[nbaker9-91]

Pretty good Rolex 24!!!!

Reut will have a strong season and keep up his momentum from last year and prolly get in the top 30 of the points!

[Mike24]

2008 Preview
#: 45
Driver: Kyle Petty and ?Chad McCumbee
Sponsor: Wells-Fargo
Make: Dodge Charger
Team: Petty Enterprises
2008 Scheme:

Predictions for 2008: Kyle Petty finished 35th in Driver's points, despite only competing in 29 races, and the 45 car finished 35th in Owner's points, making all 36 events. In 2008, Kyle will run the same schedule as in 2007, 29 races and leaving the car for the TNT booth to do their six broadcasts. Nothing has been finalized in the way of who will drive those six events, but it looks like Chad McCumbee wll be the most likely candidate. I expect Kyle to do about the same as in 2007, but he may improve some of his runs as the Petty Enterprises program improves. I look for Kyle to step out of the 45, completely, at the end of 2008, giving the wheel to McCumbee in 2009, to take a more active role in ownership and to invest more of his time into the Victory Junction gang camp. As for his final finishing position in 2008, I expect the 45 team to stay in the top 35 in points, and for Kyle to have, maybe a top ten or two, and to finish between 33rd and 40th in final points.

Please contibute your predictions and comments for this driver, but please remember to be respectful of other's opinions, and keep it clean.

Tomorrow: #48 Jimmie Johnson

[Onion]

i think he will get about 5 top 10's and finish in 25-30 over all

[Birdman235]

I missed the Rolex 24 ending.

But I don't expect anything new from kyle though.

[nbaker9-91]

Don't expect to see much from Petty

[Jason Roush]

Kyle will end up about 26th in points & have a couple of Top 10's.

[Mike24]

Alright, here is the guy that everyone is goingto have an opinion on...so without further adieu...

2008 Preview
#: 48
Driver: Jimmie Johnson
Sponsor: Lowe's
Make: Chevrolet Impala SS
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
2008 Scheme:

Predictions for 2008: Jimmie Johnson and the #48 Hendrick Motorsports team, two-time defending Sprint Cup Champions...arguably the hottest driver on the circuit right now. Heading into 2008, after winning the 2007 Championship with 10 wins, 20 top fives and 24 top tens, Johnson would seem an easy pick to three-peat. However, his fortunes can only last so long. Johnson has been the sole beneficiary of the Chase system, peaking his season at the right time in order to get hot and rack up as many points as possible down the stretch, erasing his perennially dismal summer. Jimmie, as sure as Tony Stewart will get on a hot streak when the temperatures rise,
will fizzle over the summer months, running inconsistently and slipping between 3rd and 5th in the standings over that stretch, only to be saved by the points being reset. Jimmie cannot get away with this forever. He's going to have to put together an entire season in which he does not have a bad stretch to win the title in the future. He can't hope to usurp the momentum of others on a hot streak every season in the chase, and I don't think he's up to that in 2008. Winning three in a row is an arduous task, and as good as the 48 team has been, when it is on, there are so many other great teams, either better or catching up to the 48. The 24, the 17, the 2, and the 20, to name a few of the 48's superior or worthy challengers. In 2008, I expect an archetypal Jimmie Johnson season. He'll rack up some early wins, struggle in the summer, and being regaining momentum towards the chase. Remember, last year is not Johnson's norm down the stretch, in '06 the rest of the field struggled worse than him, while he came back. In '05 and '04 he was playing comeback the entire time, only to fall short. Johnson will win between 4-8 races, he'll score a lot of top fives, and only slightly more top tens than top fives, en route to a finish between 3rd and 6th in points.


Please contibute your predictions and comments for this driver, but please remember to be respectful of other's opinions, and keep it clean.

Tomorrow: #49 Ken Schrader

[Mike24]

Las Vegas Testing Speeds

I think Toyota and Gibbs are on the right track...

Jan. 28 Morning Session

Pos. No. Name Make Best Time Best Speed

1 11A Denny Hamlin Toyota 30.292 178.265
2 07B Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 30.293 178.259
3 17B Matt Kenseth Ford 30.311 178.153
4 24A Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 30.328 178.053
5 18B Kyle Busch Toyota 30.330 178.042
6 8A Mark Martin Chevrolet 30.340 177.983
7 31B Jeff Burton Chevrolet 30.344 177.959
8 88A Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 30.354 177.901
9 19A Elliott Sadler Dodge 30.355 177.895
10 29A Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 30.356 177.889
11 20A Tony Stewart Toyota 30.357 177.883
12 1A Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet 30.381 177.743
13 83A Brian Vickers Toyota 30.412 177.561
14 44A Dale Jarrett Toyota 30.421 177.509
15 48A Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 30.422 177.503
16 00B David Reutimann Toyota 30.429 177.462
17 5A Casey Mears Chevrolet 30.455 177.311
18 07A Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 30.479 177.171
19 29B Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 30.513 176.974
20 12B Ryan Newman Dodge 30.523 176.916
21 5B Casey Mears Chevrolet 30.526 176.898
22 16A Greg Biffle Ford 30.534 176.852
23 00A David Reutimann Toyota 30.553 176.742
24 83B Brian Vickers Toyota 30.571 176.638
25 28A Travis Kvapil Ford 30.574 176.621
26 99A Carl Edwards Ford 30.579 176.592
27 88B Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 30.581 176.580
28 55A Michael Waltrip Toyota 30.591 176.523
29 99B Carl Edwards Ford 30.595 176.499
30 84A A.J. Allmendinger Toyota 30.602 176.459
31 2B Kurt Busch Dodge 30.640 176.240
32 7A Robby Gordon Ford 30.640 176.240
33 9A Kasey Kahne Dodge 30.699 175.901
34 43B Bobby Labonte Dodge 30.705 175.867
35 66A Scott Riggs Chevrolet 30.713 175.821
36 77A Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge 30.714 175.816
37 78A Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 30.722 175.770
38 8B Mark Martin Chevrolet 30.723 175.764
39 26A Jamie McMurray Ford 30.753 175.593
40 96B J.J. Yeley Toyota 30.762 175.541
41 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 30.779 175.444
42 84B A.J. Allmendinger Toyota 30.791 175.376
43 41A Reed Sorenson Dodge 30.792 175.370
44 6A David Ragan Ford 30.818 175.222
45 32A Michael McDowell Toyota 30.852 175.029
46 2A Kurt Busch Dodge 30.853 175.023
47 12A Ryan Newman Dodge 30.864 174.961
48 40A Dario Franchitti Dodge 30.884 174.848
49 38A David Gilliland Ford 30.920 174.644
50 45A Kyle Petty Dodge 30.926 174.610
51 01A Regan Smith Chevrolet 30.953 174.458
52 49A Ken Schrader Dodge 30.998 174.458
53 22B Dave Blaney Toyota 31.057 173.874
54 15A Paul Menard Chevrolet 31.061 173.851
55 70A Jeremy Mayfield Chevrolet 31.082 173.734
56 31A Jeff Burton Chevrolet 31.095 173.661
57 70B Chad McCumbee Chevrolet 31.104 173.611
58 17A Matt Kenseth Ford 31.113 173.561
59 21A Bill Elliott Ford 31.132 173.455
60 10A Patrick Carpentier Dodge 31.171 173.455
61 15B Paul Menard Chevrolet 31.344 172.282
62 6B David Ragan Ford 31.356 172.216
63 27A Jacques Villeneuve Toyota 31.437 171.772
64 42B Juan Montoya Dodge 31.556 171.124
65 42A Juan Montoya Dodge 31.557 171.119
66 21B Bill Elliott Ford 31.650 170.616
67 01B Regan Smith Chevrolet 31.697 170.363
68 78B Joe Nemechek Chevrolet -- --

[Mike24]

A few more different 2008 schemes from teams that we've already previewed...

#10 Patrick Carpentier




#18 Kyle Busch - Interstate





#45 Kyle Petty - Marathon Oil

[Mike24]

Kind of surprised there hasn't been anyone with an opinion on Johnson, yet...