Who Will Replace Jr in the 88/25 Car?

I really don't think there's any other option in the 25/88 car besides Alex Bowman or Byron.
 
i see so much wishful thinking that suggests the 48 will be available in a couple years. there is simply no way that jimmie and chad hang it up while still winning 5 races every year and the favorites to win a championship. what have you seen to suggest he's slowing down with his 8 wins these past 2 years?....oh, and in the span of those 8 wins. 0 runner-up finishes. pretty sure as long as this pace is being set, johnson most definitely wants to surpass the gordon total, and probably go after 100. and 8 titles...while racing under 5 different points systems.

get kahne out of there and surround him with the youth if rick wants any chance in hell of sustaining even 1/4 the success his previous 2 champions have had during this long run of dominance. let the guys race out there with the best ever and they'll be the ones who take the sport into the future. don't build everything around these unproven talents. johnson is your tom brady so keep giving him everything he needs to send more drivers to the twilight of their lives before they're ready. ****, i'd give up trying to beat that dude also.
 
DaBiff1618 said:
Penske can't even fund a developmental ride in Xfinity. Gibbs has 4 cup teams, plus FRR as a satellite team, and 3 teams in Xfinity and if you count KBm who they give motors too 3 rides in the truck series, and they now have an ARCA team lol
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You better do some research before making those assumptions. Gibbs may be a millionaire but Penske is a Billionaire and his race teams are a hobby that fits with his real business.
Joe Gibbs may leave a foot print in the Nascar World but in the world of wealth he doesn't get a mention.
Joe Gibbs net worth $60 Million with a M
Roger Penske $ 1.54 Billion with a B
 
Hendrick has the most staff of any team. That doesn't always translate to having the best.
Has there been a team that had 4 cars running in the top 12 other than 1 season for JGR?
 
Larson is a another Kasey Kane. Personally I believe he will burn out soon and doesn't have the drive to stay competitive.
 
Taco said:
Larson is a another Kasey Kane. Personally I believe he will burn out soon and doesn't have the drive to stay competitive.
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Anyone who can predict the future like that must already be a Billionaire.
 
Acs said:
Well if HMS wants to still have the best plate track driver then moving mountains to get Brad might be an option. There's something to be said for being a favorite going into the Daytona 500 every year. Still, just like with Larson and Kyle Busch Mr. H burned that bridge a long time ago.
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I don't think Rick would want drivers like BKez, Harvick, Kyle Busch or whiners like Truex and Hamlin driving for him. It is hard to argue with Rick's formula as not employing dicks has worked out well for him.
 
LewTheShoe said:
The Carl Edwards denials of interest have been particularly lukewarm... non-denials, actually. I tend to think Carl is done with driving, but wouldn't really be surprised if he does return.

I keep waiting for Team Penske to announce a contract renewal with Brad Keselowski. At this point, it is 6 months overdue. Miller Brewing is under new corporate control since their last contract renewal. And I know how corporate acquisitions always lead to intense scrutiny of every budget line item.

Matt Kenseth is also a free agent for 2018, hoping to renew with Gibbs but it's not done yet....
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I think the Keslowski thing is interesting. Still nothing on a new contract for him with Penske and he has a history with Hendrick. He would be a slam dunk if Hendrick could lure him away. All that said, he seems happy driving the 2, but I wonder if he'd at least entertain the idea of making a change to the team that gave him his first shot in Cup.
 
Skoalbandit33 said:
I don't think Rick would want drivers like BKez, Harvick, Kyle Busch or whiners like Truex and Hamlin driving for him. It is hard to argue with Rick's formula as not employing dicks has worked out well for him.
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Mr H's "formula" succeeded with Jeff Gordon in the 90s and Jimmy in early 2000s, that's it. Now both are on the tail end of careers or retired. Since then he's passed on or straight up burned bridges with Kyle Busch, Brad K, and Kyle Larson. If he hadn't done that we wouldn't be wondering about who would replace retiring drivers on that team because they would be absolutely stacked with the best talent for the next 15 years. HMS has largely failed to acquire and develop young new talent for a significant stretch of time and instead threw money at older free agents like Mark Martin and Junior. Like with the New York Yankees, this is now coming back to bite them.
 
Acs said:
Mr H's "formula" succeeded with Jeff Gordon in the 90s and Jimmy in early 2000s, that's it. Now both are on the tail end of careers or retired. Since then he's passed on or straight up burned bridges with Kyle Busch, Brad K, and Kyle Larson. If he hadn't done that we wouldn't be wondering about who would replace retiring drivers on that team because they would be absolutely stacked with the best talent for the next 15 years. HMS has largely failed to acquire and develop young new talent for a significant stretch of time and instead threw money at older free agents like Mark Martin and Junior. Like with the New York Yankees, this is now coming back to bite them.
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Mr. H brought in Terry Labonte in 1994, who won him a championship in 1996. Sometimes bringing in a veteran is the right move. Look at how much better the 20 got when Kenseth replaced Logano.

And much like Logano at Gibbs (and Busch at Hendrick) sometimes it just isn't the right fit. I do think Mr. H regrets letting Kez get away, but I don't think he's losing sleep at night. HMS will be just fine.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Are discussing individual owners' net worth, or that of their racing organizations? Isn't most of Hendrick's money from car dealerships? Rick's not going to spend HIS money on a driver's salary; that's what sponsors are for.
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There were no disclaimers on my end. Just a simple observation on how much the team owners are worth. And I'm sure that his overall worth is a contributing factor in being able to attract sponsors.
 
2 Sweet said:
Mr. H brought in Terry Labonte in 1994, who won him a championship in 1996. Sometimes bringing in a veteran is the right move. Look at how much better the 20 got when Kenseth replaced Logano.

And much like Logano at Gibbs (and Busch at Hendrick) sometimes it just isn't the right fit. I do think Mr. H regrets letting Kez get away, but I don't think he's losing sleep at night. HMS will be just fine.
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Mark Martin damn near won a championship after releasing Kyle Busch, sometimes a veteran it is a good fit.
 
Kiante said:
Mark Martin damn near won a championship after releasing Kyle Busch, sometimes a veteran it is a good fit.
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Yeah...no. How many years of championship contention does Kyle Busch still have in him, 8 years later? Ditto Brad K, who's ride that was supposed to be? likely 10 years, EACH, of deep playoff runs. Mark Martin? He's 4 years retired. Great call there Rick.

It's like what my Vikings did in 2009 bringing back Brett Favre from the grave. Nearly won it all, but in the end stopped us from developing the long-term solutions we should have been going for. Don't get me wrong, it was fun as **** to watch and remember, as I'm sure it was for Mark Martin fans. But every sports stat plays this out time and time again, don't screw yourself long-term to bite on a veteran free agent, don't push the chips all-in to go for your "window", instead continually develop your young talent base so you can be good for decades, not seasons.
 
Acs said:
Yeah...no. How many years of championship contention does Kyle Busch still have in him, 8 years later? Ditto Brad K, who's ride that was supposed to be? likely 10 years, EACH, of deep playoff runs. Mark Martin? He's 4 years retired. Great call there Rick.

It's like what my Vikings did in 2009 bringing back Brett Favre from the grave. Nearly won it all, but in the end stopped us from developing the long-term solutions we should have been going for. Don't get me wrong, it was fun as sh!t to watch and remember, as I'm sure it was for Mark Martin fans. But every sports stat plays this out time and time again, don't screw yourself long-term to bite on a veteran free agent, don't push the chips all-in to go for your "window", instead continually develop your young talent base so you can be good for decades, not seasons.
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See the Indianapolis Colts, Payton Manning, and Andrew Luck.
 
utvol0427 said:
I think the Keslowski thing is interesting. Still nothing on a new contract for him with Penske and he has a history with Hendrick. He would be a slam dunk if Hendrick could lure him away. All that said, he seems happy driving the 2, but I wonder if he'd at least entertain the idea of making a change to the team that gave him his first shot in Cup.
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I feel certain that Kez would leave Penske only if there is major drama and angst on the sponsorship side of the business. The Captain recently commented that he is "pretty far down the road" toward a long-term extension with Brad. But it's not done yet, so you never know. With Miller Brewing having recently undergone a change of corporate ownership, there is obvious risk that Miller could exit Nascar sponsorship entirely. I tend to think Penske could deal with that, but what do I know?

If the 2 car has sponsorship difficulties to the point of a substantial cut in Keselowski's earnings potential, would Brad consider an approach from his close friend Dale Jr and/or Mr. H? I suppose that is possible. We'll probably never know because I expect The Captain to do whatever needs doing to retain him in the 2 car. Just my $0.02.
 
LewTheShoe said:
I feel certain that Kez would leave Penske only if there is major drama and angst on the sponsorship side of the business. The Captain recently commented that he is "pretty far down the road" toward a long-term extension with Brad. But it's not done yet, so you never know. With Miller Brewing having recently undergone a change of corporate ownership, there is obvious risk that Miller could exit Nascar sponsorship entirely. I tend to think Penske could deal with that, but what do I know?

If the 2 car has sponsorship difficulties to the point of a substantial cut in Keselowski's earnings potential, would Brad consider an approach from his close friend Dale Jr and/or Mr. H? I suppose that is possible. We'll probably never know because I expect The Captain to do whatever needs doing to retain him in the 2 car. Just my $0.02.
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Well to throw another wrench in the Penske planning, Ryan Blaney apparently is up for a contract renewal too, along with bubba. Blaney's last one was signed in 2012 and he's probably due for a renewal, and all the ESPN guys have him on that list... along with Brad.

http://www.espn.com/racing/nascar/s...e-first-ballot-hall-famer-all-dale-all-turn-4

So IF you're the captain and you have to keep only one, who do you go with? When HMS comes knocking with a fully sponsored car and a dump truck of Nationwide money, do you resign yourself to paying them both big bucks to stay? Or make a very hard choice.
 
Who's boat was CE and Ryan fishing on the days before Easter?
 
Acs said:
Well to throw another wrench in the Penske planning, Ryan Blaney apparently is up for a contract renewal too, along with bubba. Blaney's last one was signed in 2012 and he's probably due for a renewal, and all the ESPN guys have him on that list... along with Brad.

http://www.espn.com/racing/nascar/s...e-first-ballot-hall-famer-all-dale-all-turn-4

So IF you're the captain and you have to keep only one, who do you go with? When HMS comes knocking with a fully sponsored car and a dump truck of Nationwide money, do you resign yourself to paying them both big bucks to stay? Or make a very hard choice.
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Don't forget Ford money though..... not that I know for sure but they certainly seem more invested in NASCAR than General Motors.
 
Acs said:
Yeah...no. How many years of championship contention does Kyle Busch still have in him, 8 years later? Ditto Brad K, who's ride that was supposed to be? likely 10 years, EACH, of deep playoff runs. Mark Martin? He's 4 years retired. Great call there Rick.

It's like what my Vikings did in 2009 bringing back Brett Favre from the grave. Nearly won it all, but in the end stopped us from developing the long-term solutions we should have been going for. Don't get me wrong, it was fun as sh!t to watch and remember, as I'm sure it was for Mark Martin fans. But every sports stat plays this out time and time again, don't screw yourself long-term to bite on a veteran free agent, don't push the chips all-in to go for your "window", instead continually develop your young talent base so you can be good for decades, not seasons.
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Why not as a placeholder? Thats all Mark was IMHO, he was not going to be there long term. It gives a chance to rebuild and be able to poach new sponsors, Brad K and Kyle Busch did not fit the Hendrick mold. Guess what? After, Brad did his time with JRM he went to Penske, same with Kyle Busch going to JGR and honestly thats great. Brad K and Kyle have won respected championships for both organizations, Hendrick went off to find who fit the mold and has the talent to back it up. KK was one of the younger veterans, it has not worked out, but Kasey has had marginal success.

Hendrick needs a placeholder, because I think honestly William Byron with two years in Xfinity will be ready to come into play come 2018. Alex Bowman, dependent upon who is interested in sponsoring him, will be another driver in the wings as well. Maybe Bowman will come in, but do you really think Axalta and N'Wide are going to stick around for the 88 team? Probably are going to not get as much in return because its not Dale Jr. Rick said it himself, the new driver will depend on "talent/ability and money". Why not look at a veteran (w/ funding) for a couple of years to shop around?
 
I think Matt Kenseth is the safest, most logical, most competitive choice. If guys like Brad, Larson are not available.
 
Fordracing7 said:
I think Matt Kenseth is the safest, most logical, most competitive choice. If guys like Brad, Larson are not available.
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I would not be a good owner IMHO, I would take too many risks with drivers.

I would purge money to see a young driver give it a shot.. A former JRM driver/Red Bull driver and has money, Cole Whitt.

Dude has been shining with a new team and has done well for TriStar.
 
Fordracing7 said:
I think Matt Kenseth is the safest, most logical, most competitive choice. If guys like Brad, Larson are not available.
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Sure, I'd agree with you here. If the intention is for Byron to drive the 88 when he's ready then yes, you don't give up anything by signing a veteran place holder driver for a few years. But looking at the whole Hendrick organization you're still going to run into problems. Mainly, what do you do with the #5 in 2019? No offense to Bowman, but you really only have one good prospect to bring up and fill that seat, and it's Byron. So what happens in two years when your veteran in the 88 retires or moves on and you suddenly have two open seats? You're going to have to sign a free agent to a long-term contract at some point, so why not do it this year when there seems to be a bunch of young, talented ones to choose from. Oh, and Chase Elliot is also a free agent in '19 too, so you'll have to pay him then as well.
 
If they don't announce it pretty soon I am guessing it won't be Bowman and they are talking to some other driver that is probably under contract with another team and they won't be able to say anything until the year is over.
 
StandOnIt said:
If they don't announce it pretty soon I am guessing it won't be Bowman and they are talking to some other driver that is probably under contract with another team and they won't be able to say anything until the year is over.
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That makes some sense. I'd expect his announcement in time for the All-Star race
 
utvol0427 said:
I think the Keslowski thing is interesting. Still nothing on a new contract for him with Penske and he has a history with Hendrick. He would be a slam dunk if Hendrick could lure him away. All that said, he seems happy driving the 2, but I wonder if he'd at least entertain the idea of making a change to the team that gave him his first shot in Cup.
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Brad isn't going anywhere, But they have to look at the new sponsor before signing any deal.
Brad is not some fool looking for a ride.
 
Larson? If Danica bails this year I could see Larson jumping ship and driving for Stewart Haas. There would be plenty of Dirt sprint car possibilities that who knows might appeal to Larson, he has been pretty outspoken about that, and Chip doesn't have any of that in his organization and neither does Hendrick. I don't think either are to keen on it happening either. Whole lot of if's though.
 
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