Mears To RCR?

As NASCAR practice was under a rain delay, Casey Mears was interviewed on SpeedTV. He basically talked about the time it takes to start performing well with a team and about getting a deal done with another team for next season.

If you want to read too much into it, Mears conducted his interview in front of Petty Enterprises No. 43 hauler. The team is sponsored by General Mills and Cheerios, which will be sponsoring Richard Childress Racing’s fourth car next season — a team that Mears is rumored to be going to.

At the beginning of the interview, Mears said he was “BSing” with the Cheerios guys.

Coincidence?

No. 1 Fails Inspection, Is Impounded

NASCAR.com is reporting that Dale Earnhardt Inc.’s No 1 Chevy, driven by Martin Truex Jr., failed inspection before practice at Daytona International Speedway.

The car’s roof did not fit the NASCAR inspection templates. The team was given another shot to fit in the templates; it failed again.

NASCAR impounded the car and took it to their research & development center in North Carolina.

The No. 1 Chevy will be using their backup car.

No word on penalties, yet.

Stewart, Office Depot To Haas CNC

Jayski is reporting that Office Depot will be Tony Stewart’s sponsor when he buys into Haas CNC next season. He will be leaving Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 at the end of the season.

An announcement could come as early as when the series heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Allstate 400 on July. 27th.

ESPN is also covering the story.

Martin, Hendrick Motorsports: A Match Made In Heaven?

With Mark Martin expected to be announced as the driver of Hendrick Motorsports No 5 Chevy next season, I can’t help but wonder if this really is a match made in heaven.

When your stable of drivers includes Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Dale Earnhardt Jr, adding a driver of Martin’s caliber seems to be a great match. He’s a driver just as talented and proven as the other three Hendrick drivers. He should fit in perfectly. Right?

Theoretically, yes. He’s got the skills to get a good car to victory lane. He brings a level of experience that few drivers have. But, will this be the best thing? Will moving to the No. 5 give him one last effort to run for the championship?

When Jr. was added to Hendrick, both the No. 24 and No. 48 started to struggle immensely. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Jr.’s to blame for their struggles. I just think it is hard to distribute resources evenly among teams, especially when all four have the potential to be great. That’s why we see Hendrick Motorsports struggling.

Adding Martin to the mix seems like it will only further dillute the resources and hinder the performance of all teams.

But, Hendrick is a smart businessman. He’s probably learned from his experience with Casey Mears. I think Mears lost his ride, not because of his performance (well, not totally) but because Hendrick couldn’t give him the attention he needed to grow as a driver.

Mears has quite a bit of talent, but he needs attention and he needs time. Two things Hendrick can’t and couldn’t give him. That’s why, I think, he was let go. Why would Hendrick add another driver that needs time and attention?

Enter Martin. He’s not going to need a lot of attention because he’s experienced. He knows the business and he knows how to drive. Martin also brings a ton of experience that can help improve the No. 5 team. And, he’s shown he still has driving ability by running well in Dale Earnhardt Inc.’s No. 8 U.S. Army Chevy.

So, Martin plus Hendrick is a match made in heaven.