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Preseason Driver Rankings: Nos. 40-31
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One of the first sports to fully acknowledge and feel the pullback has been NASCAR, as sponsorships directly impact the ability of smaller teams to field a car at all. The sport's changed its policies regarding testing and the marketing and community outreach efforts have kicked into overdrive.
During the upcoming weeks, we'll rev the engines and get ourselves ready for the dawning of a new Sprint Cup Series season. Jimmie Johnson will begin his quest for a fourth straight title, while Kyle Busch seeks to rectify his late-season meltdown. Tony Stewart added the owner title to his resume, and Juan Pablo Montoya made a New Year's resolution to push for a spot in the Chase (OK, I'm assuming he did).
Let's start our long and winding road toward Daytona.
Driver rankings: Nos. 40-31
40. Boris Said, Road Specialist
Said will only be seen a few times each season, but he's normally a contender and a popular fourth roster choice when he appears on the entry list. He owns four top 10s in nine career starts at Infineon Raceway and two top 10s in his eight Watkins Glen rides.
39. Ron Fellows, Road Specialist
Like Said, Fellows is another driver fantasy participants slide into their fourth roster spots when the road course events approach. He's raced to five top 10s in 18 career starts between Infineon Raceway and Watkins Glen. In fact, he's completed three top-five finishes in his 11 career starts at Watkins Glen.
38. Elliott Sadler, Richard Petty Motorsports
After back-to-back top 15 finishes in the championship starting in 2004, things have gone downhill for Sadler. The 2008 campaign was the third straight year he finished worse than 20th overall (24th), and he had just two top fives and eight top 10s in 36 starts. Oh yeah, he only led 21 circuits last year, his worst output since 2000.
37. Regan Smith, Furniture Row
Furniture Row Racing announced it would scale back its racing operations for 2009. The move led to a buyout of veteran Joe Nemechek's contract, and allowed Smith, the 2008 Raybestos Rookie of the Year, to take on the task of a shortened schedule in the No. 78 car. He was the first rookie to finish every race he entered and led the freshmen pack in 11 races. He averaged a 28th-place finish and ran inside the top 20 only four times last year (zero top 10s). However, he avoided the big wrecks and demonstrated that he has the chops to make it at this level. He'll bide his time in a part-time ride until the economy picks up and opportunities open up.
36. Robby Gordon, Robby Gordon Motorsports
Gordon's switching manufacturers for the fourth time in the past four years. He'll field Toyota Camrys during the 2009 season after watching the car become increasingly competitive last year. He's been a solid performer in road races in the past with an occasional top-tier run at other events (eighth at Daytona last year). He generated only seven top-20 finishes last season, so it's rare that he'll be a fantasy factor. However, Gordon does rate a fourth starter role on occasion and calls his own shots.
35. Marcos Ambrose, JTG-Daugherty Racing
Ambrose is one of the most intriguing entries to the Sprint Cup field in 2009. If nothing else, the fact he hails from Tasmania, Australia makes him the most marketable newcomer out of the gate. He tested the Sprint Cup waters last year in 11 events, producing two top-20 finishes. He qualified seventh at Infineon before finishing in 42nd place. He then earned the first top-10 finish of his Sprint Cup career at Watkins Glen. The longtime star of the V8 Supercar Championship Series has competed against and beaten the best around the globe. He'll be interesting to watch in his full-time ride in 2009. Has the deal with Warner Bros. been done yet?
34. Sam Hornish, Jr., Penske Racing
Hornish experienced a difficult 2008 season, failing to generate a top-10 finish in 34 starts with four DNFs. He averaged a 30.1-position finish off a disappointing 28th-position average starting point. He achieved three top-20 finishes (two top 15s), including a solid 15th-place finish in the season opener at Daytona. Might 2009 finally be the breakthrough campaign the former IndyCar Series champion has been expecting?
33. David Stremme, Penske Racing
Stremme raced a full Sprint Cup Series slate in 2007, generating three top-10 finishes and 15 top-20 efforts. But after losing his Chip Ganassi Racing ride, he appeared in only one Cup race during the 2008 campaign, a 28th-place finish in the Aaron's 499 (accident). I'm intrigued to watch him take over the No. 12 ride for Penske Racing following Ryan Newman's departure. His efforts during the 2007 Cup season and the 2008 Nationwide campaign demonstrate he can perform consistently at a high level, and I expect him to perform similarly in his new ride.
32. Reed Sorenson, Richard Petty Motorsports
Fantasy Auto Racing
Sorenson experienced a difficult 2008 season, generating only two top 10s and five top 15s in 35 starts. Taken further, he raced fifth at Daytona to whet the appetites of NASCAR fans and pundits. He then averaged a disappointing 28th-place finish for the year.
31. Aric Almirola, Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing
Almirola got his feet wet last season with 12 starts in the Sprint Cup Series. His willingness to split time and gain experience earned him a full-time ride in the storied No. 8 car for Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing this season (despite some preseason turmoil). He made news with a strong eighth-place showing in the Food City 500, his first start of the season. He failed to sustain momentum by finishing 23rd or worse in five straight events following that mid-March run. The 24-year-old driver then regrouped and generated a 13th-place finish in the Sharpie 500 on August 23. He completed four top-20 finishes in his final six 2008 rides. As such, I'm mighty intrigued to watch what he can do with a full slate.
Next: Driver rankings: Nos. 30-21
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