Opinion: Can Gibbs Afford To Let Stewart Go?

In a word? No. Sure Kyle Busch is the hottest driver in NASCAR right now. Sure Denny Hamlin is a threat to win week in and week out. but can anyone honestly look me in the eye and say that it’s no big deal to lose a two-time Cup champion in Tony Stewart? I didn’t think so.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Kyle Busch’s turnaround has been remarkable. He’s been consistently running well (for the most part.) His average finish is 9.9, as of ‘Dega. And, in 9 races this season, he’s won twice, half the number of races he won in three years with Hendrick Motorsports. He also has five top 5s and six top 10s.

When you look at Stewart’s numbers, they aren’t as impressive. Well, for a Cup champion, anyway. He hasn’t won yet this season, and his average finish is 14.8 as of ‘Dega. But, to his credit, he does have three Top 5s and 5 Top 10s.

Then again, Denny Hamlin has four Top 5s and six Top 10s, plus one win. His average finish is 11.1, meaning he is beating Stewart in every category, as well.

But, despite these statistics, Stewart still should not be the odd man out. In addition to being a two-time champion, he runs consistently, and is also a threat to win every week. Why, on Earth would anyone say that a team can afford to lose a winning driver?

If I were a team owner, I’d love to have three drivers capable of winning every week. I’d love to have two young guys who could win me races, and a guy who can win me a championship.

I’m not saying that Gibbs wants to get rid of Stewart. JGR has stated on more than one occasion, that it would like to keep Stewart. But, to suggest that JGR can afford to lose him is foolishness.

Stewart is rumored to want partial ownership, which may influence his decision. So, in the end, it may not matter. But, I still say, Gibbs can’t afford to let Stewart go. 

DEI Picks Up Truex’s Option For ’09

ESPN is reporting that DEI picked up Martin Truex Jr.’s option for 2009 and the team hopes to sign him to a longer term deal in the future. While some of the details have been worked out, DEI and Truex are still hammering out the salary. Bass Pro Shops is signed with the team thru 2009.

Franchitti May Miss A Month

London’s Evening Standard is reporting that Dario Frachitti will miss a month of NASCAR competition after suffering a crash in the Aaron’s 312 at Talladega on Sunday. He is being treated for a concussion and a broken ankle.

Gibbs Can Afford To Let Stewart Go, AP Says

The AP reports that “maybe Joe Gibbs can afford to let Tony Stewart go” because he “seems to have NASCAR’s next star on his roster,” Kyle Busch. Busch has two Sprint Cup wins and 7 total wins in all three of NASCAR’s top series. Right now, there appears “to be nothing this 22-year-old phenom can’t do — even it means filling the shoes of his teammate Stewart, a two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion.” The AP quotes Gibbs as saying:

The thing about Tony is we have been together for 10 years. … It’s been a great ride, and that’s why we don’t want it to stop. We would love to have it work out pretty much the way it did the last time.

If Stewart leaves to pursue other options, though, “Busch would be a worthy successor. Heck, he already looks like the team’s No. 1 driver.”

Lepage Apologizes For Causing Wreck

On Sunday, the AP reported that Kevin Lepage apologized for causing the wreck that collected about 15 cars in the Aaron’s 312.  After initially denying that the wreck was his fault, and that he blending into the pack legally, Lepage said in a statement:

After reviewing the tapes of the accident I realize I need to apologize to NASCAR, the car owners, my fellow competitors and, most importantly, the fans. … I made a huge driver error by blending onto the race track in the wrong area. This caused a multicar accident and changed the outcome of the race for many teams. I’m so thankful that no one was hurt considering the number of cars involved.

Was Kyle Busch Out Of Bounds?

I remember in 2002, Jr. won at ‘Dega by passing Matt Kenseth ( I believe) with two tires below the yellow line. While the Jr. was never penalized, I do remember hearing at least questions about whether or not the move was legal. This also brought about criticisms that there NASCAR gives certain drivers preferential treatment.

Sunday, Busch appeared to pass Jimmie Johnson with two tires below the yellow line. It’s probably up for debate as to whether he actually was forced down below the line, or if he even advanced his position. That said, I did not hear one question or comment about it during the broadcast.

Earlier in the race, within the first 10 laps he did the same thing, without comment. I’m not saying he broke the rules, I’m just pointing out that it was odd no one said a word.

Sunday’s race featured much better racing than the October race at ‘Dega, in my opinion. It was nice to see two cars hook up on the outside and pass for the lead. Say what you want about the COT, but there was no distinct advange between the high line and the low line in Sunday’s race.  

 

Kyle Busch Wins Aaron’s 499

Kyle Busch overcame an early pit road mistake and avoided two late wrecks, one on the last lap, to win the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway.

On lap 63, Busch came down pit road to make a green-flag stop. David Ragan, also making a stop, was inside of him, preventing him from entering into his pit stall. He had to come in the following lap, and as a result, lost a lap.

On lap 116, Carl Edwards blew a tire, and hit the wall, bringing out a caution. Kyle Busch was the free pass car, and was back on the lead lap.

For much of the race, Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. dominated, combining to lead 107 of 188 laps. Denny Hamlin also had a strong car, pushing several drivers into the lead, as well as leading himself.

On lap 144, Stewart cut a tire while leading and hit the wall, ending his hopes of winning. With 15 laps to go, he, Jr. and Bobby Labonte were all fighting for the same real estate, when he and Jr. got together triggering a six car accident. Jr. suffered cosmetic damage, while Stewart was done for the day. Others involved in the accident: Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch, Jamie McMurray.

Labonte, who suffered heavy damage, continued on, only to spin in turn 4 on lap 180. Michael Waltrip led the field to the green on the restart with five laps to go. One lap later, Busch, with a push from Jeff Gordon, passed Waltrip and Jimmie Johnson, who was running second at the time, to take the lead.

On the final lap, Michael McDowell spun in the tri-oval, but there was no caution. Seconds later, there was a much bigger wreck, bringing out the caution, giving Busch the win.

The Top 10: Busch, Juan Montoya, Hamlin, Ragan, Brian Vickers, Travis Kvapil, Casey Mears, Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer, and Jr.

Notables: Matt Kenseth finished 41st after cutting a tire early. Edwards finished 40th after his tire problems. Gordon finished 19th after running 2nd with two laps to go. Robby Gordon finished 11th. 

On the final restart with five laps to go, Jr. was running 29th. In five laps he passed 19 cars to finish 10th.

The Big One: The big one occured on lap 188 when Jr. appeared to get McMurray loose, sending him up the track into Johnson. Stremme and Gordon also brushed the wall. Then, the cars began bouncing off each other. The crash also collected Kasey Kahne, Ragan Smith, Joe Nemechek (pole sitter), among others.