Focusing on the Prize
The 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup season promises to be an interesting one…
by Stan Creekmore

In the blink of an eye, the scenery has changed and it’s still not changing. The single constant in the world of NASCAR racing is the prize at the end of the season – the championship. Since 1949, drivers have come together under the NASCAR banner with dreams of being the last man standing at the end of a long, grueling year. From year to year, decade to decade, names come and go, change has moved the sport forward from fairgrounds to facilities and still the constant is the trophy at the end of the year. From 1972 to 2003, it was the Winston Cup title. In 2004, NEXTEL replaced Winston, as the top series in NASCAR competition. The year 2007 will bring even great change to the sport with the introduction of the COT (Car of Tomorrow) and the move from NBC to ABC for the final half of the season. However, that’s next year, right now its 2006 and the opening race of the season, the Daytona 500, is just one week away.                    
               
Great change looms on the horizon both on and off the racetrack, however, the differences in 2006 should center on the team aspect of stock car racing.
               
The rookie standouts of the early 70’s are gone, replaced by a new crop of talent with the ability and equipment to thrill the sports throngs of loyal followers. Nevertheless, before these rookies can claim a spot at the head table they will have to match wits with a core group of veterans who have lived and breathed racing almost since the moment of conception.
               
The 2006 season brings with it many changes. Rusty Wallace and Ricky Rudd are gone. Mark Martin had hoped to be retired from chasing the title however; Jack Roush talked him into another year. A fresh crop of extremely talented rookies is looking to make their mark, including one who has managed to sneak into the big leagues. Kurt Busch, Jamie McMurray, Sterling Marlin, Jeff Green, Travis Kvapil and Bobby Labonte all have new rides. For the experienced fan there will be a lot more than a title chase to watch in 2006.

The Drivers Who Should Contend –

Tony Stewart will not “go easy into the night,” despite an off season injury to his arm and a rib. The first driver to claim both a Winston Cup and Nextel Cup title, Stewart is all about competition on the racetrack, although in the past year he has taken a sharper focus on the big picture. By his actions, Stewart has shown the ability to accept that a second place finish does not make him the first loser. Cleared by doctors following two crashes at the Chili Bowl in Tulsa (OK), Stewart is gunning for a win in the Daytona 500. He would also like to repeat as champion, a feat last accomplished by Jeff Gordon, who won back-to-back titles in 1997 and 1998.

Greg Biffle is ready to go and has already stirred the pot with comments directed towards Jimmie Johnson. Six wins, the most by any driver in 2005, propelled the Washington state driver to a second place finish in the overall standings. Entering his fourth year of competition at NASCAR’s highest level, Biffle is hungry to become the first driver to win championship titles in all three of NASCAR’s national divisions. He won the Truck Series title in 2000 and the Busch Series crown in 2002. Amazingly, Biffle and Stewart appear to be cut from the same cloth and both seemed to have conquered their inner demons, which too often worked against their brilliant driving abilities.

Carl Edwards is the driver of tomorrow, today. He’s young, talented and well skilled in dealing with the media. There are few who doubt he is the Jeff Gordon of the next decade. It would take a complete meltdown of the Roush Racing system to derail this one-way train to stardom. Edwards, fell one win short of the rookie output of defending Nextel Cup Champion, Kurt Busch, but matched the rookie output of current Champ, Tony Stewart.

Jimmie Johnson is quickly becoming the Mark Martin of a new generation, always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Johnson and Chad Knauss slipped in the final five races of the 2005 season, costing them a shot at the title for the third straight year. This combination is so strong other teams have taken to spreading rumors in the hopes of beating them from within. They’ll need to fix the problems leading to the slump if they expect to sit at the head table in December.  

Ryan Newman is another of the new breed who has shown he is very capable of handling a fast racecar. His obstacles in 2006 are two-fold. He must overcome the disadvantages of the nosepiece on the Dodge Charger and learn to pace. Newman has lost races by pushing his car too far too fast. If he can overcome those two hurdles then he will be a challenger, not just a Chase contender. One more task for Newman will be to learn the meaning of teamwork. The biggest obstacle of a multi-car operation is getting the separate teams to work as one, until race day. It’s a lesson Newman has struggled to swallow.

The remainder of last year’s top ten – Matt Kenseth, Jeremy Mayfield and Kurt Busch are a mixed lot.

Busch was a true contender until his lawyers completed the deal for him to jump ship to Penske Racing in 2006. That and his run in with a sheriff in Arizona sealed his downfall in 2005. If Busch can adjust quickly to a new organization, a new crew chief and a new car, he should be a contender this year. That’s three huge ifs standing in his way.
               
Kenseth resolved his concerns with Roush Racing late in 2005. He appears to be ready to contend for the title in 2006. The one concern is the approach. Kenseth has not yet proved himself more than a two-time winner in any one year. You can win the title with two victories if you finish the rest of the events in the top ten. One poor finish can wipe away the benefits of two wins, that’s the nature of the beast under the current point system.
               
Mayfield is a bit like Kenseth. A steady driver who, with solid equipment, can find his way to the front of the pack on any given Sunday, Mayfield needs to break into the multiple win column to further his chances at a title.

The Rest of the Pack -

Mark Martin says he won’t be swayed again. This season will be his last as a full-time competitor on the NEXTEL Cup Series. Scheduled duty on the Craftsman Truck Series will most likely detract from his Cup performance. Martin isn’t likely to make the Chase in his final full season. He still has the talent and the drive, the chink in this year’s armor is the word distraction.
               
Jeff Gordon surprised not only himself, but also the rest of the racing world when he failed to make the Chase in 2005. Both he and Robbie Loomis, now with Petty Enterprises, waited too late to make the changes necessary to bring the team back to championship form in 2005. Gordon should have no problems making the Chase in 2006 however; the jury is still out on the ability of the team to contend for the championship.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s 2005 season left more than one person scratching their head. Turmoil appears to be the word of the day, week, month and year at Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Until those problems are resolved, Earnhardt will continue to struggle. It would not surprise to see Earnhardt miss the Chase again in 2006.

Elliott Sadler and Dale Jarrett are teammates looking to bring glory back to Robert Yates Racing. Jarrett is struggling in his final years as a driver, while Elliott struggles to put together a consistent season from start to finish. This is another operation in turmoil. While both drivers are capable of making the Chase, they alone can’t carry the burden. Both teams will have to step up considerably in 2006.

Finally, there is Kevin Harvick at Richard Childress Racing. Some say Harvick is losing his desire. Others say the one losing desire is Richard Childress. This is an owner/driver combination capable of winning a title however; both have volatile personalities. If someone can keep the match away from the fuse, this combination will make the Chase in 2006.

The Driver Changes –

Bobby Labonte stunned the racing world with his decision to join Petty Enterprises after nearly a decade with Joe Gibbs Racing. Labonte qualified the move, saying it was a difficult decision, but he needed a change. He “needed to be more involved.”
               
This is a no-lose situation for Labonte. Even though he claims Petty Enterprises has the technological and mechanical expertise of other teams, it hasn’t shown on the racetrack. If the car does well with Labonte’s hands guiding the wheel, he’ll be praised from helping to resurrect what many consider a dinosaur looking at extinction. Should the car not perform, Labonte is a former champion who can move to another operation with little or no problem. Luckily Bobby is not alone in his efforts at Petty Enterprises; Robbie Loomis is onboard along with crew chief Todd Parrott.

Jamie McMurray is in put up or shut up mode. Moving from Ganassi Racing is a major plus for the young driver. Stepping into an operation that has two recent Cup titles on the mantle, means it is time for McMurray to step up and start hitting home runs. McMurray jumped into the fray with a quick victory while subbing for the injured Sterling Marlin. Since that time, McMurray has been a journeyman driver spending too much time in the middle of the pack. Jack Roush must see something, because he rarely makes a mistake when it comes to talent.

Michael Waltrip is poised from greatness, not as a driver but as a car owner with Toyota. Waltrip walked away from Dale Earnhardt, Inc., taking NAPA with him to Bill Davis Racing for one year. During the off-season, Waltrip made a deal with Doug Bawel, former part owner of the now defunct #77, to form a new team. Bill Davis Racing will provide equipment and personnel to Waltrip’s new operation. Waltrip is hoping to get through the year while gearing up for a long career of campaigning for the first foreign based auto manufacturer to be allowed into the upper echelon of stock car racing.

               
Now the Rookies –

Keep your eyes on Denny Hamlin, who will be keeping his eyes on Martin Truex. Hamlin has the inside line to win the rookie title while winning races. Truex is about to find out winning two consecutive Busch Series titles won’t buy him a free cup of coffee.

Hamlin, 25, has caught the racing world by surprise. He took a beaten and battered team, showed them his confidence, and garnered their first top ten of the season. He also gave FedEx something to smile about in an otherwise dismal season. There will be the normal rookie growing pains, but a trip to victory lane once or twice would not be surprising

Truex will have a completely different set of problems. Expectations, born out of his Busch Series success, will haunt him early on in the season. A false step and the downward spiral will resemble the 2005 season of Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The rest of the rookie pack – Reed Sorenson, David Stremme, Brent Sherman, Clint Bowyer, J. J. Yeley and Chad Chaffin will have typical rookie seasons. They are all with respectable operations, with the exception of Sherman who is driving for BAM Racing and Chaffin, who is driving for Front Row Racing, an operation started in 2005. That’s not a slam on BAM or Front Row; it’s just that the others are much bigger operations with larger resources.   

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