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Post by paroday on May 27, 2022 15:56:08 GMT -5
2008 Roster
Listed below are all the confirmed entries for the 2008 Season:
Hendrick Motorsports
5 - Alex Parker (2001 Series Champion)
24 - Hannah Tanner
25 - Clint Johnson
48 - Kyle Rudd (2002, 2005 & 2006 Series Champion)
84 - Nate Beasley
Joe Gibbs Racing
11 - Chris England
19 - Luis Suarez
20 - Peter Hale
81 - Blake McCready (Part-Time)
Team Penske
12 - Dale Stremme Jr. (2007 Series Champion)
22 - Jeb Warson
Wood Brothers Racing
21 - Sean Kroger (Part-Time)
Chad Little Incorporated
6 - Anna Kelley
88 - Chad Little Jr.
99 - Steve Perry
Chip Ganassi Racing
39 - Scott Gaines (Part-Time)
40 - Katie Durhamm
41 - Nicole Sadler
42 - Marco Montoya
Richard Childress Racing
2 - Andy Houston
3 - Stephanie Dillon
27 - Kevin Grant
31 - Alice Peters
TriStar-Evernham Motorsports
7 - Sarah Cooper
9 - Landon Kaiser
10 - James Davidson
79 - Carson Atkins
98 - Tony Irwin Jr. (Part-Time)
Furniture Row Racing
78 - Chris Burton (2004 Series Champion)
JTG Daugherty Racing
47 - Grant Dolson
Alex Parker Incorporated
77 - David Green
Front Row Racing
34 - Ross Evertson
36 - Mark Donaque (Part-Time)
38 - Erin Keller
Richard Petty Enterprises
43 - Zoe Sharp
44 - Amanda Ward (R)
Paroday Racing
04 - Austin Bell
66 - Lindsay Simmons
GoFAS Racing
32 - Zander Nunez
Allison Coyne Racing
16 - Allison Coyne
Steinhausser Racing
52 - Travis Ruttman (R)
55 - Scott Price (R)
William Evans Racing
15 - William Evans (R)
Brewco Motorsports
37 - Ronnie Wilson (R)
Majeski Motorsports
23 - Donny Lia (Part-Time)
23 - Rachel Bowyer (Part-Time)
83 - Ty Majeski (Part-Time)
Parkins Racing
74 - Josh Berry (Part-Time)
74 - Denny Jennings (Part-Time)
Ron Hornaday Incorporated
1 - Ricky Benton (R)
ValeSport Racing
4 - Bryan Walsh (Part-Time) (R?)
i93 Racing
39 - Denny Jennings (Part-Time)
93 - Landon Amick
Peter Hale Racing
54 - Caitlyn Hale (Part-Time?)
Kevin Kass Racing
97 - Kevin Kass (R)
New Developments during the off-season (Not including old Silly Season news):
As a massive shock - Alex Parker Inc. hires ex-Hendrick castaway driver, David Green instead of the negotiated Aaron Casanova. The #77 team has several big sponsors ready for Green.
GoFAS releases Landon Amick in favor of Zander Nunez who made several starts in 2007.
Paroday Racing's new driver Austin Bell will pilot the new #04, while Lindsay Simmons gets a new sponsor and rebrands to the #66.
Ron Hornaday Incorporated takes over the Staglo Brothers race shop.
ValeSport enters the sport running part-time with Bryan Walsh as their driver for the #4. They will have support from Toyota.
Kevin Kass buys some used Toyota's from the defunct Staglo Brothers shop and forms Kevin Kass Racing.
David Green resells his team back to Frankie Parkins, who gives Josh Berry and Denny Jennings several races for this season.
William Evans Racing forms with William Evans driving the #15 car.
Steinhausser rebrands to look suspiciously like a specific real life team *cough* RWR *cough*. They bring on rookies Scott Price and Travis Ruttman for spots.
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Post by paroday on May 27, 2022 16:39:24 GMT -5
Team Preview: Hendrick Motorsports
Alex Parker Debut: 2000 Wins: 32 Championships: 2001
Despite a late season collapse last year, Parker still remains one of the sports premier driver with 32 career wins in his 8 years competing, putting him 2nd on the all time wins list. However, he hasn't finished inside the top 5 in points since 2005 and sources indicate that he is not pleased with the current conditions with Hendrick Motorsports after last years fiasco.
Hannah Tanner Debut: 2000 Wins: 13
Going into her 9th year of competing, the 31 year old has done well for herself, having her breakout season last year in 2007 with 5 wins. She currently has 13 career wins and has finished inside the top 5 in points 4 separate times.
Clint Johnson Debut: 2001 Wins: 11
Moving from Richard Childress to Hendrick last year was good for Johnson, as he scored 2 wins. Johnson has scored a win in every year he's competed - a total of 11 in 7 years. He has yet to score more than 2 wins in a single year though. He's finished top 10 in points 4 times, with a best of 3rd in 2006. He looks to improve on that and try to score his first championship here in '08.
Kyle Rudd Debut: 2000 Wins: 47 Championships: 2002, 2005, 2006
The best driver in the sport returns after a mediocre 2007 campaign. 3 Championships and 8 consecutive top 8 points finishes have really elevated this team to be the best of the decade thus far. He plans on staying with Hendrick for years to come. Can he add more to his resume?
Nate Beasley Debut: 2006 (First Race, 2003) Wins: 0
Despite having not won a race, Beasley has 14 top 5's and 26 top 10's in his career and has come close to breaking out for the past 2 seasons with Hendrick. 2008 could be the year he finally breaks out and makes his first chase appearance. |
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Post by paroday on May 29, 2022 15:12:14 GMT -5
Team Preview: Joe Gibbs Racing Chris EnglandDebut: 2002 Wins: 18 England has finished runner up in points now for two straight years, only to come up just short in the end on both occasions. Is 2008 the year he finally breaks through for his first championship?  Luis SuarezDebut: 2000 Wins: 13 A veteran of the sport, the now 35-year old driver looks to rebound from a disappointing 2007 which saw him miss the chase after seven consecutive chase appearances beforehand. With rumors of Blake McCready anxious for a ride, can Suarez rebound with a good season to make up for last year?  Peter HaleDebut: 2001 Wins: 24 Hale has quickly become one of the premier drivers in the series, but has been known to be very inconsistent, aggressive and brash. As such, even with several championship caliber seasons, Hale's best points finish is 4th twice. Despite a great 2007, Hale must be sure to keep the consistency alive and try for his first title.  Blake McCreadyDebut: 2007 (First Start, 2007) Wins: 0 McCready has done wonders for the JGR program in the Grand National Series, being the most consistent driver since a young Peter Hale. With a part-time schedule this year, McCready hopes to impress for a ride with the top team. |
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Post by paroday on May 29, 2022 17:30:54 GMT -5
Team Preview: Team Penske Racing Dale Stremme Jr.Debut: 2000 Wins: 19 Championships: 2007 The defending series champion has done quite well in recent years, scoring either 3 or 4 wins in each of the last 5 seasons. And with Stremme Jr. only being 32, he still has plenty of years to bolster his resume. We'll see if he can defend his title.  Jeb WarsonDebut: 2000 Wins: 5 Ever since moving to Penske 4 years ago, Warson has 4 straight top 8 points finishes. He may not have championship level speed but at the end of the year he always silently manages to put himself into championship position. This could be the year where he sneaks a championship away from the bigger drivers. |
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Post by paroday on May 29, 2022 17:48:56 GMT -5
Team Preview: Chad Little Incorporated
Anna Kelley Debut: 2007 Wins: 1
Kelley's first season was decent, although her Daytona win really helped quite a bit. She was behind her teammates for most of the season, so this second year should be about building consistency and challenging for a chase berth.
Chad Little Jr. Debut: 2000 Wins: 13
Little Jr. has now 4 consecutive years of scoring victories. However, many are beginning to question his skills - a late season collapse in points, combined with Little Jr.'s age (42 years old) make some wonder if retirement is soon. However, the owner-driver states he will continue to drive until it is no longer fun.
Steve Perry Debut: 2000 Wins: 4
Perry has struggled over the years, showing a few flashes of potential such as his 2nd place points finish w/ Ganassi in 2004 and his 3 wins in 2000 (including a Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400). However, Chad Little Jr. believes that Perry could be a star if given the right equipment. We'll see what Perry can do with a new number this year. |
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Post by paroday on May 29, 2022 19:38:41 GMT -5
Team Preview: Chip Ganassi Racing Scott GainesDebut: 2007 Wins: 0 Despite only starting the road courses, Gaines has impressed. The Indycar driver looks to run the road courses again, and go out and get some wins.  Katie DurhammDebut: 2000 Wins: 0 Regarded as one of the best drivers w/o a win, Durhamm has really found her stride over the last two seasons at Ganassi, and it paid off with her best points finish ever of 15th. She looks to keep building on that momentum with several new sponsors, and try for a chase berth and her first career win.  Nicole SadlerDebut: 2007 (First Start, 2006) Wins: 0 After making several starts for Ganassi in '06, Sadler reunites with the team for her second full-time season. Still looking to find her footing in the series, expect the #41 to establish themselves and try to get some good runs.  Marco MontoyaDebut: 2004 Wins: 0 Also regarded as one of the best drivers without a series win, Montoya has 20 top 5's and 44 top 10's in 4 years. On the verge of a win, especially at the road courses, can Montoya break out in 2008 and win his first race? |
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Post by paroday on May 29, 2022 20:54:37 GMT -5
Team Preview: Richard Childress Racing
Andy Houston Debut: 2001 (First Start, 2000) Wins: 3
A seemingly underrated driver for every team he drives for, Houston has scored 4 top 10 point finishes over the years and established himself as a dependable driver. Can he break out and try to launch a serious challenge for the bigger teams?
Stephanie Dillon Debut: 2000 Wins: 2
A Daytona specialist, the '03 500 winner and granddaughter of Richard Childress has had 4 seasons of 24th-28th place finishes in points. Dillon is 39 years old right now and could be forced to retire if she can't pick up the performance this season.
Kevin Grant Debut: 2000 Wins: 1
A true journey-man driver, Grant has driven for Roush Fenway, Furniture Row Racing, and Richard Childress. This is due in part due to being a pay driver. Despite two top 20 points finishes with Childress, last year was a disaster for the #27 with a 24th points finish. He looks to rebound here in 2008.
Alice Peters Debut: 2000 Wins: 5
An extremely talented driver who always seems to be a top 10 contender, but never a true championship contender. Every season she appears set to break out but hasn't yet. Her last win was in 2005, and she's missed the chase the last two years. As she reaches her prime, can she rebound, or will she remain just another driver with untapped potential? |
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Post by paroday on May 29, 2022 21:31:42 GMT -5
Team Preview: TriStar-Evernham Motorsports Sarah CooperDebut: 2000 Wins: 6 At 41 years old and a veteran of the team, Cooper has been a loyal driver since 2003, delivering 5 wins as well as several impressive regular seasons. Her issue resides during the chase, as despite often having top 3-5 speed, the #7 team has never finished better than 8th in points. They will look to clean that up this year with a new crew chief.  Landon KaiserDebut: 2004 (First Start, 2003) Wins: 2 Kaiser is the definition of hot and cold. He'll have patches of races rivaling the best drivers, following that up with 4 races of 25th. Kaiser has led a ton and been up front, but several times has fallen out of the top 30 on speed. Hopefully he can focus more on consistent speed and put together an impressive chase performance.  James DavidsonDebut: 2006 Wins: 1 Davidson has struggled mightily in his first two years in the sport, finishing 29th twice. However, he claimed a fuel mileage victory at Dover last season. He also had 7 DNF's and was involved in upwards of fifteen to twenty incidents over the year. Minimizing these incidents could launch Davidson to his path up the standings.  Carson AtkinsDebut: 2007 (First Start, 2006) Wins: 2 Super rookie Carson Atkins broke out during the second half of the year, scoring 9 of his 13 top 10's in the second half, including 2 wins and several very impressive runs. With a new number, Atkins expects to not only make the chase but to try and make a deep championship run.  **Scheme yet to be painted.**Tony Irwin Jr.Debut: 2007 Wins: 0 The Grand National driver ran part time in 2007 and aims to run several races again here in 2008. He finished 2nd at Talladega - maybe he could snag a win there this year. |
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Post by paroday on May 29, 2022 21:50:20 GMT -5
Team Preview: Furniture Row Racing Chris BurtonDebut: 2002 Wins: 10 Championships: 2004 Chris Burton, often labeled as 'The Forgotten Champion', has had a strange career - four 10th-18th place points finishes with only 2 top 9 finishes. Funny enough, those were a runner up points finish and a championship. He had a miserable final year with Toyota - winless for the first time in his career. Moving to Dodge for 2008 may breathe some new life into this team, as Burton looks to confirm that he is indeed, a deserving champion. |
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Post by paroday on May 29, 2022 22:11:28 GMT -5
Team Preview: JTG Daugherty Racing Grant DolsonDebut: 2003 Wins: 1 Dolson has been the epitome of a midfielder - in his 5 seasons so far, he's finished 20th, 21st, 21st, 22nd, and 23rd. Dolson must be frustrated by the stagnating process - rumor had it he was a front runner for Richard Childress' #2 last offseason. Look for Dolson to try and break out with new sponsors and a new crew chief. |
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