Silly Season Twists Continue
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Posted by Jeremy Dunn Sep 8, 2007 |
The 2007 rendition of silly season has been one of many twists. It's not every year when NASCAR's most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr, and NASCAR's most loathed driver, Kyle Busch, leaves one powerhouse organization for another. It's not every year when one of NASCAR's most successful teams, Joe Gibbs Racing, moves from Chevrolet to Toyota.
Robert Yates Racing had intentions to merge with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing back in August, however, plans have now been altered. Doug Yates will assume total control of the racing operation, which will be referred to as Yates Racing starting December 1st. The partnership with NHL Racing will be no more. Moreover, Craftsman Truck Series veteran Travis Kvapil will get a second chance in NASCAR's highest level of competition as he will replace Ricky Rudd in the 88. This ends all speculation that Kenny Wallace will assume that ride.
"I'm closing this chapter of my life, and I cannot wait to see what is in store for me next. Carolyn [Yates, his wife] and I look forward to watching Doug build Yates Racing into a championship caliber team," said Robert Yates.
David Stremme joins Jeremy Mayfield, Scott Riggs, and Tony Raines in the free agent market for 2008. Earlier in the week, Coors Light announced that they would no longer sponsor the 40 car for Chip Ganassi Racing after the 2007 NASCAR season. It appears as if Stremme will be replaced with Dario Franchitti, another open-wheel racer with very limited stock car experience.
Now, for some refreshing news...AT&T logos will be allowed to appear on the hood of the 31 Richard Childess Racing Chevrolet driven by Jeff Burton after reaching a settlement with NASCAR and Sprint Nextel. AT&T will have to be replaced with another sponsor after the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.
Silly season is still in full swing!
