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Harvick-Stewart Racing a reality?

4/28/08: SOZ Studios, MI - By Mike Harper "SOZ" (RaceTalkRadio.com)

Special to SOZ on RTR from the Spin Out Zone iMag - Subscribe today!

Last season Dale Earnhardt Jr. rocked the NASCAR industry with the announcement he was leaving DEI. At the time it was hard to believe Dale would leave the company his father started for a rival, but he did it and the move proved that even if family owns the company - drivers will do what's best for themselves. And there is nothing wrong with that.

Jump forward to this week and Tony Stewart driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota stirred the free agent pot once again by his comments about leaving Joe Gibbs Racing. Stewart met with the media at Talladega and said, "We've got multiple offers on the table right now, and there's a couple in particular that really have caught our interest. We haven't made a 100% decision yet on what we're going to do, but we're going to look at all the options. And the options are exciting, all the way around."

So in this SOZ iMag Special we decided to dedicate this issue to reviewing the upcoming drivers who will be free agents.

A. Contracts ending in 2009 & who could leave early:

Rank 1: Tony Stewart

As Tony told the media this week, he has options including ownership. According to reports Haas CNC Racing (No. 66 with Scott Riggs - No. 70 with Ken Schrader/Johnny Sauter) is the team that Stewart could end up owning and driving for. Stewart has become more interested in ownership - from his dirt teams to a race track, jumping into NASCAR ownership might be a major feather in his cap. In addition to ownership of the Haas CNC team, he would be reunited with Chevrolet which is Stewart's major goal.

SOZ says: I would say even though Gibbs will want Stewart to stay with them until the end of his contract, it's not going to happen. Here we are in April and this is a hot topic which tells me Stewart is getting this out in the open early to prepare his team, sponsors and Gibbs that he's leaving at the end of this season. Is this a smart move? For Stewart to get into ownership - YES! But the Haas team needs a major overhaul and I think Stewart can make it happen.

Rank 2: Kevin Harvick

Kevin and his wife DeLana own KHI and their teams race in the Craftsman Truck Series and Nationwide Series. In addition, they are expanding into NHRA with a partner. Last season KHI moved away from using Richard Childress Racing engines and Harvick is no longer driving for RCR in the Nationwide Series.

SOZ says: This will be interesting to watch. Harvick has said in the past that he is not interested in Cup Series ownership, but the Spin Out Zone believes Harvick could partner with Tony Stewart in ownership. Keep in mind, these two drivers are best friends and Harvick-Stewart Racing could be a reality. Harvick in the 66 and Stewart in the 70, wow - what a dream team. And it answers the question - why drive for someone else when you can drive for yourself? Look for Harvick to leave RCR and look for this announcement to come within a few months after Stewart's announcement. Bold prediction by SOZ eh?

Rank 3: Matt Kenseth

Kenseth's time at Roush has been amazing. But it's changing times at Roush for Matt. He's had issues with a teammate, he has a new crew chief and he currently finds himself outside the top 12 in the standings which will make anyone look twice at future opportunities.

SOZ says: The big question is can Carl Edwards and Matt play together on the same team? If yes, then Kenseth will stay. Bottom line, Matt has a free pass to any team because he's just that talented. His low key personality creates a situation where its hard to measure how hot his value is - but believe me, there's not an owner in the garage who wouldn't jump at Matt Kenseth. If I had to say, I would say Kenseth stays with Roush. Roush needs Matt!

B. Contracts ending at the end of this season (2008)

Rank 1: Carl Edwards

SOZ says: If there was ever a time when someone held the keys to their future - right now is the time for Carl Edwards. Carl is the hottest driver in NASCAR today and Jack Roush will be working hard to secure his contract for years to come. And the good news - sponsors want him. Office Depot is looking to resign with Carl and it's rumored that UPS will pay big dollars to secure Carl as their driver. With that knowledge, Carl holds all the cards and his phone will be (if not now) ringing with owners on the other end offering him a golden opportunity to drive for them. With Michael Waltrip Racing on the verge of losing the UPS sponsorship, Waltrip better be throwing the kitchen sink, plus a house, plus a boat and anything else Edwards wants to try and bring him into the Toyota camp that would in return retain UPS as their sponsor. However, my guess is Edwards will stay with Roush and enjoy UPS and Office Depot as his two primary sponsors. You can drop off a UPS package at Office Depot right?

Rank 2: Ryan Newman

SOZ says: We're hearing Ryan is open to change. Does that mean he will leave - no. But with his Daytona 500 victory his value has risen. My guess is Ryan will stay in the No. 12 Alltel Dodge. He must however, play the game of using the media to show that he's available. Ryan is another driver who any owner would want and then it will be up to Roger Penske to retain him.

Rank 3: Greg Biffle

SOZ says: Biffle is smart. I say this because I think he will wait for Tony Stewart to make his move. If Stewart leaves Joe Gibbs Racing, Biffle will make a play for the No. 20 car. Who wouldn't? DEI is another option and so is Penske. If all else fails, the Biff will stay at Roush.

Rank 4: Martin Truex Jr.

SOZ says: He is currently the "man" at DEI. But Dale Jr. leaving DEI does make one think about leaving. I mean - if DEI isn't good enough for Dale Jr., is it good enough for me? Hendrick's No. 5 is struggling and Casey Mears could be the odd man out. If so, Truex's relationship with Earnhardt does open the door for him to go to Hendrick. I'd like to say he'll stay at DEI, but if Martin isn't seeing some type of improvement from his DEI team by mid-year, he could look elsewhere. Bass Pro Shops' contract is through the 2010 season, so at a minimum Martin could extend his contract through 2010.

Rank 5: Bobby Labonte

SOZ says: His current sponsor is heading to Richard Childress next season and I think Bobby will too. Lets face it, he's currently driving for RCR in the Nationwide Series so why not make the big jump over to a Cup team that has proven can compete at this level. Petty needs some major overhauling and sadly Bobby hasn't been able to get this team turned around. At RCR, Bobby could make another run at the championship before it's time to retire.

Rank 6: David Ragan

SOZ says: AAA is leaving this team at the end of the season, but the No. 6 car will live on. I think Ragan has earned a spot in the Cup Series and he'll remain at Roush.

Rank 7: Jamie McMurray

SOZ says: The big deal for Roush (Edwards, Kenseth, Biffle, Ragan, McMurray) as the head into the 2009 season - they MUST decrease their car count by one. NASCAR says a team can only have four cars. This means one of these drivers must go. If Edwards or Biffle leave, McMurray will stay. But if everyone stays, look for McMurray to be the odd man out. From what I have been told, McMurray may be the main guy at Yates. Yates and Roush are partners within the Ford camp and this may be a great option for McMurray. If the big three (Edwards, Kenseth, Biffle) stay with Roush, the battle will be between Ragan and McMurray and the better one stays home.

Rank 8: Dave Blaney

SOZ says: If this driver can find some competitive equipment he'd be a household name. He has the talent, has the desire, just needs the equipment.

C. Summary

That's 11 drivers looking at free agency in the next two seasons!

We find ourselves in the same position as last season with Dale Jr. Until the hammer drops on one single decision, we won't have answers. In my opinion, this time around it's the Tony Stewart decision we're all waiting for. Once "Smoke" decides on his future, others will be able to follow.

You ask why? Well, that No. 20 ride at Joe Gibbs Racing is a dream come true for some of our free agents. Biffle, Edwards, Newman and Kenseth (heck all of them except maybe Harvick) would jump at driving for Joe Gibbs. So if a driver knows that ride might become available, he'll hold out for the chance to drive it.

So, we wait. We wait on Tony to make his decision. And based on Tony's ability to hold off on cutting his hair as he did earlier in the season, we could be waiting for many more months to come.

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