Doug Richert has a new home, and Ryan Newman has a new crew chief! So what about the 88?
December is here, which means it is that time of the year when NASCAR racing seems like an eternity away. Testing for the Daytona 500 will commence in just over a month, but testing is less than exhilirating. The interesting activities begin in mid-February, with the Budweiser Shootout and Daytona 500 qualifying, which is over two months away. So, fans must check the Internet for the latest scoop in NASCAR.
It's clear that Penske Racing driver Ryan Newman will have a new crew chief for 2007 as Mike Nelson will be promoted from his chief engineering duties. He will replace Matt Borland, who actually left with 2 races remaining in the 2006 campaign. Borland is rumored to go to Michael Waltrip Racing.
Doug Richert, the former crew chief for Greg Biffle, will call the shots for Team Red Bull Racing in 2007. Richert, who conceded that he was less than thrilled with Jack Roush's realignment, led Biffle to 10 of his 11 career victories in Nextel Cup. I guess the upside to his career move is that he will no longer have Subway subs thrown at him.
And Johnny Sauter will make a return to Nextel Cup competition with Haas/CNC Racing. Sauter was rumored to become the driver for Robert Yates Racing's number 88 car, which supposedly has a sponsor, but apparently that was blown smoke. Anyway, has anyone heard anything else regarding the 88?
Sauter and Ricky Rudd were the primary names mentioned, but lately, the 88 ride has been seldom acknowledged.
I know that the Yates team is not what they were 5 or 10 years ago, but if the 88 has sponsor, that is an attractive ride, considering the history and success. David Starr, Ricky Craven, Ward Burton, Casey Atwood, Mike Bliss, Kevin Lepage, Ashton Lewis- just some names that come to mind. But, there are not many star quality names available, so it will be interesting to see who gets the gig.
