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NASCAR Notebook: Mears may drive for Childress in Homestead race next month
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Published: October 27, 2008
■ Casey Mears could be moving from Hendrick Motorsports to Richard Childress' team before the end of the season, though Gil Martin, who is scheduled to be Mears' new crew chief in 2009, said he hasn't gotten any official word.
"But it could be, since Mark Martin is to run for Hendrick this season," Martin said. Gil Martin is the crew chief for Childress' Clint Bowyer.
"That's what Rick Hendrick would like to do, put Mark in that car (Mears' No. 5) for Homestead," Mike Dillon, Childress' general manager, said. "But they don't want Casey to have to sit out that race, so they want us to put him in one of our cars.
"We'd be glad to do that, but we'd need sponsorship, and it would cost $300,000 to $400,000 to get that deal together for the Homestead race."
Martin has been running part time for Dale Earnhardt Inc.; his last run was at Concord's Lowe's Motor Speedway, where he finished ninth. His best run this season was a third at Richmond in the spring. Martin is scheduled to run for DEI at Texas and Phoenix, with teammate Aric Almirola to run at Homestead. Martin now will possibly be in a Hendrick car at Homestead, with Mears in a Childress car.
Martin was signed by Hendrick a few months ago to replace Mears next season, as a full-time driver. Childress has signed Mears to run for his new fourth Cup team next season.
■ There is still no official word from Chrysler executives, and the fate of NASCAR's Dodge teams remains uncertain, with the possible -- or probable -- Chrysler merger with/buyout by General Motors.
NASCAR executives are not thrilled, to say the least, with the implications and questions surrounding that merger debate, because 11 Sprint Cup teams run with Dodge factory backing.
However, according to sources, regardless of what happens with the potential merger, Dodge is committed to backing its NASCAR teams for at least one more year, but perhaps no more.
One thing for certain, NASCAR officials don't want Toyota buying up any more top Cup teams, like it did with Joe Gibbs, and they have made that clear to the company.
■ Depending on what GM might do with Chrysler, the futures for team owners Chip Ganassi, Roger Penske, George Gillett, Richard Petty and Robby Gordon are ripe for debate.
Gillett, who bought into Ray Evernham's Dodge-anchor operation last year, has made strong overtures to switch to Toyota. But NASCAR officials have apparently nixed any such move, and that could leave the Bill Davis Toyota team in limbo. Davis has talked for more than a year now about looking for a business partner.
The Gillett-Evernham operation has been Dodge's chief engineering arm in NASCAR, but Penske may now get that nod, and become the engine supplier to teams like the Pettys. Penske already leases Dodge engines to Robby Gordon.
Sources say that Penske, who runs one of the country's largest Toyota dealerships, in Los Angeles, has made overtures about Toyota, and may push for the launch of a satellite Toyota operation next year in order to be prepared for a possible changeover to Toyota in 2010.
■ What does 'factory support' really mean in NASCAR today? One, a sponsorship check; two, engine support; three, other technical support.
Dodge teams have won four of this year's 32 races, and three of last year's 36 races. And Dodge's new NASCAR engine, though legal all season, has been run just a few times, with less-than-spectacular results.
■ Kyle Petty's future with Petty Enterprises, the family business, seems dim today. The company, owned jointly by Richard Petty and the investment firm Boston Ventures, has announced that it will again field two cars in 2009, but Kyle Petty will apparently not be in either one.
■ Len and Eddie Wood say they've got their sponsorship deals in place for 2009, with Ford Motor Company and Motorcraft. But they are noncommittal about reports that the six team owners of the one-car Hall of Fame Racing operation (which runs No. 96 and is officially owned by Jeff Moorad,) are negotiating with the Woods to become Ford partners next season.
Ken Schrader, a former driver for the Woods, is the Moorad team's current driver. Moorad has been running a Toyota operation this season, with engineering support from Joe Gibbs; but that support contract is apparently up at the end of this season.
■ Max Siegel, who runs Chevrolet's Dale Earnhardt Inc. for owner Teresa Earnhardt, will be the keynote breakfast speaker at a Toyota ‘Opportunity Exchange' November 11th in Cincinnati.
The annual Toyota-sponsored event is to provide minority businesses "the opportunity to network and develop valuable contacts with Toyota's top suppliers."
DEI is struggling to find sponsorships for three of its four Sprint Cup Chevy teams.
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