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| Revamped lineup of Ford drivers ready to race for Nextel Cup title
Big changes are in the wind in NASCAR this season, with the field for the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup expanding from 10 to 12 cars. Sixteen of the 36 points races will feature the new "Car of Tomorrow," which NASCAR is phasing in over the next three years | |||
| 15 Feb 2007
: Big changes are in the wind in NASCAR this season, with the field for the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup expanding from 10 to 12 cars. Sixteen of the 36 points races will feature the new "Car of Tomorrow," which NASCAR is phasing in over the next three years. The Blue Oval Boys are ready to make the most of the changes. Roush Racing, which won consecutive Cup titles in 2003 and '04 and placed all five of its cars in the Chase for the Nextel Cup in 2005, enters the 2007 season with its expectations firmly pinned on another title. The team has made subtle, but critical adjustments to get back to the top. Greg Biffle, who was runner-up in Cup points two years ago, begins this season with a new sponsor and a new crew chief. Ameriquest, which sponsored Roush's NASCAR Busch Series fleet last year, moves up to the Cup Series this year as the primary sponsor of Biffle's No. 16 Ford Fusion. Biffle's team will be led by the steady and experienced hand of crew chief Pat Tryson, who moves over from the AAA-sponsored No. 6 Ford Fusion. Matt Kenseth, who has made the Chase for three consecutive seasons, returns with friend, mentor and crew chief Robbie Reiser atop the pit box, as he has been for Kenseth's entire Nextel Cup career. The two combined for a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Championship in 2003, and there's no reason to expect they can't do it again. Carl Edwards is counting on returning to his 2005 form, when he was third in the championship and in contention for a title until the last race of the season. A big cause for his optimism is that he will be reunited for a full season with crew chief Bob Osborne. Jamie McMurray, meanwhile, was told by car owner Roush to find his own crew chief, so he went out and got his buddy, Larry Carter. McMurray got to know Carter well when McMurray was driving Rusty Wallace's Busch Series car and Carter was Wallace's Nextel Cup crew chief. Back in the Roush Nextel Cup fold this year is Jimmy Fennig, who will be paired with rookie David Ragan at the No. 6 AAA-sponsored Roush Ford Fusion. Fennig was offered jobs with more experienced drivers in the Roush armada, but unselfishly decided he could do the most good with a younger driver, so he chose Ragan to be his driver. At Robert Yates Racing, the biggest news is the return of Ricky Rudd into the Yates fold, where he nearly won a championship in his first stint with the team. The Virginia native brings a wealth of experience to the organization and said he's excited about the challenges and opportunities that come with being reunited with his former car owner. He's also looking forward to being paired with crew chief Butch Hylton, a capable talent and proven leader. New this year for RYR is sponsorship from Snickers for Rudd's No. 88 Ford Fusion, giving the team a second candy flavor to go with the M&M's on the No. 38 of David Gilliland. Together, the new lineup at Robert Yates Racing should be well-positioned to show great improvements in 2007. Gilliland is off to a hot start, having clinched the pole for Sunday's Daytona 500. Rudd took second in last Sunday's pole-qualifying session, giving Ford the top two places in the grid. The rest of the field will be determined by a pair of qualifying races on Thursday. Over at Wood Brothers/JTG Racing, Ken Schrader returns for another season, but this time he'll be splitting time behind the wheel of the No. 21 Ford Fusion with rookie Jon Wood, a third-generation member of the iconic NASCAR racing family. The game plan calls for Schrader to handle the majority of the races -- 27 to be exact -- while Wood gets his feet wet in the hyper-competitive Nextel Cup Series with a 10-race schedule. Australian Touring Car Champion Marcos Ambrose will compete in up to 10 Cup races for the team as a prelude to a full-time Nextel Cup ride in 2008. The team has fortified itself in other areas, too. Recently retired Ford Racing Technology employee Greg Specht has joined the team after a 30-year career with Ford, much of which was spent on the racing side of the equation. Specht will work closely with Wood Brothers Director of Competition Michael McSwain and their newly-revamped engineering staff, of which is headed by long-time Wood Brothers employee Hoyt Overbaugh. The team has recently added nine engineers, bringing the total engineering staff to 21. Perhaps the biggest shot in the arm for the Blue Oval Boys in 2007 is the return of Robby Gordon Motorsports into the Ford family. Gordon, one of the last of the owner/drivers in the Nextel Cup ranks, has big plans now that he's back with Ford. Gordon is building a new shop in Charlotte, N.C., which he plans to equip with state-of-the-art engineering equipment and all the latest technology. Once in the new shop, which will open in May, Gordon plans to begin working towards expanding his one-car team, with an eventual goal of becoming a full-fledged four-car team. Last, but certainly not least, Boris Said has committed to running a minimum of seven races in the No. 60 SoBe Ford Fusion, with hopes of upping that schedule as sponsorship becomes available. All told, the Ford ranks are deep with talent, experience and the ability to run races and championships. Look for plenty of bold moves throughout 2007. |
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