Where They’ve Been and Where They’re Going: Part 6

This is part three in the series, looking at how Cup teams fared in 2008, and where they are headed in 2009.  Each post will feature two teams and we will iron out details for the upcoming season and give our own projection for what to expect in ‘09.

Roush Fenway Racing

Coming into 2008, RFR was looking to improve upon their 2007 campaign that saw two of their teams take part in the Chase.  Both Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards were Chasers in 2007, but neither really ever contended for the title.  Jamie McMurray and Greg Biffle were both looking to make the Chase in 2008 after missing it completely in 2007.  And David Ragan was looking to improve upon his first full season in Cup competition.

Of the five teams, Edwards’ #99 was by far the top team in 2008.  They collected nine wins, 19 top fives, and 27 top ten finishes on their way to a second place points finish.  Edwards officially went from a strong Cup Series competitor to a household name in ‘08.  Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, and Kyle Busch all combined to win the majority of the races and dominate the 2008 season.

For Greg Biffle, ‘08 was a marked improvement over 2007, and his best season since 2005.  Biffle picked up two wins and finished third in the Chase.  He was within striking distance of Cup champ Johnson a few times, but was never able to mount a charge.

 The 2008 season wasn’t as kind to Biffle’s teamate Matt Kenseth though.  After a very strong 2007, Kenseth went winless for the first time since 2001 and finished 11th in the Chase.  With the departure of Robbie Reiser from the team, it appeared that the chemistry just wasn’t there between Kenseth and new crew chief Chip Bolin.

That big breakout season once again eluded Cup veteran Jamie McMurray in ‘08.  After a strong end to the season, the #26 team was able to climb to 16th in the final standings, but the season was a disappointment as a whole.

The most improved driver award for ‘08 has to go to David Ragan.  After a decent rookie campaign, Ragan was able to pick up six top fives, 14 top tens, and finished third twice en route to a 13th place points finish; just outside the Chase.

For 2009, Roush Fenway Racing will look a little different, but no major changes are coming.  David Ragan’s #6 team lost the AAA sponsorship, but will now be funded by the shipping giant UPS.  Jamie McMurraywill be reunited with crew chief Donnie Wingo as Larry Carter is moving over to crew chief for Paul Menard at Yates Racing.  The #17 team for Matt Kenseth will now be led by the recently promoted Drew Blickensderfer, while Chip Bolin will return to his role as the team’s engineer.  And Carl Edwards’ #99 will now be sponsored by Aflac for the full season, as Office Depot departed for Stewart-Haas Racing.

I believe you will see Carl Edwards continue his domination this season, and possibly emerge as the leading contender for the championship.  He and Bob Osborne just click and they will only get better.  I’d look for Kenseth to turn his fortunes around with Blickensderfer, maybe win a race or two and make the Chase.  Also expect more of the same from Biffle.  That is a good team, but they are still missing one little element that would make them a serious contender.  Both Ragan and McMurray should improve over 2008.  Ragan will continue to get better with experience, and McMurray and Wingo are a better combo.  Neither will contend for the title though.

Yates Racing

Yates entered 2008 as a new incarnation of its former self following the partial sale of the team to Roush right hand man Max Jones. Doug Yates, son of the legendary Robert Yates remained with the team, as his father retired from the sport.

The team began the season with two drivers; former Roush driver Travis Kvapil in the #28 ride and David Gilliland in the #38. Early season expectations were not high for the team and the season brought struggles both on the sponsor end and the performance end.

In 2008 Travis Kvapil returned to the Cup Series for the first time in two seasons. In addition to having sponsorship issues all season, the team performed only marginally better than his Yates teammate. His best finish of 7th came at Homestead at the end of the season. He rounded out the year with an average finish of 23.3 and finished 23rd in points.

In his second season with Yates in 2008, David Gilliland had hopes of having a breakout season. The hopes were dashed though as he more or less mirrored the prior season. While he did score the his best finish ever in the Cup series at Infineon earlier in the season, his performance was less than impressive. He had one top-5 and two top-1os, scoring an average finish of 26.2.

As 2008 closed out there was some amount of uncertainty for the driver lineup at Yates. Paul Menard announced he would be leaving DEI and taking his money with him. Likewise just in the last couple of weeks came the announcement that Hall of Fame Racing would be forming an alliance with Yates. They signed Bobby Labonte and sponsor Ask.com for the 2008 season.

In recent days we have learned that Gilliand remains signed with the team but looks to be the odd man out (his points were moved to the #98 with Menard). The situation is not a whole lot better for Travis Kvapil. His points were moved over to the #96 team with Bobby Labonte and he is only guaranteed the first five races as the team continues to look for sponsorship.

As we begin next season look for Gilliland to remain the odd man out. While I think Travis Kvapil has talent, I think he will continue to be lackluster into 2009. The same is true of Paul Menard who has done very little with DEI in two full Cup Series seasons.

Bobby Labonteis the question mark in this situation. I think a good argument could be made in either direction for him. While the last several seasons have not been good ones for him, that can likely be attributed to the less than stellar equipment he was in at Petty. On the flip side though you can say he wasn’t great with Gibbs in his last couple of seasons with that organization. He may be a little more competitive this season, but don’t expect a Jeff Burton-esque resurrection.

I think next season will bring a lot of the same for Yates. Expect struggles from both Menard and Kvapil, but watch Bobby Labonte, he may surprise. The biggest thing holding this team back though is sponsorship. I highly doubt they are going to be willing to bankroll another season without solid sponsorship for Kvapil. We might have a Yates team with just one full time team (and of course the alliance with HOF) by the mid-point of the season.

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