Breaking: Carl Edwards to Retire Immediately, Per Report

Carl Edwards may have done his final backflip in NASCAR (Google Images)

FoxSports.com broke the story late Tuesday morning, January 10, that Carl Edwards would be leaving Joe Gibbs Racing. The move is effective immediately and would end a successful 13-year career if "Cousin Carl" is indeed retiring for good.

The news came as a shock to NASCAR fans. Edwards is only 37 years old, he's won 28 times in 445 starts in what is now the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, and he came within just a few laps of winning the season finale at Homestead last year and securing his first cup title.

JGR announced that they will hold two press conferences tomorrow morning, January 11, starting at 10:00 am ET. During that time, they are expected to announce Edwards' departure, as well as name 2016 Xfinity Series champion Daniel Suarez as his successor.

Edwards is one of the most outgoing, fan-friendly, energetic drivers in the garage and his victory backflips after each of his win have made him a perennial favorite among fans. He is also one of the most private about his personal life. He lives with his wife and two children in his native Missouri rather than in the Charlotte/Mooresville area with the majority of the drivers, and he is the only active driver without a Twitter handle.

Edwards rose to prominence in NASCAR's premier series when he replaced Jeff Burton in Roush Fenway Racing's No. 99 Ford. He drove for Roush through the 2015 season, moving to JGR the following year.

This past season, Edwards won three races, his most recent being a rain shortened event at Texas Motor Speedway that ended under the lights and solidified him as a championship contender.

Truex Jr Nearly Reels In Harley Earl J. Trophy

Martin Truex Jr (78) missed beating Denny Hamlin (11) by four inches.

(Google Images)

Furniture Row Racing owner Barney Visser expected a slow start to the season. With his team switching from Chevrolet to Toyota over the winter and receiving chassis from Joe Gibbs Racing that were a tad outdated, Visser felt his team wouldn't be a contender right away.

He said this, despite the fact that things began to look up after they made this switch. After running for a Sprint Cup title last season, Bass Pro Shops announced they would sponsor Truex Jr in nine events this season, beginning with Daytona. FRR also announced last week that Auto-Owners Insurance will sponsor the team for three races. Not bad for a team that hasn't had a sponsor since it began a decade ago.

Then they ran the Daytona 500 and, after wrecking in both the Sprint Unlimited and their Can-Am Duel race, Visser's little Camry from Colorado came within four inches of a Daytona 500 trophy.

"I just said 'Damn, that was close,'" Truex said after the race. He missed beating Toyota teammate Denny Hamlin by .010 of a second, the closest finish in the 58-year history of the "Great American Race." You'd rather lose by a few feet than a few inches," Truex continued.

If only the bass on his hood would've stuck his tongue out. Then maybe Truex would've been able to reel in his first Harley J. Earl Trophy.

It wasn't a complete shock to see Hamlin win. He had won the Sprint Unlimited, barely got beat by Dale Earnhardt Jr in his Duel race and led 95 of the 200 laps in the Daytona 500. In addition, Hamlin's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Matt Kenseth won the second Can Am Duel qualifier. Speedweeks had been dominated by JGR Toyota's, and Sunday's big race was no different.

Polesitter Chase Elliott led the field to green and got out to an early lead before being passed by teammate, and race favorite, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Piloting "Amelia," the car named for Amelia Earhart which netted Jr three wins, a second and a third in last year's plate races, NASCAR's favorite son was again poised to take the victory in it's most storied race. That is if he could beat the JGR freight train at the front of the pack.

Dale Jr had a rough 500, wrecking Amelia, his favorite
restrictor plate car (Google Images)

While Jr planned on using his prolific plate racing skills to bob and weave to the front, the Gibbs Toyota's saw strength in numbers. They, along with Truex's No. 78 Camry, would run single file and block for each other in hopes that one of them would wind up in victory lane. But Jr, last year's winner Joey Logano, and a host of others couldn't best the Toyota train JGR had created.

While many thought the Hendrick cars might be able to do it, lap 20 showed just how long of a day HMS was about to have. Just shy of two dozen laps into the 200 lap event, Elliott got sideways trying to side draft off of turn four. He spun his car around without hitting anything, put when the front of his car looped back around, it dug into a drain in the infield grass and nearly ripped the nose off his No. 24 Chevy.

Then, with just 29 laps to go, Dale Jr did the same thing Elliott did. And he was just as lucky.

Side-drafting off turn four, trying to work his proven car back to the front, he got loose and spun to the entrance of pit road. But instead of spinning back around, his car stayed straight and slid nose-first into the inside retaining wall. Amelia would not get the chance to back up her Daytona win from last July. Now, she will no doubt be put to pasture in the woods on Earnhardt Jr's, where so many other wrecked race cars have famously found their final resting place.

The race also saw Brian Vickers spin, collecting the No. 7 of Regan Smith and the No. 19 of Carl Edwards (who nosed hard into the outside wall), Matt DiBenedetto wreck hard with Chris Buescher, and Danica Patrick spinning herself off the nose of Greg Biffle's No. 16. But Earnhardt Jr's wreck was the spin heard 'round the world, as he was a heavy favorite to topple the Toyota teammates at the front of the pack.

But now, with the strongest car out of the race, it was Kenseth's race to lose. He kept his teammates in line, simply following the leader, while Hamlin desperately tried to find a way to get around him. To show the strength this group had, Edwards' right front fender was nearly torn off and covered in bare bond from the Vickers spin and he was still running inside the top ten most of the day.

It appeared Kenseth was on track to win his third Daytona 500, until the last lap. That's when Hamlin slid up in front of Kevin Harvick as the outside line gained momentum. Down the backstretch, Hamlin inched closer to the front. Truex had a chance to pull in front and make some headway, but stayed on the bottom, as perhaps he was able to predict what Kenseth did next.

In the middle of turns three and four,

Danica Patrick does a little agricultural racing at Daytona
(Google Images)

Kenseth slid up to block Hamlin, making a lane for Truex to pass them both. The only problem was that Kenseth got loose and let Hamlin slide underneath him. Off of four and down the short shoot, Hamlin and Truex were in a dead heat for the lead. Truex nosed ahead, but as they came to the line, Hamlin's No. 11 slid in front by what proved to be four inches. He bested Truex by 0.10 seconds, the closest Daytona 500 ever. It was the infamous 1959 Lee Petty, Johnny Beauchamp photo finish for a new generation.

Truex knows this finish and the idea of what might have been will haunt him for the rest of his career. Hamlin hoisting the Harley J. Earl Trophy showed the thrill of victory, while Truex was resigned to taste the agony of defeat. But once the initial disappointment wore off, the Manahawkin, New Jersey native could see the big picture.

"I'm proud of what we did," Truex said after the race. "It's my best finish ever in this race. Probably one of the strongest runs I've ever had at a restrictor plate track throughout the entire day. It was a big day for us for a lot of reasons. I realize the position I'm in, the opportunities I'm going to have this year. I'm going to have a lot more opportunities to win races. I feel like we did everything right today to put ourselves in position to win."

So it sounds like Truex and his Furniture Row team will be just fine after all. This race was a big statement for this little team. They will be fighting for a seat at the head table in Vegas this year, and don't be surprised if Truex and his team are sitting on stage at the Wynn when the dust settles.

Stewart to Miss Start of Final Season With Back Injury

Tony Stewart will miss the first part of his final season in
NASCAR (Google Images)

Just when you think things can't get more interesting for Tony Stewart, he finds a new way to surprise us.

In 2013, he broke his leg in a dirt car race in Upstate New York prior to the Cup Series race at Watkins Glen. He missed the rest of the season due to his recovery. The next year, on that same race weekend, Stewart accidentally struck and killed Kevin Ward, Jr participating in a dirt track event at Canandaigua Motorsports Park. He has been embroiled in litigation since and has yet to run a dirt car since the accident.

But last season, he announced that 2016 would be his final year on tour and that Clint Bowyer would be the heir to his No. 14 Chevy. He has said that he's more physically fit and in the best shape he's ever been in. It looked like Smoke was going to rise back to the top and have a chance to leave NASCAR a champion, the same shot that Jeff Gordon had this past year.

But Sunday afternoon, while driving in the sand dunes in California with a group that included fellow driver Greg Biffle, Stewart had an accident that resulted in a burst fracture of his L1 vertebrae.He will miss the first part of the Sprint Cup season as a result, including his final shot to win the Daytona 500. Stewart, a three-time Cup Series champion, has not won the "Great American Race" in 17 attempts.

Biffle, who runs sand cars on a regular basis as a hobby, was driving with Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Ray Evernham and drag racer Don "Snake" Prudhomme. Both Biffle and Prudhomme said that, in the dust and sand, Stewart simply got lost from the group.

Stewart was driving a car similar to this when he had
his accident (Google Images)

"What really happened is, it isn't hard to get split off from one another," Prudhomme told NBC Sports. "In other words, if a guy makes a left turn and you're not watching his flags or there's dust or something, you can make a right turn and kind of get lost." Biffle told SiriusXM that he "wasn't near what went on," but that he had started "hearing bits and pieces that he hurt his back."

Prudhomme said that they found Stewart about 90 minutes later. "There was about three of us who went back on our buggies and we came upon him. He was laying there. He got out of it (the sand buggy) and was laying there in the sand on his back." The drag racing legend also said that Stewart was able to move all of his extremities.

There is no timetable set for Stewart's return, but he underwent spinal stabilization surgery on February 3 and could possibly return to the track in May for the Sprint All-Star Race in Charlotte. No substitute has been named to pinch hit (errr... pinch drive) for Stewart either. Bowyer has already inked a one-year commitment with HScott Motorsports to drive the No. 15 5 Hour Energy/Peak Motor Oil Chevy for the 2016 season, so he most likely won't get behind the wheel of Stewart's car until next season, as originally planned.

Kenseth Suspension Doesn't Quite Send the Right Message

Matt Kenseth has been suspended from NASCAR competition until
Homestead weekend (Google Images)

On Tuesday night, NASCAR dug itself into a pretty big hole and it doesn't appear many fans are keen to throw them a rope and help them get out.

Following Sunday's antics in Martinsville, capped off by an emotional victory for Jeff Gordon, the sanctioning body elected to suspend driver Matt Kenseth for the next two Sprint Cup Series events at Texas and Phoenix. Kenseth and Joe Gibbs Racing appealed the severity of the penalty, but lost both hearings. Now, Kenseth has been benched through the season finale at Homestead while truck and Xfinity Series standout Erik Jones fills in in the No. 20 Camry.

Many industry insiders and media members will make this out to be a black eye for the sport, but for many fans this was a self-inflicted injury for the sport of stock car racing. NASCAR has a long history of over-policing its drivers and, to paraphrase Kyle Busch, an even greater history of being "consistently inconsistent" when making judgment calls. Busch, Kenseth's teammate at JGR, proclaimed in his post race press conference at Martinsville that Brian France and other NASCAR heads have a nasty habit of playing favorites.

"Did [Matt] do anything wrong? I don't know. Did he do anything right? I don't know," Busch told reporters. "I think it all depends on whose name's above the door on whether or not you're allowed to do it." He told reporters it only matters which drivers are involved and who does what to who. "You got to be consistent. I definitely feel NASCAR is very consistent in being inconsistent on calls." Fans and drivers alike have bemoaned NASCAR for not enforcing it's rules and the sanctioning body has been accused of making rules as they go because of it. Everything from restart rules to debris cautions to pit road speed has been questioned this season and there is a severe amount of distrust between the fans and the sanctioning body.



The moment that might net Matt Kenseth (20) the Most Popular Driver
award this year (Google Images)

Busch has never been one to mince words and he went on to say what many fans are probably thinking about the Kenseth call.  "I think it's 'BS,'" he told reporters.  "[NASCAR] better - I say 'They better', but they don't have to listen to me for squat. Really doesn't matter what I say." He was also asked if he felt he'd be racing in Texas if he had done what Kenseth did. Busch simply replied, "Nope."

Busch has felt the wrath of NASCAR before following an altercation with Ron Hornaday in the fall 2011 truck race at Texas. But Busch also has more of a history of losing his cool inside the car, while Kenseth has always been known as a David Pearson-esque driver. He tends to just ride and stay out of trouble, then strike at the end of the race.

The Kansas incident was spark that ignited this firestorm, Logano's big mouth after the fact was what turned it into a five alarm blaze. Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr both said that had Logano kept his mouth shut in victory lane, this could have been a smaller incident. But instead, Kenseth gave this response to NBC's Mike Massaro and we got the sense this might not be over. Then Logano cut Kenseth off getting onto pit road and Kenseth warned the Penske driver to go "hide behind his daddy," a jab at the fact that Logano's father, Tom, usually attends races and tries to fight his son's battles for him. Then Brad Keselowski wrecked Kenseth at Martinsville. The team claimed it was a broken tie rod, but it was likely to protect Logano from any kind of payback.

You can watch the entire Martinsville incident here. Driver reactions start at around the 6-minute mark. Don't e surprised if Kenseth garners an Oscar nomination for his performance.

Three weeks in a row, three run-ins with Team Penske, two potential wins taken away and one chance at a title ruined. Nobody can blame Kenseth for losing his cool and trying to even the score. According to NASCAR, Kenseth was suspended because he "altered the outcome" of the championship fight by taking out Logano. But didn't Logano end Kenseth's title hopes by dumping him at Kansas? What about getting dumped by the No. 2 at Martinsville?




One fan took his love for Matt Kenseth to another level with this
custom-made diecast (Google Images)

France deemed Logano's actions at Kansas "quintessential NASCAR." But drivers have been wrecking each other since the beginning of time and that's become a part of the fabric of the sport. Even Dale Jarrett was pushed to his limit at the Bristol night race in 2005 when he punted Ryan Newman as retaliation for an earlier spin. And with the win at all costs style of the new Chase format, it allows for scenarios like this to play out. Kenseth saw his shot at a title go away in one corner of one race and he did the same thing to Logano, plain and simple.

NASCAR needs to take a look at the Chase format and stop looking at scenarios like this on a case by case basis and analyzing which drivers are involved and where they are in the points. They need to stop playing favorites and, like Busch said, simply enforce the rules. If they want to have a "boys have at it" mentality, then let the drivers police themselves. If they want to be in  control of every facet of the sport and rule with an iron fist, then the next time someone tries to retaliate we should expect them to be on the bench for a few races. It's that easy.

Judging from the amount of cheers Kenseth got at Homestead during driver intros, it would appear that a rather large majority of the NASCAR community probably shares this opinion.

Buddy Baker, NASCAR's Gentle Giant, Passes Away

NASCAR legend Buddy Baker (Google Images)

The NASCAR community was saddened Monday morning when it was learned that Buddy Baker, the "Gentle Giant" of the Cup Series garage passed away after a battle with lung cancer. Baker, the champion of the 1980 Daytona 500, was 74.

Standing a lofty 6-feet 6-inches tall, Elzie Wylie "Buddy" Baker was one of the tallest racers on the circuit.  A 19-time Cup Series winner, Baker was also one of the most successful and most daring drivers as well. He made his first NASCAR start in 1959, following in the footsteps of his famous father, two-time NASCAR champion and hall of famer Buck Baker. In addition to winning a Harley J. Earl Trophy in 1980, Baker also won the prestigious Southern 500 in 1970 and the World 600 (now the Coca-Cola 600) three times in 1968, '72 and '73. Both he and his father were also named to the list of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers and, like his father, Baker no doubt has a space waiting for him in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Baker was known in his later years for his broadcasting work. He was a broadcaster for both TNN and CBS. Then, in 2007, SiriusXM started a NASCAR channel and Baker was tabbed to co-host a few talk shows. He began his radio career as on "The Driver's Seat" with John Kernan. Then in 2011, Baker moved over to work on both "The Late Shift," with Brad Gillie and "Tradin' Paint," with Jim Noble. It was on the July 7th installment of "The Late Shift" that Baker announced that doctors had found a "huge tumor" in his lung last December. Because the tumor was inoperable, he also announced he was retiring immediately.

"There comes a time when you talk to the doctor and say what are my chances and there's a dead silence," Baker said. "I [asked the doctor] 'how long.' [He said], 'Well, we don't own the hotel, we don't know when we check out. It's something that we cannot fix.'" However, Baker told listeners that this wasn't goodbye. "Do not shed a tear. Give a smile when you say my name. I'm not saying goodbye. Just talk to you later."



Baker poses with his record-setting time at Talladega in 1970 (Google Images)

We will always smile when we think of Buddy Baker. But given how immensely  popular he was and how much fans loved him, it will be hard not to shed a tear or two for the driver who was also known as "Leadfoot."

Baker was best when he could run his car wide open; foot to the floor and not giving an inch. In fact, he only won at Martinsville once, a race that he told Tom Higgins of the Charlotte Observer he drove like "a bull in a China shop." But it was Daytona and Talladega where Baker showed his true racing skills. Ten years earlier in March 1970, Baker would become the first man to drive faster than 200 mph. He was on a test run at Alabama International Motor Speedway (now Talladega Superspeedway), when Baker got his blue and white No. 88 Dodge Charger Daytona to go around the 2.66 mile track at a staggering 200.447 mph. But it wasn't just 'Dega where he found success.

Baker's most famous win, the 1980 Daytona 500 came at NASCAR's other Superspeedway. Baker also won the pole for the race in Harry Rainer's No. 28 Oldsmobile Cutlass that would become known simply as the "Gray Ghost." The name came from the car's black and grey color scheme that blended in with the asphalt. As Baker sped around Daytona's high banks, it made the car nearly impossible to see coming. The Olds also showcased a number that had a reflective chrome look to it, which only aided in camouflaging the Cutlass. This is part of the reason why teams are not allowed to run reflective numbers today. The paint scheme was so popular that Dale Earnhardt Jr ran it on his No. 88 car in the 2008 All-Star Race. Junior also posted a YouTube link to a video of the entire 1980 Daytona 500 Monday afternoon. If you have a couple of hours to kill, why not take a trip down memory lane or, like me, watch the race for the first time in it's entirety. Baker's dominance really is something to see.

This race still holds up today as the fastest Daytona 500 in history. Baker's pace in the event was 177.602 mph has been the record pace for the last 35 years. He won the race in his eighteenth try, the longest stretch until Dale Earnhardt would win the 1998 installment of the 500 in his twentieth attempt.

Baker races the Gray Ghost around Daytona (Google Images)

But Baker also had a heart as big as the shoes he used to hold the gas pedal down on his way to Daytona's victory lane.

Baker raced hard and drove to win and he lived his life with the same energy and enthusiasm that propelled him to such great success behind the wheel. He quickly became a fan favorite behind the microphone too, with his distinctly high voice and soft-spoken manner making him an unforgettable broadcaster. Before he rescinded his post at SiriusXM, Baker said the thing he would miss the most was talking with the fans he loved so much. "The toughest part for me is not being able to talk to some of our regulars that are almost like family," he said of those fans who would call in frequently to discuss and debate the latest news around the NASCAR garage.

Baker might have been a gentle giant, but that doesn't mean he wasn't tough as well. His "leave-it-all-on-the-track" mentality proved he was as fearless as a racer can come. Not surprisingly, Baker faced his illness with that same courage. Baker told Higgins, "I'm right with The Man Upstairs. If I feared death, I never would have driven a race car." He also mentioned that he hoped to hear from more of his friends in the racing community before he passed.

"This sport's been great to me and given me a wonderful life," he said to Higgins. "And the friends I've made! Lots have either called or come by. I hope to hear from others. I want to tell all of them goodbye for now and see you later."

Rest in peace, Buddy Baker. You will be sorely missed and all of your friends and fans can't wait to catch up with you later and talk racing with you again.

Furniture Row and MWR to Swap Brands? Vickers Out of a Ride?

MWR could be headed for Team Chevy at the end of the season (Google Images)

After what has seemed like a fairly calm silly season, there have been rumblings in the garage all summer that a few teams are looking for different manufacturers. Thursday morning, those rumors just got a lot more interesting.

Furniture Row Racing has been enjoying their best season in the ten years they've been a part of the NASCAR circuit. They won the June race at Pocono with Martin Truex Jr, they have rarely finished outside the top ten and even led the point standings for a good portion of the season. FRR has also been under the General Motors/Chevrolet banner since they debuted in 2005 and formed a technical alliance with Chevy powerhouse Richard Childress Racing a few years ago. This alliance has helped lead to a few bright spots for the Denver, Colorado-based race team. They won the 2011 Southern 500 with driver Regan Smith and making the 2013 Chase for the Cup with Kurt Busch. But Truex and rookie crew chief Cole Pearn have taken this team to another level this year.

So why mess with a good thing?

Well while FRR has an alliance with RCR that allows them to receive engines and chassis, the team receives minimal factory support from Chevy. This is the main reason team owner Barney Visser is looking at changing manufacturers next year. The lead candidate is Toyota, who since last season has been offering all kinds of incentives to the single car team to switch nameplates. And with the success Truex and his No. 78 team have already had in the first part of this season, it stands to reason that the pot will only get sweeter for Visser and his team to switch over from the Bowtie Brigade.

Toyota has stated that it's all about quality, not quantity and that they need to add more quality teams to the fold in addition to Joe Gibbs Racing. With only two mediocre Michael Waltrip Racing cars and the three field filler BK Racing cars running under the Toyota banner full-time in Cup, the addition of Furniture Row would bring a serious championship contender to the team.

Martin Truex Jr scored his third career win and his first win
for Furniture Row Racing back at Pocono (Google Images)

But rather than just add the No. 78 team to the mix, the rumor in the garage is that MWR co-owner and current team principal Rob Kauffman will be taking the organization to Chevrolet next year. This would be a big shock, as MWR was one of the three teams to bring Toyota into the Cup level in 2007, and the only one of those three original teams still operating today (Bill Davis Racing and Team Red Bull have since closed down). MWR has won seven times in their eight years at NASCAR's top level. But while they have won races and qualified for the Chase a few times, but they have yet to prove that they can do these things on a consistent basis and win a championship.

Unlike Furniture Row, Michael Waltrip Racing has been on a downslide the past few years. Clint Bowyer has seven top tens this season, but he sits fifteenth in points and barely qualified for a Chase berth. The road for the No. 55 car in 2015 has been much rougher. Brian Vickers was slated to run the car full-time, but has been sidelined blood clots after only two starts at Las Vegas and Phoenix. These clots have been a constant issue for Vickers since 2010 and have caused some serious concerns about his health and his career. David Ragan has been filling in for Vickers since Kansas and he will finish out the year in the Aaron's Dream Machine. This season has been especially tumultuous for MWR, but they haven't won a race since Clint Bowyer won at Richmond in 2013. After a year and a half of failing to reach victory lane, you can't really blame Toyota for shopping around for a second competitive team.

Should MWR move to Chevy, it would be a homecoming of sorts for Waltrip. He has been Mr. Toyota since the brand allowed him to start his own team eight years ago, but he ran Chevrolet Monte Carlos for Mattei Motorsports in 1999 and 2000 and more famously for Dale Earnhardt Inc. from 2001 until 2005. He also ran an XFINITY Series team out of a shop behind his house and that car too was a Monte Carlo from 2000 until he switched to Dodge Chargers in 2006.

Switching brands would not only be surprising because of Waltrip's affinity for Camrys, but also because they have a shop that allows them to build their own chassis and bodies in-house. The speculation around any potential move would involve a "partnership" with a current Chevrolet team. According to Motorsport, should Kauffman make move his team to GM, he would either align himself with Chip Ganassi Racing or Richard Childress Racing and sources have told the racing site that Ganassi is the leading candidate should a switch take place. It is unclear if this would be a merger or if the teams would simply share information and resources.

Any and all moves by MWR are contingent on Aaron's re-signing at the end of the year. Their two-year contract runs out at the end of the season and they are the only backer of the No. 55 car. Kauffman has shown before he has the money to run cars out of his own pocket, but the question is if Aaron's were to leave would he want to fund a car for, potentially, the entire 2016 season. Aaron's has been with Michael Waltrip since 2000. But they have recently come under new management and given MWR's nosedive in the performance department and the lack of stability when it comes to finding a full-time driver, it would be hard to blame them if they left for a more competitive team.

It appears that MWR has also come under new management recently. Kauffman has been more active in the day-to-day operations of the team since last year's cheating scandal in Richmond instead of just being a casual investor sinking his money into a team that's gone from pretender to contender and back again. So with Kauffman at the helm, he will no doubt try to work out a new deal with Aaron's. And the best way to do that is keeping David Ragan.

Vickers celebrating his most recent win at Loudon in 2012
(Google Images)

Both Kauffman and Bowyer are very big on Ragan's ability and he has won two races at the Cup level already. With Aaron's expected to make a decision on it's involvement with the team in the next six to eight weeks, being able to say that they have a driver who can race the full schedule and run at a competitive level in the right equipment might be the difference as to whether or not MWR stays a fully funded, two car team. Unfortunately, this would leave Vickers on the outside looking in.

"The most important thing right now is his health. I haven't really had a conversation with him regarding coming back to racing and the like. It's a big medical issue that I haven't been involved with up until now.," Kauffman told Motorsport. "He loves racing, so I'm sure he does (want to return), but I think it would be a challenge to try and figure something out--but I would never say never." This sounds an awful lot like when a kid begs their parents for something they want and all they get is, "we'll see." There might be a glimmer of hope, but you know deep down they pretty much just told you "no."

Like Aaron's, Vickers' contract is also up at the end of the season, so MWR could make a clean break without too many hurt feelings. It would be nice if the team who was so high on Vickers' talent just three years ago offered the three-time winner a part-time ride, should he prove able to return to competition. But after Waltrip kicked David Reutimann to the curb after 2011 after he helped build MWR into what it is today, seeing the team drop Vickers like a hot potato is no real surprise either.

There might not be a lot of drivers switching teams this silly season, but it will be interesting to see what happens with this recent Furniture Row and Michael Waltrip Racing news. The landscape of the Sprint Cup Series could look very different in 2016 if these moves become reality.

UPDATE (7/30): It appears that the Kauffman/MWR/Chevy picture just got a lot clearer. Sports Business Daily is reporting that Kauffman (MWR's majority owner and founder of Fortress Investment Group) is very close to purchasing Felix Sabates' stake in Chip Ganassi Racing. This would give the Indy 500 and Daytona 500 winning car owner an invaluable financial partner, as well as bring his stable back up to three cars (Ganassi ran the No. 40, No. 41 and No. 42 Dodges until 2008). In addition to fielding the No. 1 McDonald's/ Cessna Chevy for Jamie McMurray and the No. 42 Target Chevy for Kyle Larson, Kauffman is expected to bring current MWR driver Clint Bowyer and team with him to CGR. This move is because MWR's No. 55 car is in limbo due to Aaron's not announcing whether or not they will return next season. Bowyer's sponsors, 5 Hour Energy, AAA and Maxwell House, have yet to announce their next moves as well, but it wouldn't be shocking for 5 Hour to follow Bower to Ganassi after they enabled him to move from RCR to MWR in 2012.



Rob Kaufmann (R) appears ready to take his business, and
Clint Bowyer (C) to Chip Ganassi Racing (Google Images)

Should Waltrip lose Kauffman, it could spell disaster for the rest of the organization. Waltrip's Raceworld USA shop is capable of fielding multiple cars, with room to build chassis, hang bodies and produce parts all in-house. But without sponsors and proper funding, the building will be about as useless as the abandoned movie theater it used to be before Mikey converted it into a race shop eight years ago. It is unclear what will happen to the No. 55 team; if they will form an alliance with another team, merge into a different organization, or fold all together. It would be heartbreaking to see so many talented people lose their jobs, but it wouldn't be shocking to see that last hypothetical become a very cold reality.

Kauffman is the only reason MWR made it past its 2007 debut. The team was in financial ruin until Waltrip's now ex-wife Buffy brought her friend Kauffman  in to help keep the sinking ship afloat. Since then they have established themselves as a competitive organization, but have failed to reach the next level and still cannot compete with Hendrick and Gibbs for championships. It also hasn't helped business that the team has been plagued by scandal.

MWR debuted at Speedweeks '07 with a cheating scandal that resulted in the largest fine in NASCAR history to date and a rash of suspensions after a fuel additive was found in the intake manifold of Waltrip's car. The team managed to survive and thrive with Kauffman's help. Last season saw the team cheating again. Bowyer spun his car late in the Richmond race that would set the Chase field in order to help then-teammate Martin Truex Jr make the Chase. After NASCAR dropped the proverbial hammer on MWR and the team lost their biggest sponsor, NAPA Auto Parts, Kauffman suddenly began taking a larger role in how the team operates and Waltrip became nothing more than a talking head for the TV cameras who is more famous for appearing on Dancing with the Stars than being a winning race car owner.

The writing appeared to be on the wall after the Richmond incident, but many have since forgotten "Spingate" and forgiven those involved. But clearly losing NAPA's money and the current downslide in team performance has taken a toll. Now, with the impending loss of Kauffman's support, it appears that that same writing is back in big, bold letters. It will be very interesting to watch this all play out and see if Michael Waltrip, a driver who has a reputation for being a survivor, can help his team survive their biggest challenge yet. If not, it could well be their last.

Busch Wins Second of the Year; Hope Springs Eternal for Gen-6 Race Cars

Rowdy pulls into victory lane for the second time this year (Google Images)

Ever since NASCAR rolled out the Car of Tomorrow, fans and drivers alike have hated it. From it's shape, to it's handling, to the stupid wing that used to be on the back, there was never much good to say about it. Kyle Busch won the first race with the new style car at Bristol in 2007 and emerged in victory lane, only to say, "I'm still not a very big fan of these [cars]. I can't stand to drive 'em. They suck."

Well after a few design tweaks in 2011 and the release of the Gen-6 car (short for the sixth generation NASCAR body style) that we have seen on track the last three seasons, the look of the cars have greatly improved. They no longer look like something Lego would use if they ever came out with a NASCAR video game. They look like race cars. Perhaps more importantly, they also look like their Ford, Chevy and Toyota counterparts that fans can buy in the showroom. Win on Sunday, sell on Monday might not be dead quite yet. The racing has also improved over the last few years, especially with this past weekend's race at Kentucky. NASCAR hit one out of the park with the new aero package they unveiled and the racing was absolutely incredible.

Drivers never got to test the new package or qualify their cars because of the steady rains that plagued the Bluegrass State all week. But once Saturday night came, it was Busch again who pulled into victory lane. This is Rowdy's second win of the year and his second win since breaking his leg in a XFINITY Series wreck at Daytona this past February. Kentucky has been something of a playground for Busch since the Sprint Cup Series began racing there in 2011. He edged David Reutimann for the win in that inaugural race and has never finished worse than tenth in the four subsequent events there.

With qualifying rained out, Busch started ninth, while Kyle Larson started from the pole flanked by Brad Keselowski, the other dominant force at Kentucky Speedway. He won two races at the mile and a half speedway going into this event and only has one finish outside the top ten (33rd in 2013). Aside from Busch's Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Keselowski would prove to be his biggest challenger for the win. That is, if they could keep their No. 2 Ford up front for a few laps.

Carl Edwards poses with some of his pint-sized pit crew members
(Google Images)

Keselowski jumped out to an early lead, but a rash of slow pit stops and issues with his crew, the No. 2 couldn't hold the lead for very long. Instead it was the Joe Gibbs Racing trio of Busch, Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards who dominated the Quaker State 400. Busch missed the first part of this season, many wrote him off as a Chase contender. But with the solid runs he's been posting lately and with winning two of the last three events, he could very well do it. Busch needs to break into the top 30 in points to qualify for the Chase and he's currently 35th, 87 points behind Cole Whitt. Many of the cars around where Busch is in the standings don't run as well as him on a weekly basis, so when you couple that with the fact that the No. 18 team has really caught fire lately, Busch and his Adam Stevens-led team might just be able to make a run for the championship after all.

But the biggest aspect of this race was the fact that the new aero package NASCAR unveiled worked! After toying with track-specific aero packages for certain venues, NASCAR debuted their latest idea to improve racing in the Bluegrass State. And it was a resounding success.

Keselowski and his crew kept losing the lead, but they still managed to come back to finish sixth because Keselowski was able to pass cars on his way to the front. The race also saw a track record 22 green flag lead changes, the last of which came with 23 circuits to go when Busch edged eventual runner- up Joey Logano. The cars were slower than they have been before, they drove worse and the racing was better than we've ever seen with this new car. Clean air was still an advantage for the leader, but the second place car was able to drive under the left rear of the first place car without stalling out or sliding into him. It was the kind of close racing we saw in the pre-CoT era and it was beautiful to watch.

"All the drivers were kind of striving for this," Busch said. "I felt like it was a positive thing when I was chasing Joey down. Right when I got to him, he moved up and tried to block my lane. With the old package, you'd get stalled out, and get stuck behind the guy. I just moved down and went a little bit lower and got my Camry to stick and was able to power through and get back by him.


"We swapped the lead back and forth a couple times. I thought it was pretty good racing. You don't want to spend too much time racing around and putting on too good of a show for the fans to take yourself out of a win. I thought that was a really good race, at least it wasn't a guy who checked out on the last run and you didn't see a pass for the lead coming down the final stretch."

Brad Keselowski's pit crew did him no favors Saturday night
(Google Images)

Edwards has long been a proponent of making these cars harder to drive and he also had nothing but good things to say after the race.

"This package, we need to keep going in this direction," Edwards said. "We could race closer together -- I was steering right. We were using the whole car. We just need to keep taking downforce away. It was an awesome show. Just an awesome, fun day and I'm glad Kyle got the win."

Joe Gibbs Racing edged Team Penske for the win with Busch beating Logano, but Busch's JGR teammates, Hamlin, Edwards and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top five. Keselowski, Penske's other driver, was dominant early, but his pit road problems relegated him to sixth place. The rest of the top ten was made up of Hendrick-powered Chevys. Jeff Gordon finished seventh, Kevin Harvick eighth, Jimmie Johnson ninth and Kurt Busch tenth.

Next week, Kyle Busch will look to make it two in a row in Loudon, New Hampshire. The week after that, NASCAR will use another low downforce package when the Sprint Cup tour rolls into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. There's a lot to look forward to leading up to the Chase for the Sprint Cup and it will be very interesting to see how all of these different changes and variables play into who gets in and who doesn't.