The NASCAR class system is not unlike other professional sports.
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| Kasey Kahne's Gillett Evernham team is hanging with the powerhouses. (AP) |
The well-financed super teams' line-up includes Hendrick Motorsports, Roush Fenway Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing and Richard Childress Racing. These four operations have solid manufacturer support, lucrative sponsorship deals and star-studded driver rosters.
The big four currently hold 11 of the top 12 positions in the point standings with only Gillett Evernham's Kasey Kahne able to crack the list.
GEM is on the second-tier squad of teams trying to keep the powerhouses in their sights and stay competitive.
Each of these teams faces an uphill battle meeting that challenge:
Gillett Evernham Motorsports
Until Kahne reverted to his winning ways of 2006, this team was struggling to find itself. Kahne, Elliott Sadler and newcomer Patrick Carpentier have a combined 11 top-10 finishes in the season's first 16 races. Unfortunately, Kahne is responsible for eight of those. While Sadler has shown signs of life from time to time and Carpentier also demonstrating a flash or two, Kahne is carrying the team's fortunes and remains the only legitimate contender to make the Chase and possibly win the championship.
Penske Racing
The Ryan Newman-Kurt Busch-Sam Hornish Jr. trio may be the biggest disappointment of the season, especially after the way things began in February. When Newman and Busch finished 1-2 in the Daytona 500 and rookie Hornish a respectable 15th, many thought Roger Penske's team was poised for the breakthrough year it had hoped for since signing Busch away from Roush three years ago. But it's all downhill since. Newman remains in the hunt to make the Chase but barring a miraculous 10-race run by Busch, the 2004 champion will be on the sidelines come playoff time.
DEI
The post-Dale Earnhardt Jr. era hasn't gone quite the way Teresa Earnhardt and director of global operations Max Siegel had hoped. Martin Truex Jr., thrust into the role as team leader after the departure of the other more-famous Junior, hasn't been able to step up his game, despite a solid sophomore season last year. In a limited role, Mark Martin has done his usual hit-and-miss job in the No. 8 car, while his car mate Aric Armirola suffers from the lack of seat time in order to develop. Paul Menard and rookie Regan Smith have been non-factors all year long and now with materializing sponsorship issues for 2009, contraction to a three-car operation seems likely, with Martin possibly headed out the door for a similar mentor-role in the Hendrick No. 5 ride.
Chip Ganassi Racing
The best part of Chip Ganassi's racing year has been everything but his NASCAR stable. Ganassi's IRL team is dominating IndyCar racing with an Indy 500 win by Scott Dixon and his Grand-Am road racing team has visited Victory Lane several times including the season-opening 24 Hours of Daytona. Unfortunately, things aren't nearly as successful in the NASCAR garage. Sophomore Juan Pablo Montoya has been the best of the bunch and has an outside chance at making the Chase, coming into this weekend's New Hampshire race in 19th place -– 254 points out of the final transfer spot. JPM's second year in stock cars has proven to be much tougher than his rookie season. Reed Sorenson has tumbled to 34th in the standings and is dangerously close to falling below the magic 35th spot and being forced to qualify his way into races. And former open wheeler Dario Franchitti, who missed several races with a broken ankle suffered in a Nationwide Series race, has struggled greatly. Changes could be on the horizon for this team in 2009 including everything from new sponsors to a driver or two.
Team Red Bull
This upstart team has caught fire in recent weeks as teammates Brian Vickers and A.J. Allmendinger have become competitive. Whether it's the potent Toyota power under the hood, more cohesiveness with the entire team, improvement behind the wheel, or a little of each, TRB is on the rise. Vickers sits 15th in the standings and if he could somehow pull off a Chase spot in this team's second-year of existence, it would be one of the greatest success stories in recent NASCAR history.
Michael Waltrip Racing
On the other side of the two-year team coin is MWR, which continues to languish after coming out of the gate strong in Daytona. Team owner Waltrip holds the 30th spot in the standings and has no shot at making the Chase. Rookie teammate Michael McDowell is learning on the job and has shown promise time to time. David Reutimann is the best of the trio at 28th, but will also not make the postseason.
Bill Davis Racing
BDR will lose long-time sponsor Caterpillar to RCR next year and has only two top 10s to its credit. However, the team remains positive and not only expects to replace CAT on its No. 22 entry in 2009, but plans to field a second full-time car as well.
Yates Racing
Maybe the underdog story of the year. With little-to-no sponsorship, the two-car tandem of Travis Kvapil and David Gilliland have somehow managed to be competitive more often than not. The latest example is last week in Sonoma, where Gilliland came home second to Kyle Busch. The Roush engine alliance certainly gives this team the horsepower needed to compete and with an influx of much-needed sponsorship dollars, the once proud Yates organization could again be in Victory Lane.
Petty Enterprises
The evolution of NASCAR's oldest and most-storied organization continues with the recent announcement of its partnership with investment group Boston Ventures. Locking down Bobby Labonte for four more years was a major step in the right direction. Solidifying sponsorship as well as the future of the No. 45 entry and Kyle Petty's role are vital in PE's return to respectability.
