A lot of talk has circulated around the garage areas and grandstands over the past few days concerning what is being called NASCAR driver "free agency." Yes, there have been some driver moves lately that are unprecedented, to say the least. Those moves have nothing to do with the so-called free agency that takes place in other sports when the athlete has satisfied his current contract and is free to seek employment with another team. NASCAR doesn't have unions or collective bargaining, its wide open wheeling and dealing, the old fashioned way.
When Jamie McMurray made the announcement that he had signed with Roush Racing to drive the #6 car in the 2007 season, it kind of set the usual NASCAR driver/owner relationship on its ear, figuratively speaking. McMurray still has another year left on his contract to drive the #42 Dodge for Chip Ganassi Racing, and at last word, Ganassi is going to hold him to it.
So, here's Jack Roush, owner of Roush Racing, a-k-a "The Cat in the Hat," grinning from ear to ear, smugly thinking he got one up on Ganassi. Then, as slick as a black cat in the night, along comes Penske and takes defending Cup Champion Kurt Busch right out from under Roush's beak. What's that old saying, "What goes around comes around?"
Kurt Busch finds himself in the same predicament as McMurray, he still has another year left on his contract with Roush, his deal with Penske starts in the 2007 season. It has been speculated that the agents involved in making these unprecedented deals hoped to pressure the driver's current contract holders to sell out the final year on their driver's contracts to the new team owner. The fact that Ganassi has pretty much declared that he isn't going to let McMurray out of his contract sets up the game for bargaining. It's going to cost Roush a lot of money if he wants to get McMurray for the #6 in the 2006 season. It's either pay Ganassi's price, or deal with finding a driver to make just the one season in the ride. This brings up team and sponsor problems. Short time drivers are not likely to worry about building relationships with team members or sponsors because they know they won't be with them very long. A short time driver can also easily get fired as a season progresses, depending on what drivers may be available to take the ride in their absence.
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