Browse > Home / Casey Mears, Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Haas CNC Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Jamie McMurray, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR Bidness, NASCAR Rumors, Penske Racing, Ryan Newman, Sam Hornish Jr, Sprint Cup Series, Stewart Haas Racing, Tony Stewart, Top 35 Rule, Turn 3 posts / Ryan Newman is Loose in Turn 3

Ryan Newman is Loose in Turn 3

User Avatar

by Charlie Turner

I'm Charlie Turner co-host of the syndicated, mostly NASCAR radio show On Pit Row. Thanks for stopping by OnPitRow.com and the Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie blog. Oh yeah, Steve is an idiot.

July 18, 2008 9:40 am CDT 7 Comments

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!


Ryan Newman is Loose in Turn 3Ryan Newman is on the loose.  From team Penske, at least.  Everyone seems to think they know where he’s going.  But so far, the Rocketman has kept mum. 

You would think that, with the Sprint Cup Series off this weekend, some of this silly season stuff would settle out.  But that probably makes too much sense.   

The Bench Racing blog’s slice of the Loose in Turn 3 pie has to do with Newman’s seat in the #12 Alltel Dodge.

Who is your choice as the next driver at Penske Racing?

Charlie:  I’ve read and heard the Juan Pablo Montoya speculation. I heard months ago, that Martin Truex Jr was headed to Penske, and a fourth car there, along with his Bass Pro Shops sponsor. For sponsors, those deals make sense. But the #12 already has Alltel. I think that Casey Mears is the better teammate for “the franchise”, which is still Kurt Busch. The Mears name and Penske go way back. This could be the perfect place for the talented Casey to flourish.

Bruce:  After the Sam Hornish debacle, and that’s what I think it is, they need to make sure that they get themselves a good talent, and they need to put more into that No. 12 team than it’s been getting. It’s got an odd history of mediocre performance. Mears is a great emotional choice, but if you look at the business side of things, Juan Pablo Montoya would be a great addition to the team. He’s got the experience that Hornish can lean on and Penske and toy the guys with rides in “other” series.

TZ:  The idea of Montoya being a candidate for the 12 car is news to me, but I guess I shouldn’t be too shocked considering the interest he showed when they announced Mears’ departure from Hendrick. But, really, I think Penske comes out of this Silly Season as the biggest loser. They’re not going to field a fourth car next year because they can’t even get any of the three that they already have into the Chase, so they’d just be creating a formula to wind up just like Ganassi. David Stremme gets the 12 car, end of story.

That’s what we think.  What do you think?  Leave you feedback in the comments section of this post.

Then go to TZ’s DoYouNascar and weigh in on this topic….

What are the realistic expectations for the newly formed Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009?

Then cruise over to Bruce’s NASCAR Bits for this one…

Do you think with the purchase of the Budweiser maker, Anheuser-Busch by InBev will have any sort of impact on the sponsorship of NASCAR teams and events?

Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler - OnPitRow.com

Filed under: Casey Mears, Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Haas CNC Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Jamie McMurray, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR Bidness, NASCAR Rumors, Penske Racing, Ryan Newman, Sam Hornish Jr, Sprint Cup Series, Stewart Haas Racing, Tony Stewart, Top 35 Rule, Turn 3 posts 

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

Comments

7 Responses to “Ryan Newman is Loose in Turn 3”

  1. mike on July 18th, 2008 4:31 pm

    Alltel can’t sponsor a Cup car after this year, so sponsorship on the 12 is an issue.

    I’m also not sure why hiring Hornish Jr is such a debacle. He hasn’t missed a race and has shown flashes of his potential. Just because he (and the entire rookie class) didn’t flourish like Montoya doesn’t equate disaster. That’s a credit to Montoya rather than an indictment of this year’s rookies.

  2. Stewart Haas Racing Could Get Loose in Turn 3 on July 19th, 2008 10:40 am

    [...] Read more on this over at On Pit Row. [...]

  3. Tim Zaegel on July 20th, 2008 7:43 pm

    Eh, Mike … this year’s rookie class is an embarrassment, and truth be told - I wasn’t too impressed last year, even with Montoya in the mix. That said, Penske’s on a downslide, and whoever they get to fill the no. 12 seat is just going to be a step down from Newman.

  4. User Avatar Charlie Turner on July 21st, 2008 10:35 am

    It’s a rare season when the Rookie of the Year is a championship contender. Just because this year, the clear leader in the ROY - Sam Hornish Jr - isn’t winning races or contending, I wouldn’t call his year a debacle. He has managed to keep his car qualified for every race - as a rookie. He has run up front a number of times. He has often bested his ex-champ teammate, Kurt Busch. He’s getting better, not treading water or washing out, as Regan Smith and Dario Franchitti have.

    And if Martin Truex Jr ends up in the #12 with his Bass Pro sponsor on the car, that is not a step down from Newman and Alltel.

    And Tim, do you really think that David Stremmie is better than Sam Hornish Jr? Based upon what?

  5. User Avatar Matt Mercer on July 21st, 2008 12:09 pm

    Tim, what about a kid named David Ragan in last year’s rookie class? Seems to me he has improved significantly and may have even surpassed JPM.

  6. Tim Zaegel on July 21st, 2008 10:45 pm

    Charlie …

    1999 - Tony Stewart - 4th in points / 3 wins
    2001 - Kevin Harvick - 9th in points / 2 wins
    2002 - Jimmie Johnson - 5th in points / 3 wins
    2002 Runner Up - Ryan Newman - 6th in points / 1 win
    2003 - Jamie McMurray - 13th in points
    2004 - Kasey Kahne - 13th in points
    2006 - Denny Hamlin - 3rd in points / 2 wins

    You have to go all the way back to 1990 to find the last time that the top-finishing rookie driver finished 30th or worse in points, and Dale Earnhardt Jr, JPM, and Kyle Busch are the only top finishing rooks to finish outside of the top-15 in points this decade.

    Btw, where did I ever say that Stremme was better than Hornish? That’s not the basis of my arguement at all … my arguement lies with the fact that Penske has absolutely no business even considering fielding a fourth team because they’ve obviously forgotten how to run the three that they have.

    And, yes, I would consider Truex a step down from Newman, though not by much.

  7. Tim Zaegel on July 21st, 2008 10:49 pm

    Matt, David Ragan’s decent, but he hasn’t really impressed me the way that some people have made him out to be. But, my statement was that I wasn’t that impressed last season … which I wasn’t.

    Let’s be clear on something, though, guys. I think Sam Hornish is going to be fine in the sport. I don’t think he’ll ever be a standout, but he’ll be a solid 20th in points kinda guy, which is fine if that’s what you’re after. To me, the problem all lies with Penske …. they’re quickly becoming the new Chip Ganassi Racing of NASCAR.

Got something to say?

Did you know you can log in with your Thunder Lounge account, and have your personal avatar and site link available when you comment at On Pit Row?

Don't have an account yet? Sign-up for free.





Powered by WP Hashcash