There are still four races left in this year's Nextel Cup Series season. But for a growing group of drivers and teams, 2008 is already here.
While Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson battle it out for the Chase championship, much of the Nextel Cup garage has shifted focus to next season.
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| Dale Earnhardt Jr. and chief Tony Eury Jr. will do testing with Hendrick. (Getty Images) |
It will be the first real test for the Car of Tomorrow on an intermediate-sized track like Atlanta, and with the car slated to be the full-time Cup machine in 2008, next week's session will be vital for teams to collect data.
"We still have a tremendous amount to learn about what we need to do with the Car of Tomorrow," said Richard Childress Racing driver Jeff Burton. "We'll know more about how the car will handle once we test it at Atlanta Motor Speedway."
The test will offer another sneak peek at the 2008 season when Dale Earnhardt Jr. slides over to the Hendrick Motorsports garage for a chance to shake down his new ride.
Junior's current team, DEI, granted permission for the team's current No. 8 entry driver to work with Hendrick during the test.
Crew chief Tony Eury Jr. has already left DEI for Hendrick, and the Atlanta session will give the two a chance to jump start their 2008 efforts.
"We recognize that Dale Jr. and Tony Jr. both need to get going with their new program, and we're not going to stand in their way," DEI vice president John Story said.
The unprecedented decision is appreciated by Earnhardt Jr., who has been plagued by engine woes during his recent final starts at DEI and is anxious to begin the next phase of his career.
"It's very cool that DEI decided to let us test with the new team at Atlanta and yeah, I'm psyched about it," Earnhardt Jr. said. "Believe me, I still want to win bad one last time in that No. 8 car, but I'm also looking forward to what lies ahead next year and beyond."
Earnhardt Jr. won't be the only one getting a head start on the new year during the Atlanta test. Kyle Busch will jump into a Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 in preparation for his move next year, and J.J. Yeley will pilot No. 96 for his new employer, Hall of Fame Racing.
But while the majority of teams and drivers are gearing up for 2008 with testing and research, there's another group still not sure about its plans for the new year.
In fact, the list of unemployed drivers continues to grow with the likes of Johnny Sauter, Jeff Green, Tony Raines, Kenny Wallace and David Stremme –- all who held full-time ride this year -– looking for work.
With the influx of former open wheel stars like Dario Franchitti, Jacques Villeneuve and Patrick Carpentier coming into the Cup Series, several seats have been shuffled. And unfortunately for a number of long-time veterans, the upheaval has left them on the outside looking in.
Sauter and Green were KO'd by the Haas-CNC team's decision to bring in two other veteran drivers, Scott Riggs and Jeremy Mayfield, to fill out their two-car lineup next season.
The moves caught both incumbent drivers by surprise to say the least.
"We thought things were going pretty well," said Green, who held the 27th position in the standings, good for a guaranteed spot in upcoming races as a member of the top 35. "Yeah, we're pretty upset and surprised by this."
Sauter is actually under contract for 2008, making his future even murkier. There are reports the Wisconsin native could join Robby Gordon Motorsports next year if the team fields a second car, but right now there are no guarantees.
The situation has left Sauter more than a little confused.
"It's pretty much up to the powers that be," Sauter said. "I have been told that I can look around and see what's out there, for whatever that's worth. Who the hell knows?"
The pressure to succeed has never been greater in the NASCAR world than it is today. With so much on the line, teams are forced to do whatever they think is necessary to thrive, even if it means making personnel shifts for next year while there's still racing left in the current campaign.
"Silly Season" used to refer to the preparation and maneuvering done for the coming year during the winter months.
Now it's year-round.
