CBSSports.com contributor Pete Pistone and staff writer Brian De Los Santos provide analysis on three racing topics.
| 1. Which driver is most on the hot seat? | |
| Pete Pistone | Brian De Los Santos |
 Elliott Sadler is at a crossroads in his career and 2008 could very well be a make-or-break season for the popular Virginian. He bailed out of Yates Racing at the right time a season-and-a-half ago, but since arriving at Gillett-Evernham he has done squat. Some of that can be blamed on the team, which has struggled mightily since Sadler came over in late 2006, but it's time for him to step up his game or be thrown into the category of a Michael Waltrip or Kenny Wallace -- lots of talk and a TV-friendly personality but nothing to back it up on the track. Put Paul Menard in the team photo with DEI. Dad's money or not, it's time to be more than a middle-of-the-pack runner. |  I have a couple of drivers at the top of my list and they both drive for Jack Roush. First there's David Ragan, who, quite frankly, I was surprised lasted the entire 2007 season in the No. 6 car. Roush actually showed a little patience with the rookie driver, but I doubt three top 10s will cut it in 2008. And then there's Jamie McMurray. Many expected he'd join the elite once he hooked up with Roush, but he has yet to even match the kind of success he had with Chip Ganassi Racing. After winning the midseason race at Daytona last year -- his first and only in two seasons at Roush-Fenway -- he had just two top 10s to go with 13 finishes outside the top 20 in the final 18 races. Anything short of making the Chase in '08 likely won't sit well with Roush. |
| 2. Which driver will be the biggest surprise? | |
| Pete Pistone | Brian De Los Santos |
| David Reutimann. Now that you've stopped snickering, listen for a minute. He was the only one that showed virtually anything in the Michael Waltrip Racing/Toyota camp last season before the signing of Joe Gibbs Racing late in the year mysteriously helped the entire Camry camp. He has a year of experience under his belt, including a season in the Nationwide Series and now with Toyota's sudden prowess, he will have the horsepower to be competitive. It's up to Reutimann, who will slide from MWR's No. 00 to the No. 44 vacated by Dale Jarrett after the first five races of the season, but '08 could be his breakout year. | After choosing Jeff Burton in 2006 and Clint Bowyer in '07, I have to look outside Richard Childress Racing. First, Reed Sorenson. He has shown flashes in two seasons, but has lacked consistency. It's time he steps up his game and I believe he has the talent to do so. Chip Ganassi Racing equipment might not be the best to compete for wins on a weekly basis, but it should be good enough for top 10s, top 15s and the edge of a Chase berth. There is no hard data to support my case; it's more of a gut feeling. If he doesn't, he could very well find his seat in jeopardy. I'm also with Pete in his assessment of David Reutimann. All Toyota teams should benefit because of the addition of Joe Gibbs Racing, and people are going to start taking notice of Reutimann. |
| 3. Which driver will be the biggest disappointment? | |
| Pete Pistone | Brian De Los Santos |
| Sam Hornish Jr. is a talented driver who showed how good he could be during his open wheel career with Indy 500 victories and IRL championships. But he has not displayed much in his brief stock car tenure. If not for the gift of swapping owner points with Kurt Busch's No. 2 entry, Hornish Jr. would no doubt have had a difficult time simply qualifying for early-season races this season. That buys him some time, but unless he can show that he's a quicker study in a stock car than what we have seen so far, Hornish Jr. might be wishing he was back behind the wheel of an Indy Car around midseason. | I'm either going to be dead on or way off on this one: Matt Kenseth could be in for a fall in 2008. I'm not trying to pick on Roush-Fenway, really, but Kenseth could struggle as he adjusts to new crew chief Chip Bolin. Robbie Reiser is the only crew chief Kenseth has had in his Cup career and they enjoyed great success together. But Reiser was promoted to GM at Roush-Fenway at the end of '07, breaking up one of the best driver-crew chief tandems in NASCAR. I know Kenseth and Bolin are no strangers as Bolin has been the team's engineer since 1999, but that doesn't necessarily mean instant success. For some drivers, it doesn't matter who the crew chief is. For others, the right crew chief makes all the difference. |
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