As the Sprint Cup garage turns, silly season is in high gear – ESPN
Clint Bowyer became the biggest NASCAR name looking for a 2016 job when he announced last week he wouldn’t go with Rob Kauffman, a co-owner of Michael Waltrip Racing, who is shutting down MWR and becoming part-owner of Chip Ganassi Racing.
Bowyer hasn’t announced where he will drive in 2016; he was vague in his answers when he met with the media Friday. Does he want a one-year deal so he can explore options for 2017? Or a long-term deal?
“Keep talking,” Bowyer said coyly. “I’ll keep telling you yes. … I see no reason why somebody that works hard and wants it like I do in this sport can’t have a job for as long as they want.”
Silly season is the time for excellent poker faces, and there are plenty to be had in the Sprint Cup garage these days. Things often change, and trying to figure out what’s going on is at times an impossible task — but gold for talk radio — which then leads to even more rumors. Follow the money? Or follow logic?
Here’s a look where things could end up. Stress on the word could.
While conventional wisdom and chatter has Bowyer headed to either Furniture Row Racing or HScott Motorsports, executives from both teams indicated this past weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway that they are not in the mix.
HScott co-owner Harry Scott even went on the record, saying that in addition to Michael Annett and the Pilot Flying J sponsorship being set for next year, Scott is trying to renew the deal he has with sponsor Brandt and driver Justin Allgaier.
“I have no idea what Clint’s plans are,” Scott said. “That’s not something we’d be able to talk about if [we were in talks]. … I haven’t even considered [a third car]. There would be a lot of bases to cover before we could do that.”
Don’t rule out Richard Petty Motorsports for the Bowyer ride. The No. 9 car needs sponsorship, and Sam Hornish Jr. told ESPN.com on Aug. 13 that he didn’t know whether he would be back with the team in 2016.
“There are so many moving parts to the puzzle right now with what’s going on,” Hornish said. “I don’t know that much about [next year]. I just keep trying to do what I can do. So much of my career on the NASCAR side has been year-to-year stuff, so I try not to worry about it at all.”
If Bowyer can bring 5-hour Energy money to RPM — it’s only a partial season for most teams — it would make some sense for RPM to put him in the No. 9 car even if it’s just for one season so it can show to sponsors what it can do with a driver who has finished as high as second in the standings.
If Bowyer is eyeing Stewart-Haas Racing whenever Tony Stewart hangs up his driving shoes (possibly after 2016), it would make sense for Bowyer to align with Chevrolet. Which brings up the question of RPM moving from Ford to Chevrolet.
As RPM always does when its manufacturer contract is up for renewal, team executives have talked to all manufacturers. An RPM spokesman said the team would have no comment on its 2016 plans as it works over the next couple of weeks to try to win a race with Aric Almirola and Hornish and make the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
On the manufacturer front, Furniture Row general manager Joe Garone said his team is still working on a 2016 deal. It appears Furniture Row is leaning toward making the change from Chevrolet to Toyota. Once Furniture Row gets its manufacturer deal done, it is expected to sign driver Martin Truex Jr. to a new deal.
Toyota needs teams now that Michael Waltrip Racing won’t field a car next year, and Toyota’s potential sponsorship of Furniture Row could result in expansion to two teams, but possibly not until 2017. Toyota needs a place for Erik Jones to race in Sprint Cup if there are no spots available for him at Joe Gibbs Racing in 2017, as long as Jones is deemed ready for full-time racing at that level.
Bowyer isn’t actually the biggest name who has yet to announce a contract for 2016 (in fact, Bowyer had a contract, but the upcoming dissolution of MWR at the end of the year nullified that deal). Jimmie Johnson, crew chief Chad Knaus and sponsor Lowe’s have not announced a deal for 2016 or beyond with Hendrick Motorsports.
No changes are expected — Johnson said weeks ago that he expects to get a deal done, and owner Rick Hendrick indicated in July that things won’t change. But until they’re signed, there will be speculation of a potential breakup of Johnson and Knaus, even with their four victories this year, as Johnson sits fifth in the standings.
Kurt Busch has yet to announce a signed deal with Stewart-Haas Racing, but Stewart said last week at the Danica Patrick announcement that he expects that to get done soon.
In addition to Bowyer, another MWR driver is looking for work in 2016 after the team shuts its doors. David Ragan needs a ride, and if Bowyer goes somewhere other than RPM, Ragan could be a candidate there. But even though he has shown speed since taking over the MWR No. 55 car in May, Ragan hasn’t had great results and likely won’t finish top-20 in the standings. And if RPM wanted Ragan, it could have had him a year ago.
Other drivers are still waiting to hear about their 2016 plans. Roger Penske said earlier this month that he hopes Ryan Blaney can do all the Sprint Cup races, splitting his time driving the No. 21 for Wood Brothers Racing and driving the remainder of races in a third Penske entry, which traditionally has carried the No. 12.
“Our goal for 2016 will be to try to have Ryan run a full [Cup] schedule,” Penske said. “I think he’s shown some real capability here. We still have to make that decision before the end of the year. … It will probably be a combination of ourselves and Woods, like we have. At some point, we put him over in the 12 car. That’s a decision we’ll have to make.”
Richard Childress needs to decide where grandson Ty Dillon would run.
Childress already has the affiliation with Joe Falk and Mike Hillman to put RCR drivers in the No. 33 car, but that isn’t a full-time, money-backed effort. Childress needs sponsorship for Dillon — and that sponsorship could still rely on what Stewart’s long-term plans are and whether sponsor Bass Pro Shops wants to continue supporting Dillon as well as an SHR team.
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