lack of sponsorship and returned to JGR.
 
As usual , I am with Fender on the Truex situation . There are some interesting options this year like Ryan Newman that may not be available next year.
 
I think the most interesting part of silly season may be McMurray and Montoya . Ganassi has great sponsors but can't get a driver into the chase . This may be the year to shake things up.
 
ted@economy said:
I think the most interesting part of silly season may be McMurray and Montoya . Ganassi has great sponsors but can't get a driver into the chase . This may be the year to shake things up.
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I say the same thing. They've changed just about everything except the guys behind the wheel. Crew chiefs, car chiefs, engineers and manufacturers. McMurray has no consistancy and Montoya's abilities have been well documented on here. I say new drivers in 2013 for Ganassi.
 
Thegroundpounder99 said:
I say the same thing. They've changed just about everything except the guys behind the wheel. Crew chiefs, car chiefs, engineers and manufacturers. McMurray has no consistancy and Montoya's abilities have been well documented on here. I say new drivers in 2013 for Ganassi.
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McMurray goes before Mushmouth does.
 
FenderBumper said:
the question is, who the hell would get in those cars?
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There's a million dollar question:D I'm sure they'll be plenty to chose from. I just think they've both under performed for what was suppose to be a turn around year for Ganassi.
 
Newman, McMurray, JPM all hold the cards in their hands. At some point, somebody has to fold. Nobody can hold their cards too long....
 
Thegroundpounder99 said:
There's a million dollar question:D I'm sure they'll be plenty to chose from. I just think they've both under performed for what was suppose to be a turn around year for Ganassi.
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That's the thing that bothers me. At the end of last year, Ganassi said he wasn't happy and revamped the whole organization, and it's worse. I'm not sure it's the drivers, and I don't think a top driver would jump in those cars unless it's a last resort.
 
FenderBumper said:
That's the thing that bothers me. At the end of last year, Ganassi said he wasn't happy and revamped the whole organization, and it's worse. I'm not sure it's the drivers, and I don't think a top driver would jump in those cars unless it's a last resort.
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I'm with you big buddy. I think it just comes down to the simple fact it ain't working over there for whatever reasons. Idk if they can't tell them what they need in the cars or they can't give them what they need to drive them. Either way I think it's time for them to split. Especially from Montoya.
 
MAGICMILER said:
Here's my silly season synopsis....
TNT will still suck...
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"Sucks" would be one hell of an improvement for TNT. Their coverage has been so bad that I quit watching after Michigan, even with the DVR. Pointers for TNT: we don't give a f**k about Twatter, your commentators are awful, and fans prefer more racing than ad breaks, rather than the other way around. And having McDonalds as your main sponsor would make me not want to watch even if you had great coverage. TNT, you know you're terrible when ESPN is a huge improvement over you.

Guys (and girls), thanks for all the comments, and especially for the really welcoming atmosphere. Most forums just try to troll the new guys out right off. And a reply to the comment above about Montoya: he needs to go. Now. A lot of people compare him to Ambrose, which is pretty unfair; seeing as how Ambrose is actually pretty decent on ovals, usually finishes races with the car in one piece, hasn't had the rest of the drivers want to beat the crap out of him, and never crashed into a jet dryer during a caution. Yeah, I know the last one wasn't really his fault, but I don't think anyone was shocked that he was the guy that actually started a racetrack on fire. I'd say ship his ass back to F1, but F1 is hard enough without that idiot around. How Montoya has gotten this far without a broken jaw is amazing. Good thing Kurt and Kyle's antics provide a diversion...
 
FenderBumper said:
That's the thing that bothers me. At the end of last year, Ganassi said he wasn't happy and revamped the whole organization, and it's worse. I'm not sure it's the drivers, and I don't think a top driver would jump in those cars unless it's a last resort.
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Right on the money again Fender . While prospects at Ganassi are questionable , there are two bright spots . First , they have some solid big name sponsors and second they have Chip , who will do what is necessary to win . I could see Truex and Newman taking Ganassi to the next level .
 
ted@economy said:
Right on the money again Fender . While prospects at Ganassi are questionable , there are two bright spots . First , they have some solid big name sponsors and second they have Chip , who will do what is necessary to win . I could see Truex and Newman taking Ganassi to the next level .
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What happened to you? lol

IMO, Part of the problem with Chip and Roger is priorities. Both of them LOVE Indycar and like nascar.
 
Thegroundpounder99 said:
I'm with you big buddy. I think it just comes down to the simple fact it ain't working over there for whatever reasons. Idk if they can't tell them what they need in the cars or they can't give them what they need to drive them. Either way I think it's time for them to split. Especially from Montoya.
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So you're thinking things are stale at Ganassi and a shakeup would get them going? I like that theory, and it's looking like next year will present a uniques opportunity to get a quality free agent or two. It would surely be a step down for the likes of Newman and Logano, and maybe even Truex.

Here's a what-if. What if Ganassi is looking to switch to Dodge, and Chevy isn't real happy about it? I can't understand why they are so slow this year. they are 20 and 21 in points, right in front of Almirola.
 
FenderBumper said:
So you're thinking things are stale at Ganassi and a shakeup would get them going? I like that theory, and it's looking like next year will present a uniques opportunity to get a quality free agent or two. It would surely be a step down for the likes of Newman and Logano, and maybe even Truex.

Here's a what-if. What if Ganassi is looking to switch to Dodge, and Chevy isn't real happy about it? I can't understand why they are so slow this year. they are 20 and 21 in points, right in front of Almirola.
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This probably won't shock you but I don't think it's a manufacturer issue:) They had Dodge for a long time over there before Chevrolet. I will say I'm not sold on the ECR engine program. They have seemed a little behind this year. (1,42,27,29,31,78,10 &36 use ECR) It might be a situation that we seen at Haas till Stewart came in. Haas had all the parts and pieces to be successful and never had the right people to put it together or drive them till Stewart came in and now look at them. Seems Ganassi has the samething going on. I know they have good people but for whatever reason as a group they're not putting it together. I'm not saying it's all Montoya and McMurray's fault, just feel they need a fresh start over there.
 
Jamie seemed like he was busting out in 2010 and might start to show what he could do, but 2011 and this year he's the worst he's ever been. I thought it was EGR engines. What's the current deal between Earnhardt and Ganassi?
 
Thegroundpounder99 said:
This probably won't shock you but I don't think it's a manufacturer issue:) They had Dodge for a long time over there before Chevrolet. I will say I'm not sold on the ECR engine program. They have seemed a little behind this year. (1,42,27,29,31,78,10 &36 use ECR) It might be a situation that we seen at Haas till Stewart came in. Haas had all the parts and pieces to be successful and never had the right people to put it together or drive them till Stewart came in and now look at them. Seems Ganassi has the samething going on. I know they have good people but for whatever reason as a group they're not putting it together. I'm not saying it's all Montoya and McMurray's fault, just feel they need a fresh start over there.
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SHR has an owner that is at every race and is a hands on owner and the rest of the top teams owners HMS, RCR, RFR etc. are at the tracks a very large precentage of the time and are hands on. I personally think that this makes a big difference. Ganassi spends a large percentage of his time out of touch and globetrotting with other racing series and sponsors. They have to hunt him down wherever he is and get his attention, when a driver or team has a problem.
 
FenderBumper said:
Jamie seemed like he was busting out in 2010 and might start to show what he could do, but 2011 and this year he's the worst he's ever been. I thought it was EGR engines. What's the current deal between Earnhardt and Ganassi?
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Contract actually expires at the end of the year FB and has not been renewed. Maybe they might be waiting to see what happens with Dodge or still flirting with the F*rd idea. :confused:
 
Johali, I feel the same way about Ganassi's lack of total committment to nascar. Penske only shows up when Indy isn't running. Both should have a whole lot more to show for their years in the series.
 
Thegroundpounder99 said:
Contract actually expires at the end of the year FB and has not been renewed. Maybe they might be waiting to see what happens with Dodge or still flirting with the F*rd idea. :confused:
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I always felt that Ganassi was a prime candidate for Dodge, IF he could get dead DEI to go with him and build engines.
 
FenderBumper said:
Johali, I feel the same way about Ganassi's lack of total committment to nascar. Penske only shows up when Indy isn't running. Both should have a whole lot more to show for their years in the series.
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Damn tootin.
 
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