The NASCAR “Silly Season” has shaken up the world of motorsports once again. It started in April when Hendrick Motorsports announced Kasey Kahne would join their fold in 2012. The dominoes fell from there. At the end of this season more drivers will be at the end of their contracts with their teams. Will they re-up? Will they depart and go elsewhere?
It was easy keeping tabs on who drove what car and what color it would be back about a decade ago. That has changed.
Sponsorship dollars are scarce, and even the best teams now field two to three primary sponsors per year.
Case in point, in 2011, Jeff Gordon’s car will no longer always carry the prominent DuPont logo that has become synonymous with the No. 24 since Gordon broke onto the NASCAR scene full-time in 1993. Gordon will now have a darker red car, sponsored in 22 races by the Drive to End Hunger and the AARP.
The normal look of the No. 24 has changed a little. DuPont will still be around, just not as much
Gordon will still have DuPont and Pepsi for the other 14 races, but it might be tough to spot the No. 24 car if he’s not carrying the DuPont logo on the hood full-time.
Staying in the Hendrick Motorsports shop the No. 24 car inhabits is the newest member to join Mark Martin’s hood and quarterpanels, Quaker State. The darker green “Q” will fly on Martin’s hood for four races including the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis.
And the man who will take over for Martin next season in the No. 5 car? Well, Kasey Kahne is hanging out at Red Bull Racing this season, driving the No. 4 car. Brian Vickers has returned from his health scare last year and will resume piloting the No. 83 car.
Keeping up? Do you need a breather?
Another crazy shakeup occurred this offseason at Penske Racing. As I noted last week, there would be no No. 12 on the track this season. Instead, Brad Keselowski would scoot over to the No. 2 Dodge, sponsored still by Miller Lite. Kurt Busch vacated the No. 2 to take the reins of the No. 22 Dodge with the Shell/Pennzoil logo on the hood.
The "Blue Deuce" has a new driver this year
Busch won the Budweiser Shootout on Saturday evening in his first race in the new car. Kahne isn’t off the hook in this story though. Shell/Pennzoil left Kevin Harvick when Kahne announced his departure from Richard Petty Motorsports, because Budweiser (formerly Kahne’s primary sponsor) darted for Harvick.
So, Harvick now carries the Budweiser paint scheme, and yes, his wife DeLana does have a new firesuit.
Delana Harvick has traded in her Shell/Pennzoil firesuit for a more prominent, red Budweiser one. No word on what Joey Logano thinks of the change yet
Also joining the RCR fold is Paul Menard, who left Richard Petty Motorsports to get on board as a fourth car at RCR. Menard brings plenty of sponsorship money with him too.
And speaking of Richard Petty Motorsports, the team fielded by “The King” is now a two-car operation. Elliott Sadler, formerly in Cup with RPM, has moved down to run a full Nationwide Series schedule with Kevin Harvick Inc.
AJ Allmendinger will remain at RPM and remain in the iconic No. 43 car. For 24 races, his car will carry the Best Buy colors, and the remaining races will be filled with sponsorship from Valvoline and the US Air Force amongst others.
The DeWalt colors, once synonymous with Matt Kenseth’s No. 17 car, will find a home on the No. 9 car of Marcos Ambrose, who left JTG-Daugherty Racing for RPM. Stanley Tools will also sponsor Ambrose.
Taking the spot vacated by Ambrose at JTG is 2000 Cup champ Bobby Labonte. Labonte will pilot the No. 47 car, sponsored by Bush’s Baked Beans and Kroger amongst many others.
Speaking of more sponsorship shakeups, Penske Racing has dropped Sam Hornish Jr. from its stable. Hornish formerly piloted the No. 77 Mobil-1 Dodge. Mobil-1 now sponsors the No. 14 of Tony Stewart, and will be on the hood of Smoke’s car for 11 races this season.
The Mobil-1 Dodge sits in a garage stall at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In 2011, the Mobil-1 colors will be on the No. 14 Chevy of Tony Stewart.
So, if you still need a program to figure out who’s who, I don’t blame you. With paint schemes and colors changing weekly, it’s tough sometimes to figure out who is who. It used to be easy, but now it’s a little more challenging.
If you need any help, just print out this post. It makes for a semi-handy guide on racedays.
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Three days until the season officially kicks off. The Duels at Daytona begin today in the afternoon, and by the end of the day the 43 car field for the Daytona 500 will be set. As the energy for the race picks up, so will the posts. Check back for more later this evening regarding the Gatorade Duels.
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