A few of our staff members took a pick of five Sprint Cup drivers/teams for the 2010 season, and did an evaluation of their off-season changes (if any) and their opinion of the drivers’ chances in the Daytona 500.
We start off with regular contributing writer Chuck Abrams:
Elliott Sadler
RPM and Yates merged and Elliott Sadler has high hopes for himself and the organization. He is returning to Ford he drove to 2 of his 3 victories. His crew chief returns and he has his sights set on the Daytona 500 where he led in 2009 but lost to Kenseth and the rain. I don’t know if he would have won even without the rain, but Sadler seems to think so. Let’s face it, RPM has not performed very well in the past few years, nor has the Yates organization. Will putting two mediocre organizations together equate to more wins? Kasey Kahne is the best they have and that may not be enough to elevate the organization to where it needs to be. Maybe some of Kasey’s winning will rub off on Sadler, but I have my doubts. Perhaps changing to a Ford will gain him another top 10, but not much more than that. Expecting more of the same, I will grade him for a C -.
Chance to win the Daytona 500 – slim. But anyone can win this race.
Dale Eanhardt. Jr.
If any driver has fans expecting more, I don’t know who it would be. After another disappointing (to say the least) season, owner Rick Hendrick has promised that he would do whatever possible to get Earnhardt back on track. Earnhardt certainly has the talent and the pedigree, but has his time passed him by? Millions of 88 fans are hoping not – as is NASCAR. One of the best things for NASCAR in 2010 would be a resurgent 88 team. I am going to trust in Rick Hendrick and turn a blind eye to the voodoo that has affected many 3rd teams at Hendrick. This may be a bit on the wishful side, but I am going to go out on a limb and grade Jr. a preseason B+. He needs it and NASCAR needs it.
Chance to win the Daytona 500 – better than average.
Marco Ambrose
How they did what they did on a small team is definitely due to the driver they chose. Ambrose knows how to get it done and did a great job with a small team last year. He has shown continued improvement every year he has been racing in the Cup series and I think 2010 will be another move forward. While he may not be in the Chase, I think he has a great shot to get his first win. Even if he only improves by 1 or 2 positions, that would still be forward, especially if they improve on top 10 finishes. I also expect him to I will give him a B.
Chance to win the Daytona 500 – slim.
Martin Truex, Jr.
Martin makes the big move to Michael Waltrip Racing this year and to a strong Toyota powerplant. Martin a pretty god driver and I expect more from him this year, even though it is a new team. I expect him to be a top 20 driver this year and would not be surprised if were to win a race. I grade him a B for the year.
Chance to win the Daytona 500 – decent. But there have been no Toyota’s in the top 10 last several years.
Kurt Busch
Pick your petulant Busch brother, but I think Kurt has risen back to the top of being the biggest jerk in the garage. While he made the Chase again and ran to a 4th place finish, he was most unhappy throughout the year if you listen to his radio. No doubt, Kurt is one driven son-of-a-gun. He has tasted the champagne and wants to do it again…and soon. And while Roger Penske has given him a new crew chief and said Kurt is his guy, I have to wonder how liked he is on the team. I have nothing to back this up – it is just my opinion. Sometimes a new crew chief can work wonders, other times not so much. Addington will have worked for both Busch brothers and is a great crew chief. I wonder if Kurt will get in his own way on the path to a title in 2010 in spite of Addington. If not, look out for the Blue Deuce. Another driver I might give an A or a B+. I will give Kurt a B- (just for being Kurt Busch).
Chance to win the Daytona 500 – very good. He runs well and might have won it already if not for some bad luck and being Kurt.
Site owner/webmaster Mike Irwin weighs in with his thoughts next….
David Reutimann
The #00 team has shown brief flashes of brilliance, but just haven’t seemed to get it all together on a consistent basis. Anyone can win Daytona, so it is possible, but David is just not known as much for being a Daytona contender as some other drivers. I do believe the team is going to contend for wins throughout the year.
Tony Stewart
An extremely strong out-of-the-box run for Tony caught a lot of people off-guard in 2009. The top-dollar sponsors Tony has will allow him to continue to perform at the top level of his sport. Look for Tony to be a factor in Daytona, and througout the season. If anyone is going to knock Jimmie Johnson off that champion platform in 2010, I think Tony has a better-than-average chance.
Carl Edwards
After a stunning 2008 season, Flip flopped in 2009, with no real strong runs to speak of. I haven’t seen anything to indicate that 2010 will be much different, other than sponsor Kellog’s moving over for 2 races as primary sponsor and the rest of the season as associate. Carl and the #99 team need to step it up this year.
Mark Martin
What can you say about a guy who just keeps getting better with age? I’d like to be able to say that about myself sometimes. He’s repeatedly said that his racing career is complete, whether he wins a Sprint Cup championship or not. I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t want to see Mark get one before he retires. An extremely consistent 2009 can only mean good things for Mark and the #5 team in 2010.
Boris Said
Boris is driving for a new team for owner Bill Jenkins, Latitude 43 Motor Sports. Perennial Said crew chief Frank Stoddard is also on board. The team has Yates/Roush engines for their Fords. Without adequate funding, it’s doubtful this team will be much more than part-time after the first five races of 2010. Boris has been a contender at Daytona, and just about picked up a win there, stealing one from the mulit-car teams. So don’t be surprised if the #26 (number and 2009 points purchased from Roush Racing) is running in the top 10 when the last few laps of the 2010 Daytona 500 come. The Said-Heads will be goin’ crazy!
We’ll wrap up with the site’s photographer and contributing writer, Steve Langley:
Tony Stewart
2010 is the second year for this new team and it couldn’t look brighter for them. Darrian Grub was a perfect match for Tony with his style of driving and things just seemed to click with the pair. But like Tony said, last year, as a new owner, he wasn’t sure what to do and he was scared to death at the beginning of the year not knowing what it took to direct a new team out of the gate. To everyones surprise, both Stewart-Haas cars made the chase but Tony’s four wins, fifteen top fives, and twenty-three top tens were way more than anyone expected. Tony is one of my favorites to win the 500 this year.
Kurt Busch
Kurt has always been a competitor with drive. But this year he’ll start with his new crew chief Steve Addington and I predict either a big hit or a big miss. Reason why, Kurt is very head strong and when things don’t go his way, he’ll throw a temper tantrum like the biggest kid out there. We heard the radio communications last year, he’s not afraid to throw anyone on the team under the bus when things are bad. He is a proven champ and I predict him and Addington will have a great year. I give him a one in ten chance of winning the 500.
Jamie McMurray
So Jamie’s gone off to the #1 Bass Pro Shops Earnhardt-Ganassi team this year. I just don’t know if this change will be good for him or not. He was team-mate to Roush Fenway Racing’s Carl Edwards who had a poor year as well, but it seems Jamie’s problem is qualifying. He just doesn’t start up front and ends up in the back which results in a wreck or getting too far behind to catch up. Sometimes change is good but in this case, I think it’s a change he may regret someday. I look for him to end up in the back of the field for the 500 when the finish comes along.
Brad Keselowski
Not wanting to wait for Mark Martin to retire, Brad jumped at the chance to join a Cup team and Penske was where he signed. One more year in the Nationwide Series would not have hurt this driver who came off a stellar year finishing third in the Series point standings who had four wins, twenty-two top fives, and twenty-eight top tens with two poles. Staying one more year could have given him a championship, who knows. But one thing for sure, this driver gives 110% and will push his way through the field and do what ever it takes to get the job done. I predict he has a fairly good year, but he’ll not make very many friends this first year in the Cup Series. Look for him to finish in the mid-teens for the 500.
Michael Waltrip
This driver, who’s one of Twitters most active members, is racing a part time deal this year and has great experience when it come to the Daytona 500. Running the #51 car for the first race of the season, had a good year last year as a team owner and the funding to make it all happen. I look for this team to do better this year and having Reutiman and Ambrose on the roster makes for something to watch as they both improved over the coarse of the year. If Michael gets connected with the right driver during the 500, he has as good of a chance winning as anyone else. I predict though, he crashes by lap 50 and watches and Tweets the rest of the race on his way back to his new home in Nashville.
