Guest Author - Monica O´Neal
As the new NASCAR editor, one of the things I would like to do is teach readers some NASCAR jargon. (as you may have noticed). I’m really sorry if this gets redundant. Today I’d like to talk about “silly season”. Silly season is what we call that time of the year when drivers and crew members are hired and fired or move from team to team while the season is still going strong. This can lead to teams not working well together for the rest of the current season.
This year’s silly season has already started with the announcement a few weeks ago of Ganassi/Sebastas driver Jamie McMurray of the #42 Texaco/Havoline team leaving the organization to drive the #6 for Roush Racing in 2007. This is fueling speculation about who will drive the #6 in 2006 as Mark Martin is busily conducting his retirement season, this year. Last week Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sebatas announced that they have picked up the option on McMurray’s 2006 contract. Jamie is currently just outside the point chase and fighting tooth and nail to get in. He just barely missed it last year and doesn’t want to go through that again. Is this a distraction he can afford right now? Will Jack Roush buy out McMurray’s ’06 contract? Or will Jamie be "lame ducking" for the #42 team again next year? And is Jamie still dating Rusty Wallace’s daughter?
Michael Waltrip has already announced his parting of the ways with Dale Earnhart Inc. and the #15 team at the end of this season. Can this be good for the sponsors, who are the life-blood of the sport? In my opinion nothing beats the commercials he and Dale, Jr. do for NAPA and Domino’s Pizza. He will not be taking the Eurys’ with him, which is also unfortunate for him. Good luck, Mickey! Some of us still pull for the underdog.
Who would have ever guessed???? Kurt Busch (driver #97-Sharpie/Rubbermaid, Irwin Tools, Crown Royal Ford), winner (by luck, in my opinion) of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship, is going to leave his beloved Roush Racing team for Penske South. This is the biggest news and the biggest kept secret, to come out of NASCAR all year. Now Kurt wants to get out of his Roush contract early so that he can race the ole Rusty Wallace #2 Dodge next year
Questions: A Busch in the Miller car? Will Miller remain the sponsor of the #2 car? Can someone with the persona (boooorrrriiinnggg) of Kurt Busch be marketable for a beer company?
Very interesting...Wasn't it just last week that Roush was asking Ganassi Racing to let someone out of a contract a year early to come and race with him? I can't wait to see how all of this plays out. We just need Penske to throw someone into the mix and maybe have a 3-way trade???? Boy this is starting to sound a lot like other big time sports.
