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Newman and Stewart: Will They Pass or Fail?

Anyone who knows anything about NASCAR knows the clean air rule. Every last car on the track handles better out in front of the pack than behind other cars. You hear it time and time again in pre/post-race interviews, from crew chiefs talking strategy and handling, and from former champions in the booth. The further away the leader gets from everyone else, the harder he is to pass.

Owning a team isn’t any different. Once you’ve got an operation that makes money by the blimpload from winnings and sponsorship, you’ve got the fiscal means to get the resources you need to keep it there. Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Roush Fenway Racing. These are the names at the top of the totem pole and they’ve all been there since multiple team ownership became the norm in the early 90s.

No one is saying that the road to winning will be easy for Stewart-Haas Racing, but the idea that they could ever compete for championships on a real level is just this side of impossible. Unless Newman, Stewart and hundreds of employees for S-HR spend the entire offseason sleepless, the organization will struggle until at least mid-season with results that aren’t overwhelmingly better than what the organization has experienced in 2008.

However, I believe the organization will find its footing and eventually, be it late next season or further down the road, contend for wins. Be that as it may, contending for wins and contending for championships are very different things. Just ask Kasey Kahne.

> Pro Racing Fans features a nice selection of Tony Stewart merchandise and NASCAR credit cards available online.

Moving on. For your entertainment, I present some fun percentages for you to ponder. Direct your attention:

• 40% - Chances Kyle Busch will win the 2008 Sprint Cup. A forty point lead going into the Chase is almost as meaningless as a 50 point lead and the odds Kyle will get any better than either of those is minimal. He’s young and he can be emotionally reckless. These factors don’t bode well when it comes to high stakes.

• 2% - Chances Clint Bowyer will compete for the 2008 Sprint Cup. Although many of ESPN’s finest claim Bowyer is a shoe-in, I have to cite the fact that since his win at Richmond—a fluke win for Richard Childress Racing, see also: Jeff Burton at Bristol—he’s been racing with the likes of Bobby Labonte and Sam Hornish Jr. He’ll need a miracle to stay competitive with the other names that hover around 12 th and an even bigger one to make a dent in the Chase once it starts should he be so fortunate.

• 0% - Chances that Dodge has any idea what they’re doing from a competition standpoint. Kasey Kahne will be the only Dodge to make the Chase and it will be a shock if he finishes any better than 8 th in the final standings. Ryan Newman won 12 races with a ram on the hood from 2002-05. Kahne and Kurt Busch have both had some inconsistent success in recent memory, but aside from restrictor plate racing and Kahne’s two wins this year, Dodge is an utter disaster. When championship driver Kurt Busch can’t stay in the top 20, your problem is the car.

I will be in the stands at Bristol this Saturday night. Until next time…