Kurt Busch and Bobby Labonte, two former champions, decided that there was greener grass elsewhere, as did Jamie McMurray, Michael Waltrip, Scott Riggs, Ken Schrader, and Jeff Green. Other drivers such as Sterling Marlin, Dave Blaney, Travis Kvapil, and Scott Wimmer were forced to go job hunting after they were handed the pink slip. Casey Mears swapped rides, but not organizations.
And we cannot forget about the six rookies that are backed by powerhouse organizations.
I'm sure I'm leaving someone out.
Anyway, after seven races, I found myself pondering over which driver has profited the most from the 2005 silly season saga. Before the 2006 season began, Kurt Busch's move to Penske Racing and Jamie McMurray's move to Roush Racing would have been coherent picks as the drivers who would benefit the most from the changes, but obviously they have struggled with their new teams. McMurray is already on his second crew chief this season.
Bobby Labonte has appeared just as proficient with Petty Enterprises, if not more than he did with Joe Gibbs Racing over the last several years, but he has had miserable luck.
Casey Mears has been solid since moving over from Chip Ganassi Racing's #41 Dodge to McMurray's former #42 ride, but he's not contending for wins like he was with the #41 team late in 2005.
Jeff Green, Michael Waltrip, Sterling Marlin, and Ken Schrader have yet to gel with their new teams.
So that leads me to the guy whom I think has benefited the most from last year's silly season moves; Scott Riggs. Early last year, Riggs displayed signs of becoming a contender with MBV Motorsports, but his results tailed off as the year progressed. Many critics speculated that Ray Evernham could have landed a more proven driver to take the wheel of the Valvoline Dodge. And after Riggs and the #10 team missed the Daytona 500 in February, the future seemed a bit futile for Evernham's third team.
But Riggs has bounced back adequately, and currently sits 28th in the Nextel Cup standings, and his team is in fine position to qualify for the next handful of races.
Riggs has scored two consecutive top tens, and had a car capable of winning at Texas a couple of weeks ago. Don't be surprised if in the next year or two, Riggs begins to win races in bulk, kind of like Greg Biffle in 2004 and 2005.
Silly Season top 5 (discounting the rookies)
1. Scott Riggs- from MBV Motorsports to Evernham Motorsports
2. Bobby Labonte- from Joe Gibbs to Petty Enterprises
3. Casey Mears- from Chip Ganassi Racing (#41) to Chip Ganassi Racing (#42)
4. Kurt Busch- from Roush Racing to Penske Racing South
5. Jamie McMurray- from Chip Ganassi Racing to Roush Racing
email the author: autoracing@suite101.com
