Ben Maller's NASCAR rumors and notes
by FOXSports.com
Fewer NASCAR drivers sticking with original teams
Saturday night's Sprint Cup race at Daytona International Speedway featured two drivers - Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart - who have been with the same team for at least 10 seasons, and Stewart appears to be headed elsewhere after this year. Kyle Petty, who has been with Petty Enterprises 12 years, worked as a commentator for TNT's broadcast. "Sometimes, guys feel they need to change or they need a fresh start," car owner Rick Hendrick said. "I think that's part of it, and now you've got a bunch of agents involved with drivers and sponsors getting involved because they're spending a lot of money and they get impatient and they want a certain type of person." -- The Virginian-Pilot
Castroneves not planning to jump to NASCAR
Formalities are all that stand in the way of a contract renewal for Helio Castroneves to stay with Penske Racing and the IRL IndyCar Series, according to the two-time Indy 500 winner and team President Tim Cindric. Castroneves was thought to be considering NASCAR, just as former teammate Sam Hornish Jr. and 2007 IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti did in deciding to drive in Sprint Cup this year. But Castroneves noted Franchitti lost his NASCAR ride last week from a lack of sponsorship. "I don't think the opportunity right now of going to NASCAR is the best one," Castroneves said. "Right now, I'm looking to be in Team Penske for quite a long time." -- USA Today
Martin is looking forward to driving for Hendrick team
As Sprint Cup driver Mark Martin and team owner Rick Hendrick sat before a room packed with media members at Daytona International Speedway, their smiles were simply too difficult to contain. Martin will join the dream team of Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Hendrick Motorsports in 2009. His decision to return to a full schedule after two years of running select events came only because it was Rick Hendrick asking for his services. The 20-year veteran is currently employed by Dale Earnhardt Inc. but will attempt to collect his first career championship next season in Hendrick's No. 5 Chevrolet. Then, the plan calls for Martin to drive a 24 to 26-race schedule for Hendrick in 2010. "It's just an opportunity that I absolutely could not let pass by at this point in my life," Martin said. "I was very concerned about regretting that decision for the rest of my life. And so I got my arms wrapped around the scheduling situation and here we go. I'm incredibly excited and honored and I know that most people can't comprehend what an honor it is for me to be invited to be a part of this organization, especially at this stage of my career." -- Lexington Dispatch
Young drivers like Logano future of NASCAR
It's not surprising that 18-year-old Joey Logano could replace Stewart, a two-time champ, should Tony Stewart leave Gibbs' team after this year to be a driver/owner for his own team. Car owner Joe Gibbs recently said that his team likely would put Logano in a Cup car later this year for a few races. Bobby Labonte, who drove for Gibbs from 1995-2005, says the movement is simple to explain. "Everybody is trying to find a home and be happy with it," he says. "Some guys that are not successful are going to look somewhere else. If they're successful they stay." -- The Virginian-Pilot
Top 5 drivers to make Chase
With the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup only 8 races away, its time to start the debate over who is going to make it and who is going to be left on the outside looking in. Unless something dramatic happens, I think the top five drivers in the standings are pretty much locked into the chase. Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson should all make it in baring some sort of natural disaster. Its from sixth on back were things should get interesting. From Jeff Gordon in sixth back to Tony Stewart in twelfth, the point separation is only 107 points. One wrong move by any driver in that point range could possibly knock them right out of the chase. -- Shelby Star
Carl Edwards to have special paint scheme for Chicagoland Speedway
When Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Office Depot Ford in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, competes in the LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on July 12, he'll have some special passengers along for the ride. For this race only, Office Depot (NYSE:ODP), the Official Office Products Partner of NASCAR, will showcase a one-of-a-kind "Taking Care of Business" paint scheme featuring the individual signatures of close to 8,000 Office Depot associates from around the world. The signatures collected from all regions of the world are representative of the fact that Office Depot associates serve customers in more than 40 countries across the globe. -- Business Wire
Who Knew?
Three years ago, five Cup drivers had been with their current team for at least 10 full seasons and a sixth driver was in his 12th year, running a partial schedule.-- The Virginian-Pilot
Ben Maller can be heard weeknights on "The Third Shift on Fox" via the vast Fox Sports Radio Network. The show is broadcast live Monday-Friday from 2am till 6am (est). Check your local radio listenings for the FSR affiliate in your town, listen to XM Satellite Radio Channel No. 142 or via live streaming audio online at FoxSports.com/Radio. Say hi to Ben at myspace.com/benmaller. Interact with Ben's fans and talk sports on Ben Maller's forum Questions, comments and news tips can be sent to Ben via e mail at BigBen@Foxsports.com or Ben@BenMaller.com.
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