Martin Truex Jr.'s signing with Michael Waltrip Racing wasn't a surprise by any means.
The speculation that the former Nationwide Series champion would migrate to the suddenly desirable MWR operation began months ago and this week's announcement formalized what was considered by most as inevitable.
But what the move did do is set the wheels in motion for the 2010 "Silly Season" round of driver moves, team changes and sponsorship announcements.
Unfortunately, the economic throes NASCAR finds itself in these days may not provide as much movement as in the past.
The summer months have typically been the time decisions are made on the corporate level for the next year's sponsorship programs. That usually leads to a steady stream of announcements throughout July and August as teams revealed their plans for new driver lineups and sponsors for the following season.
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| Martin Truex Jr. will walk into a new ride next season, but don't expect many more signings this winter. (Getty Images) |
Uncertain participation from the auto manufacturers may be the biggest stumbling block for teams trying to figure out their 2010 plans. Even the likes of powerhouses such as Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing are unsure what level of support they can expect from the factories.
Richard Petty Motorsports is still under contract with Chrysler, but there is growing evidence a shift to the Toyota camp is coming with Kasey Kahne reportedly set to be behind the wheel of a Camry in a matter of weeks.
For now all we know for sure is that Truex Jr. will slide into a full-time seat at MWR with NAPA sponsorship. Waltrip will scale down to a limited schedule of anywhere from five to 12 races, including the Daytona 500, as he concentrates more on the task of running his team.
"I just decided I didn't want to do it if I couldn't be competitive, and I hadn't been competitive, so it didn't bother me any," Waltrip said. "I wanted to be a car owner for 100 years, and this is a great move to help make our runway longer in order to have chances to be successful. Putting a guy like Martin in the NAPA car for the next few years, that's a big deal for a young organization."
Truex Jr.'s bolt from Earnhardt Ganassi Racing does leave an open -- and presumably fully sponsored seat -- in next year's lineup. The current sponsor of the No. 1 car, Bass Pro Shops, appears to be set for 2010 with only the decision of driver left for the team.
"We owe it to our organization, and we certainly owe it to Bass and the conversations that we've been having with them already, to make sure that we can, as quickly as possible, get our ducks in a row on the options that we have," said EGR president Steve Lauletta. "All the considerations and options, we'll keep those internal. It won't be a tremendously long list, but we feel like we've got some really, really good options."
One of those options is presumably Aric Almirola, the young driver who was impressive last year but forced to the sidelines in 2009 because of lack of sponsorship.
But there are other candidates on the list, one that could grow significantly if any current teams hit sponsorship roadblocks and are forced to scale back their operations.
It appears we're in for a bit of a wait before the 2010 picture becomes clearer, which will definitely make for an anxious summer throughout the garage area.
Garage chatter
• Last year's Rookie of the Year Regan Smith has been impressive in a limited role this year as the Furniture Row Racing team runs a scaled-down schedule of only 12 races. That slate could grow and there are indications the team will add Bristol's August night race to its plans and is working hard to get the No. 78 car back on track in a full-time capacity in 2010.
• NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series might be in for a schedule change in 2010 with a few current tracks dropping off the slate and the addition of others, including a return to historic Darlington Raceway. The Milwaukee Mile, which has been part of the series since its inception, will most likely not return in 2010 as the track is in danger of shutting its doors due to severe financial problems. Next season's schedule could also include several date shifts of existing races.
• Jeremy Mayfield is not on the entry list for this Saturday night's Lifelock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Mayfield, who last Wednesday was granted an injunction lifting his suspension for alleged violations of NASCAR's substance-abuse policy, is not listed as a driver for any of the 46 cars.
• Atlanta Motor Speedway and Pep Boys have reached an out-of-court settlement of the track's lawsuit against the auto parts retail chain over the title sponsorship of the Sept. 6. Sprint Cup race at the track, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court in Atlanta. The settlement was not filed with the court, but an AMS spokesman indicated that the race will remain the Pep Boys Auto 500 this year.
