Offseason Edition of Winners & Losers

The NASCAR offseason is usually a pretty quiet affair with little personnel movement and little news of note. Most of the significant changes for the coming year tend to be announced mid-season or a tad bit afterwards. This is a far cry from the stick-and-ball sports where free agency doesn’t occur until after the season has concluded.

This offseason, however, has been quite a bit different. Since the checkered flag waved at Homestead and officially closed out the 2011 season, we’ve seen the crew chief of the team that just won the championship let go, a recent series champion given his walking papers and numerous other high-profile happenings which has caused many a media member and fan to ask, “When is the offseason going to start?”

With last Friday’s announcement that Darian Grubb has taken his toolbox over to Joe Gibbs Racing to be the crew chief for Denny Hamlin, just about every prominent position in the garage has been filled. The two positions still open are that of Stewart-Haas’ new competition director and who’ll be Danica Patrick’s crew chief in the 10 Sprint Cup races she will compete in next season.

So as a way to recap everything that’s transpired since the end of the year, as well as a few moves that were made towards the end of the season, let’s bring back an old column favorite of mine, and start naming some winners and losers.

Winners

Darian Grubb
The consensus was after being booted from Stewart-Haas Racing Darian Grubb would eventually land on his feet. The problem this late in the game is his options were limited. My thought was unless a team made a move within their crew chief ranks with the sole purpose of bringing Grubb aboard, he was A) going to have to either take some time off altogether, or B) take a behind the scenes role, likely having something to do with engineering, until a spot opened up.

Early last week the choice became clear when Joe Gibbs Racing announced Mike Ford was being released from his role as the crew chief for Denny Hamlin. The instant this became known, it was a given Grubb would be Ford’s replacement. Three days later, JGR announced that in fact, Grubb would be calling the shots for Hamlin in 2012.

With a plethora of resources and money, along with a driver in Hamlin entering the prime of his career, hungry and fully capable of winning a championship, Joe Gibbs Racing is an absolutely perfect landing sport for the man who just got done guiding Tony Stewart to a historic third title.

Denny Hamlin
It’s no secret Denny Hamlin has been in a funk since of the end of 2010. And it’s no secret the relationship between Hamlin and Mike Ford had soured to the point a change was desperately needed atop the No. 11 pit box. This team was simply too good not to be winning multiple races each year and contending for the championship. Now, with the hiring of Grubb, Hamlin has a crew chief who knows what it takes to win a championship, and maybe more importantly, knows how to deftly manage the ego of a high-strung driver.

Not to discredit Ford who is one of the better crew chiefs around, but there is a reason Grubb is on the very short list of best crew chiefs in the garage. Hamlin will be a better driver in the long run and will now likely reach his full potential working with Grubb.

Mike Ford
Let’s get this out of the way. The issues within the No. 11 team last season had more to do with Denny Hamlin’s psyche and the mechanical gremlins which plagued the entire Joe Gibbs operation than anything Mike Ford did or did not do as crew chief.

Whether he wants to admit it or not, it has to be some sort of relief to Ford to finally not have the vultures continually circling around him. Ever since Phoenix in 2010, when Hamlin ran out of fuel while leading and opened the door for Jimmie Johnson to win his fifth straight title, it was inevitable that Ford was going to be the scapegoat. That he made it through the entire ‘11 season is a miracle.

It’s also worth noting Hamlin has won a race and made the Chase every full year he’s raced in Cup and that’s a testament to Ford’s leadership and knowhow, as much as it is to Hamlin’s ability behind the wheel.

Like Grubb, Ford won’t be out of work for long. Hopefully for a team and driver who appreciates him a lot more than his previous employer did.

Penske Racing
There is no more respected car owner in all of motorsports than Roger Penske. The man cuts no corners and he spares no expense. To drive for him is an honor; with his only rule, don’t do something which embarrasses him and his sponsors.

Too often in the last couple of years Kurt Busch used, abused and embarrassed everyone who works for Penske Racing. Whether it was his temper tantrums over the radio, picking fights with drivers and media members, or explicitly cursing out a reporter who only wanted to interview him on national TV and give him and his sponsor valuable exposure, there was no shortage of reasons to kick the 2004 champion to the curb.

Something needed to be done, and not only did Penske do it, he did it with the knowledge that whomever he got to replace Busch would certainly not come close to producing the same results as the former series champion.

Brad Keselowski
With Kurt Busch’s abrupt removal, the onus of the two-car organization falls on the shoulders of Brad Keselowski. Coming off a breakthrough season in which he won three races and made the Chase for the first time, the 27-year-old driver is clearly the number one driver for Roger Penske’s stockcar team.

It’s a role perfectly suited for the outspoken – yet very respectful driver. Expect big things from him in 2012.

It will be his job to lead, motivate, and if all goes well, replicate the success he had this past season. If he can successfully do that, Penske Racing will be just fine without Busch. If not, this organization could easily fall into the abyss.

Steve Addington
Speaking of Kurt Busch and Penske Racing, no one was on the receiving end of Busch’s tirades more than his former crew chief, Steve Addington.

Following Homestead, it took Addington all of 2.3-seconds for him to resign his position at Penske and leave for the much more serene surroundings of Stewart-Haas Racing where he will take over as Tony Stewart’s new crew chief.

Just having the foresight to get away from Busch when he did is reason enough for me to include Addington on my list of winners.

Small Teams
Because of the economic cutbacks many a top team has been forced to undergo, there is a surplus of capable drivers and crewmen on the market. As a result, there is no time like the present for a small team to strengthen itself. Although they may not have the payroll of a Hendrick or a Roush, with jobs at a premium what the underfunded teams of the sport do offer is an opportunity to receive a paycheck, stay involved and prove to a top team that they made a mistake in letting them go. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.

Michael Waltrip Racing
With the additions of Clint Bowyer, Mark Martin, crew chief Brian Pattie and competition director Scott Miller, arguably no team has strengthened itself more than Michael Waltrip Racing. Whether they parlay this into a successful 2012 season, which includes the team’s first Chase berth remains to be seen. For now, the future looks promising for the team owned by the two-time winner of the Daytona 500.

David Ragan
Before Penske Racing handed Kurt Busch a pink slip, David Ragan was relegated to having to fight for a ride with one of NASCAR’s lesser teams, teams with little chance of consistently challenging for victories and no chance of contending for a spot in the Chase. Think Phoenix Racing, Front Row Motorsports, TRG Motorsports, etc.

Except with Busch now vacating the Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger, Ragan is the frontrunner to replace him.

My, oh, my how things can change in less than a week.

Losers

Kurt Busch
For a complete recap of why Kurt Busch finds himself on the loser’s side of this ledger, just go back and read my column from last week. It will tell you in detail everything you need to know as to why Busch is in the position he now is in and why he’s staring at an uncertain future in NASCAR.

Mike Ford
Everything I said above about Mike Ford above is absolutely true. That being said, it’s never a good thing to be out of work this late in the year. The game of musical crew chiefs is about to come to an end, and it looks like Ford will be left without a seat. However, if you believe the rumors and he ends up being named the crew chief for Danica Patrick, just disregard this paragraph.

Clint Bowyer
For a quick refresher on what happens when a driver makes decisions based solely on money, let me tell you the tale of Brian Vickers.

It wasn’t too long ago when Vickers, the 2003 Nationwide Series champion, was considered an up-and-coming driver with a very bright future. Then driving for Hendrick Motorsports and the low man on the totem pole on a team with Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, Vickers wanted more. Specifically, more money along everything else that goes along with being the top dog on a multi-car team.

So in the fall of 2006, he announced he was leaving the powerful Hendrick juggernaut to join the upstart Red Bull Racing. In his first year with his new team, Vickers failed to qualify for 13 races. All told, in five years he won just one race and when the team announced this past summer it was shutting its doors, Vickers was left to find a new team for the coming season. As of now, with the season little more than two months away, he still hasn’t found a Cup ride.

Michael Waltrip Racing has always been full of promise. The problem is they’ve rarely, if ever, actually delivered on said promise. Maybe Clint Bowyer will be the missing piece and will take MWR to the next level.

However, the likelihood is Bowyer will soon regret pricing himself out of a ride at Richard Childress Racing for a team that really hasn’t accomplished much in five full seasons of Cup.

Is it really that farfetched to think in a few years Bowyer will come to lament his decision to leave RCR much the way Vickers must now regret leaving Hendrick? I say no.

Gil Martin
In his two full seasons at the helm of the No. 29 team, Gil Martin has led Kevin Harvick to seven wins the last two years and consecutive third-place finish in the standings. Yet, it wasn’t enough to prevent Harvick from going to team owner Richard Childress and demanding a change for 2012. Childress obliged, and the end result has seen Martin reassigned within RCR.

Tony Stewart
This isn’t a knock on Tony Stewart The Driver, but a knock on Tony Stewart The Car Owner. Yes, I know the 14 team struggled for much of 2011 and it took an extraordinary Chase to overcome their regular season woes. Still, the end result was a championship for an organization in just its third year. No matter, it wasn’t enough for Stewart who cut bait with Darian Grubb. Making for one of the most uncomfortable post-race title celebrations in NASCAR history: Instead of basking in the brilliance of his impressive triumph, the driver/car owner continually had to laud a guy who he unceremoniously fired just weeks prior.

Trevor Bayne & Ricky Stenhouse
Both of the drivers in question are incredibly talented, great with sponsors and both deserving of job security with a team who can provide them with race-winning equipment. Yet, neither knows what their respective futures hold for the coming year.

Due to a lack of sponsorship, car owner Jack Roush has been forced to trim his Sprint Cup operation from four fulltime teams to three and his Nationwide Series effort from three to two. Meaning, there’s no guarantee as of now that either driver will be able to run a full slate of races in 2012.

I know this isn’t the fault of either NASCAR or Jack Roush, but instead speaks volumes about the lack of opportunities in this sport for young drivers without a company to foot their bill. But regardless, last year both Bayne and Stenhouse proved they belong and instead of being rewarded for their efforts, both are unfairly staring a very bleak future.

Steve Addington
Steve Addington not only has the pressure of being the crew chief for Tony Stewart, a three-time series titlist and someone who has won a race every year he’s competed. He’s also taking over as the top guy for a team which is coming off a season in which they went to Victory Lane five times, and, oh yeah, won the championship. Good luck with that, Steve.

David Reuitmann & Brian Vickers
Here’s the link to what I wrote in November about where the careers of David Reutimann and Brian Vickers are headed. Nothing has changed since.

 

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