#12 Penske Dodge's 2009 Plans (Stremme)/Ryan Newman's 2009 plans (#39 Stewart-Hass)
Rumors about Ryan Newman's 2009 plans have turned into something of an odyssey, so here's where y'all get to discuss it. So far the only thing confirmed is that he will NOT be back in the #12 Alltell (which won't be sponsored by Alltell in '09) Dodge in 2009. So where's he going?
Of course, with Newman's departure, and Alltell being bought by Verizon which promptly bounces them out of being eligible to sponsor a Cup team (Sprint has exclusivity except for grandfathered phone co.'s), the #12 Penske team is currently without a driver or a sponsor for 2009. So, what's going to become of that?
Let's watch, discuss, and find out about both of these fronts of the 2009 Silly Season!
We'll start the party here...
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Jayski.com
Stremme the favorite to replace Newman? Rusty Wallace Inc. to Cup? Sam Hornish Jr. said Tuesday that nobody has spoken to him about moving from Penske Racing's #77 Dodge to replace the departing #12-Ryan Newman next season, and that he has no idea who will ultimately end up in the ride. Sources close to the situation continue to tell Sirius Speedway that David Stremme is the leading candidate for the ride, but whether or not those sources are correct, it seems likely that Stremme will find his way back to the Sprint Cup ranks next season, one way or another. Stremme has turned down a number of offers to return to the Sprint Cup Series this season -- holding out for a ride that he feels is capable of running up front -- while serving as a test driver for Penske Racing. I [Dave Moody] believe that Stremme may have already received a commitment from Roger Penske for a full-time Cup ride in 2009.
AND: Yet another option for career advancement landed on Stremme's doorstep Tuesday, when an executive for ABC/ESPN confirmed that Rusty Wallace could continue as a network analyst if he moves his race team to the Sprint Cup Series. ESPN Vice President of Motorsports Rich Feinberg said that while the network did not allow Wallace to own a Cup team when he was first hired in 2006, the addition of team owners Ray Evernham and Brad Daugherty to the lineup has prompted a change in policy. Feinberg said, "The choice for Rusty to go into Cup racing is Rusty's, and we have relayed our position to him on that." Wallace has not yet commented publically on the possibility of RWI jumping to Cup in the near future. But if he does, Stremme will obviously be at the top of his list of potential drivers
|
Stremme in the #12? I could see it, but I don't see how the #12 will perform any better than the #40 did w/ Stremme at the helm. If that happens, that will be a MAJOR decline in performance for the #12 team. There's a reason Stremme lost his cup ride - no one would sponsor the #40 car. Even with bringing in the Franchitti name, no one would sponsor the #40 car, and it promptly died. So hiring Stremme might end up being quite the risky venture for Penske.
What might be an even riskier venture would be Wallace taking RWI to Cup with Stremme. Can you imagine starting up a race team for your son, have your son race for that team for 2 years, and then take the team to Cup while leaving said son behind in the Nationwide series??? I'd be pretty ticked if I was the son. IMO Rusty needs to either take both teams Cup, or leave them both in the Nationwide series. Take one or the other Cup, and he'll totally alienate the one who gets left behind.
Bottom line, I don't like either of these potentials.
--DF28 
__________________
"I think Davey had a way about him that made people feel special when he spoke with them. When he was around them he had just a rare quality that was truly a star quality. I think people were drawn to him because of that. It has really lasted all of these years. He was a great guy." -- Liz Allison
"What kind of man would live in a world where there is no daring? I don't believe in taking foolish chances, but nothing can be accomplished without taking any chance at all." -- Charles Lindberg
|