Future still in limbo for several Cup drivers looking for rides in 2010

By Bob Pockrass and Jeff Gluck
Monday, November 23, 2009
Casey Mears may not compete full time for Richard Childress Racing in 2010 without a new primary sponsor. (Mark Sluder / NASCAR Scene)

Casey Mears may not compete full time for Richard Childress Racing in 2010 without a new primary sponsor.

Mark Sluder
NASCAR Scene

While the 2009 NASCAR season is over, several Sprint Cup drivers and teams still face uncertain futures.

Among the drivers who were in Cup cars at Homestead-Miami Speedway who haven’t announced what they’ll be doing in 2010 are Richard Childress Racing’s Casey Mears, Joe Gibbs Racing’s David Gilliland, Richard Petty Motorsports’ Reed Sorenson, Phoenix Racing’s David Stremme and Front Row Motorsports’ Travis Kvapil.

Mears could return to RCR if sponsorship is found for the No. 07 car, which Jack Daniel’s is leaving as a sponsor. No sponsor has been announced.

Gilliland could possibly return in a fourth JGR car if it runs select races next year, team President J.D. Gibbs said. Gilliland also has driven for Phoenix Racing this year and is a candidate for that ride, one of the few open rides with sponsorship for next season.

Stremme, who drove most of 2009 for Penske Racing, wrecked during qualifying Friday, which could have hurt his chances to get in the Phoenix Racing car full time.

“Stremme has got lots of people who are talking to us about him,” said Stremme’s agent, Jeff Dickerson. “What’s really cool about David is it seems like people go out of their way to help him. So that’s encouraging, because I don’t feel like David is going to be left with nothing.

“We’re obviously late in the game. The next few weeks are important for him. We’ve got to see if people’s goodwill generates an actual offer somewhere.”

Sorenson won’t be part of the new RPM driving stable following the planned RPM-Yates Racing merger. He has driven for Braun Racing in the Nationwide Series, but no deal for next year has been announced.

“Reed has a formal offer from a team now that would be a mixture of Cup and Nationwide,” said Dickerson, who is also the agent for Sorenson. “I feel really good about Reed and what he can do.”

Kvapil could drive for Front Row next year when that organization plans to expand to two full-time teams.

“Nothing yet,” Kvapil said. “I talked to the guys here at Front Row, and it sounds like they’re definitely interested in putting something together, but really we haven’t had any negotiation. We haven’t done anything to put any sort of agreement together. I’ve been talking to a lot of teams.

“There’s not a lot of opportunities out there. These guys, I really like the direction they’re going. They’ve got some things in the works to make them a better team manufacturer-wise, technical-wise.”

Other drivers who started 2009 with rides but found themselves out of them because of team decisions or sponsorship issues included Scott Riggs and Aric Almirola.

There could be a possibility that one of the drivers could end up with Hall of Fame Racing, if it can find a sponsor and form an alliance with an existing Cup team. Hall of Fame’s alliance with Yates Racing was only for 2009.

BAM Racing also has indicated that it plans to run a car in 2010 and has talked to several drivers about the opening.

Comments

43 responses to "Future still in limbo for several Cup drivers looking for rides in 2010". Post a Comment.
  1. 1
    sstarbraintree said:
    Nov 23, 2009 at 4:40 PM

    if none of these guys gets a ride will any of them be missed

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  2. 2
    RonFWNC said:
    Nov 23, 2009 at 4:43 PM

    At a time when there is an amazing number of talented young drivers ready to move into the upper echelons of NASCAR, one has to expect that some of the drivers that are mentioned in this article will not be returning to Cup in 2010, or any other season. They would be wise to consider securing rides in the Nationwide or Truck Series if they hope to continue their careers. They can look to drivers like Ron Hornaday, Jason Keller, Mike Skinner and Todd Bodine for role models as to building a successful career, even if it's not at the Cup level.

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  3. 3
    Robbygordonfan1 said:
    Nov 23, 2009 at 5:17 PM

    No, I'm sorry RONFWNC your wrong. David Gilliland belongs in the Cup series just because he's not a GQ model shouldn't mean that he can't get full sponsorship for a full time ride.

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  4. 4
    mhudzinski said:
    Nov 23, 2009 at 5:43 PM

    Sure..all of them will be missed. Each guy has families who depend these drivers who are their fathers, husbands, or sons to provide an income. Racing is what they were born to do. I'd rather Jimmy Johnson be put out to pasture than for these guys to sit idol next year....Scott, Travis, David, Aric, etc..all deserve a ride with a decent team in place of the start and park teams who embarass the sport by showing up knowing they have no intentions to do anything other than rip off the gate.

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  5. 5
    NickDizzle7 said:
    Nov 23, 2009 at 5:45 PM

    Sorenson could be a Nationwide champion if he lands with the right team, and if Carl didn't run the full season for once. I don't see any of the others going to the Truck Series, that series is struggling as it is just to keep it's current teams intact.

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  6. 6
    RonFWNC said:
    Nov 23, 2009 at 6:06 PM

    Robbygordonfan1:

    I have no idea what you are talking about; I hope you do.

    Getting and keeping a ride in Cup is based on two things: talent and performance. If you get the job done and maybe even win some races, you'll stay in Cup. If you fail, you won't. Most of these guys have had more than one opportunity to establish themselves. It's unfortunate, but they may not get another chance.

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  7. 7
    RonFWNC said:
    Nov 23, 2009 at 6:14 PM

    Robbygordonfan1:

    I have no idea what you're talking about; I hope that you do.

    It's very simple. A Cup driver earns a ride on the basis of talent and performance. If you don't get the job done, and maybe even win a few races, you're going to lose that ride. This is particularly true now, when the competition for a job is greater than ever.

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  8. 8
    richardclower said:
    Nov 23, 2009 at 6:25 PM

    RONFWNC, sorry dude but you don't know what you're talking about. They field 43 cars every Sunday and it takes money, i.e. sponsorships to stay in a ride. Performance is based strictly on having the money to secure the resources...engines, shaker rigs, wind tunnel, crews, engineers, crew chiefs etc.....without money nothing happens. Your simplistic view of racing speaks of someone that doesn;t follow it very closely. And oh by the way, name 1, just 1 Nationwide driver with the type of experience it takes to run Cup that should get a ride over any of the drivers mentioned above. You can't because there are none.

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  9. 9
    alisoeddie said:
    Nov 23, 2009 at 8:09 PM

    Good post #8.They do field 43 on Sundays,thats what it takes to fill a field.Everyone of the drivers mentioned,for the most part,are the most qualified drivers to fill open seats.Are there drivers in the NNS that could fill those seats?sure,but they would struggle with the transition to what is a much,much,tougher series to race and get respect in.And then there's the struggle with inferior equipment thats stunts a drivers ability to run well,and no one has been saddled with worse equipment during the majority of his career as Gilliland.
    Best of luck to those guys in finding rides,being out of work near the holidays is a sad deal no matter what your line of work is.

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  10. 10
    amalycke said:
    Nov 23, 2009 at 8:32 PM

    Kvapil 'negotiating' with Front Row Motorsports? He would be lucky to be sucking the crap out of their underwear. FRM doesn't need him.

    Kvapil is a waste, a hanger-on, as is Stremme and Casey Mears. Those guys should be running Busch North or Late Models like Scott Riggs is back to doing.

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  11. 11
    fanofreed43 said:
    Nov 23, 2009 at 9:23 PM

    GO REED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Show them what you can do with good car and a good team.

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  12. 12
    Phoenix987 said:
    Nov 23, 2009 at 10:38 PM

    There's so few companies willing to pony up the cash that big teams cutting back shouldn't be a surprise. Many of the drivers listed with no ride aren't terrible drivers, who either have gotten the short end of the stick in their career or are just a part of the mess that NASCAR is in right now.

    The one you somewhat have to feel bad for is Casey Mears, who can't find consistency in his career, which has ultimately hurt him. He's never had the same team for 2 years in a row.

    There's plenty of open rides, but each one has a not-so-small requirement: sponsors. If you can bring a sponsor- even for a few races- you're likely to land a ride in 2010.

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  13. 13
    madmaxvtx1300 said:
    Nov 23, 2009 at 11:15 PM

    its amazing how many arm chair racers put there less than two cents worth in. i dont care how talented you are, if you have bad or low budget equipment you are not going to run up front. David gilliland is exactly what I am talking about. he has won in every series he has entered. even with half ^%% equipment from TRG he qualified for all but one race. ( that race was where his car,crew chief,crew were given to another driver whom was promised that ride before David was part of the team, leaving him with a car two full seconds slower than the slowest car,no crew chief,and one full time employee to try to get that car in the show.By the way he missed that race by .02 seconds in a dangerously loose car) this and the fact he has a great attitude to match his talent is why Joe Gibbs Racing has taken interest in David,and as we all have seen this ride is reliant on sponsorship other wise he would not be on this list. If JD Gibbs sees his talent and openly remarks on Davids abilities and general personality that tells me David does not belong on this list. I do feel he will catch one of the rides, just hope its a sponsorship deal for JGR

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  14. 14
    j-woody said:
    Nov 24, 2009 at 12:58 PM

    To be fair to all these drivers there lack of a drive next season is down to economic reasons and not a lack of ability. For me the driver hardest hit is David Gilliland. He really has done as well as could be expected with the opportunity's he has been givin this year. The fact that JGR trusted him with a car is a good sign that he is thought of well by people in the know. Hopefully someone will find the money to keep him in the cup.

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  15. 15
    lten11 said:
    Nov 24, 2009 at 2:38 PM

    I would like to agree with someof these comments about Gilliland but why does he have so much trouble running up front, i saw some of Sundays race and he was in the top 20 then starts as he usually does slowly dropping back and can never make it up, Sunday he was in a Gibbs car, all the other Gibbs cars run up front so why can,t he ??, granted they say this is an R&D car but it,s still a Gibbs car, part way thru this year i started calling him Mr one lap down, does anyone know why this is ???.

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  16. 16
    richardclower said:
    Nov 24, 2009 at 2:45 PM

    LTEN11 you're correct in your observation. I think its a combination of driver and crew chief. The driver has to tell whats wrong and the crew chief has to know how to fix it. It takes time to develop chemistry within a team and none of the drivers mentioned here were given that chance this year.

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  17. 17
    j-woody said:
    Nov 24, 2009 at 4:00 PM

    LTEN11 its a vary good question and like Richard I think its more a technical issue than Driver. For most of this season he was with TRG and did not seem to suffer as much from this problem but it was more noticeable when he drove for JGR and RG.

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  18. 18
    merri-scott said:
    Nov 24, 2009 at 4:21 PM

    #15, I have no idea of why you are compelled to call any driver names. That sounds like a personal issue. But, there are any number of drivers who qual well, but rarely crack the Top 20. However, Gilliland has been in equipment that can go fast for quals, but is not good enough to hang in there for the duration, several generations old. Look at Bobby in the 71, when he has been in the older cars that David had, he has doesn't well either...to the point that Slugger said he would throw the Homestead car in the dumpster. As for the Gibbs ride, this was not a 'team' per say, it was extra people from other teams, mostly on try-outs, with the R&D CC trying new things out. Even JD said that it was cobbled together. The other Gibbs drivers did find on the FB cars because they were with their own cars and teams. The ones for David were not regular cars or team members. I think if given a shot in good equipment with a seasoned pit crew, David would show his talent.

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  19. 19
    oldgirl said:
    Nov 24, 2009 at 4:22 PM

    Hope HOF keeps Darnell. Was doing good on Sunday until the #42 brake rotor parts penetrated his radiator. The 96 is basically a 30th position car, but atleast it would keep him in a seat and help him grow as a driver. He was put in a difficult situation this year and the press has ignored him. Not fare. I agree, the press needs to spend more time with the "other" teams; they are the ones that NEED the exposure, not the super teams, God knows we are all tired of hearing the same stuff over and over again!

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  20. 20
    lten11 said:
    Nov 24, 2009 at 4:32 PM

    #18, when you are finished whatever it is your smoking you might realise there was no name calling but an enquiry, i want him to win just as much as anyone but get frustrated on the finishes, we have been fans of David for a while now and wanted other peoples opinions on it.

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  21. 21
    merri-scott said:
    Nov 24, 2009 at 4:58 PM

    Ah, LTEN11...I thought you were asking why you were calling him names...I guess I misunderstood. But, my answer to your inquiry is the same none the less. And BTW, I don't smoke anything. #19, excellent point. There are so many drivers that never get mentioned unless they are involved in a wreck.

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  22. 22
    lten11 said:
    Nov 24, 2009 at 5:04 PM

    #21, it,s ok,i did not mean anything by the smoking comment either.

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  23. 23
    lten11 said:
    Nov 24, 2009 at 5:41 PM

    Who is going to get the ride in the 09 car next year, any predictions out there ???.

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  24. 24
    sonbon_80918 said:
    Nov 24, 2009 at 6:58 PM

    So heres my opinion.Casey Mears got royally screwed be Rc this season.He was mixing well with the crew he had then Kevin and burton weren't doing well and Casey has to pay for it.Then something else wasn't happening for the other teams and Casey had to suffer yet again.Now the other teams are doing great at seasons end and Casey was suffering.

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  25. 25
    wallytarkington said:
    Nov 24, 2009 at 7:00 PM

    David Gilliland needs a full time ride. He deserves a real second chance. Sorensen and Mears have had their second chances. Mears still technically has a ride and has a better chance of attracting sponsors since he is still in RCR equipment and had a great finish to the year, but Gilly has not really had a whack at top teir equipment, ever. Yates does not count, I'm sorry to say. I also am a huge supporter of Travis Kvapil, who I believe will show everybody what he is really capable of. If I wrote big checks I would have a pretty good team!

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  26. 26
    papaof4ncrc said:
    Nov 24, 2009 at 8:32 PM

    Its a shame that the economy is what it is,so many drivers and so few rides.Think David Gilliland needs to have a chance in quality equipment with a full time crew to show what he can do.Yates was on thierway down when he came aboard hence the exit of Sadler and Jarret.TRG was always saying to bring the car home in one piece no matter what,and second and third generation equipment(only when Bobby came on did they purchase new equip)and he was allowed to go for it.As a matter of fact he inherited DG points from last year at Yates and look what he did with those.And if David hadn't showed what he could do with TRG stuff,don't think Bobby would have went there.Racing is a catch 22 you have to spend loads of money to attract sponsors,and without money you can't show what you can do.

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  27. 27
    lten11 said:
    Nov 24, 2009 at 9:01 PM

    I actually think David will get a chance somewhere as most team owners like him for his totally positive attitude and his personable demenour, he never is negative and gives it his best and i think they know this so it may help him get with a good team.

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  28. 28
    alisoeddie said:
    Nov 24, 2009 at 9:10 PM

    LTEN11,I hope you're right.Remember,43 guys to fill a field.Only so many guys(10-15?) have the equipment and talent to run upfront,Gilliland falls somewhere in the middle.
    He's a very capable guy that can help any # of teams with whatever they ask of him.

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  29. 29
    amalycke said:
    Nov 24, 2009 at 10:46 PM

    #23/Delta L-1011 Lockheed, I say that the now infamous #09 Phoenix Construction ride goes to David Gilliland, but Stremme/Almirola killed their chances because of Qualifying spins in Miami/Bristol. Sterling Marlin is permenantly gone because of him DNQ'ing the highpaying 2009 Daytona 500 and 2010 Indy400 in it, as well as crashing out HARD in Phoenix.

    With Gilliland's three straight 28th place finishes in the JGR #02, I say that ride disappears faster than Haitians fleeing mall security.

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  30. 30
    tinynascarfan said:
    Nov 24, 2009 at 11:31 PM

    RICHARDCLOWER #8 i can name 2 drivers who deserve a shot in a good car, Mike Bliss, being the first, he drives everything to the front in the truck series and nationwide series, yeah kesoloski won in the 09 car at dega but it is dega and anyone can win there, id like to see bliss get a shot with a good team. the second is Jason Leffler, he had a half decent shot in the 11 car the first year it was running, but it was the first year and he got pulled before the season was done. David Gilliland does deserve a shot in a good car, the best car he has been in is the yates ride, and yates hasnt been anything since before sadler and jarrett both jumped ship. Those are the top 3 drivers available today, with experience, I love Reed sorenson, but he hasnt produced even top 15 finishes, i believe he might be a great cup driver in a couple of more years, but put him back in nationwide and let him win some races and get his confidence back, and Stremme, im a big fan of his, but he cant win, not at any level ive seen him at, id like to see him hit the truck series with a good ride. Aric Almirola, he is the best prospect in all of nascar, but is anybody talking about him? No they are to busy trying to bring Danica in so she can fail at this and make nascar millions while she fails.

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  31. 31
    tinynascarfan said:
    Nov 24, 2009 at 11:35 PM

    #23 you want a prediction who will run the 09 car next year, well, id like to see Joe Nemecheck get it, he qualifies great and can run up front in the right car, he cant win anywhere but the restrictor plate tracks unless the race gods give him one, but he could put that team solidly in the top 35 in points and maybe contend for top 25 in points, with a few top 10 finishes here and there and he would be a risk for the pole at almost every track in that car.

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  32. 32
    amalycke said:
    Nov 25, 2009 at 12:36 AM

    #23 AND 31: You're right about Joe Nemechek and Phoenix Construction, I forgot how well he can Qualify! The one thing that he has going for him and the #09 car, is that Joe Nemechek and James Finch are both from Florida, Lakeland and Panama City/ Bay County to be exact. Hope there's NO prior feuds between the two ...

    Anyone think that Sterling Marlin would be a great fit at Gunselman Motorsports?? #64 moved up to 47th in points after Martinsville, thereby passing the #8, 41, 08 heading into some 2010 rainouts!!!

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  33. 33
    dale said:
    Nov 25, 2009 at 12:39 AM

    RonFWNC, well said. I think those that posted negative comments regarding your comments are the ones that don't have a clue what they are talking about.

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  34. 34
    dale said:
    Nov 25, 2009 at 12:41 AM

    amalycke, I am wondering how Sterling Marlin did not qualify for a race that has yet to take place, in a year we aren't even in yet?

    <br><br>When people make foolish comments like yours it negates your entire argument.

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  35. 35
    rae said:
    Nov 25, 2009 at 1:08 AM

    # 16... I agree with your statement... "I think it's a combination of driver and crew chief. The driver has to tell (him) what's wrong and the crew chief has to know how to fix it. It takes time to develop chemistry within a team and none of the drivers mentioned here were given that chance this year." Also, the team must have a pit crew that does it's job quickly. It's not just the driver, it's the whole team that needs to be working together. One mistake by any one of them cause the whole team to have a bad race.
    There are still going to be the accidents that happen, but if the total team "clicks together" they can still come out on top.

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  36. 36
    madmaxvtx1300 said:
    Nov 25, 2009 at 1:18 AM

    I am posting this for a friend who could not get his post to take
    Occasionally a truly gifted driver comes along and for one reason or another is never able to get the equipment necessary to prove his ability. David Gilliland is one such driver that seemed heading in that direction. His entrance into cup racing with Robert Yates racing, he was expected to compete against the best drivers in the world with equipment that Elliott Sadler and Dale Jarrett was walking away from. Yates has since proven that nobody can be successful in their equipment. And although he worked miracles with the under funded TRG. Gilliland was still a long way from where he needed to be in their outdated equipment.

    Hats off to JGR. for taking notice and giving true talent a chance to flourish. If Joe Gibbs Racing goes to a forth car with David Gilliland at the wheel, look for their first checkered flag around min season 2010.

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  37. 37
    rae said:
    Nov 25, 2009 at 1:28 AM

    I should have mentioned that the team also includes the guys in the shop. The car has to be one that the driver can handle.

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  38. 38
    jbbigrod said:
    Nov 25, 2009 at 1:51 AM

    Don't forget that Travis Kvapil ALSO ran some excellent races in that underfunded organization. remember, neither of the boys had sponsors, and STILL finished much higher than a lot of teams with good sponsors.

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  39. 39
    maddmike said:
    Nov 25, 2009 at 5:47 AM

    I am posting this for a fellow member of the GGOMS:
    Occasionally a truly gifted driver comes along and for one reason or another is never able to get the equipment necessary to prove his ability. David Gilliland is one such driver that seemed heading in that direction. His entrance into cup racing with Robert Yates racing, he was expected to compete against the best drivers in the world with equipment that Elliott Sadler and Dale Jarrett was walking away from. Yates has since proven that nobody can be successful in their equipment. And although he worked miracles with the under funded TRG. Gilliland was still a long way from where he needed to be in their outdated equipment.

    Hats off to JGR. for taking notice and giving true talent a chance to flourish. If Joe Gibbs Racing goes to a forth car with David Gilliland at the wheel, look for their first checkered flag around min season 2010.

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  40. 40
    amalycke said:
    Nov 25, 2009 at 7:34 PM

    Sorryyyyyy Dale #34! What I meant to say is that Marlin DNQ'd the 2008 Daytona 500 and 2009 Indy 400 paydays, then crashed out of Phoenix last April.

    Cut me some slack, take a breath while you're at it. #$%$$##!!!

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  41. 41
    girlrocker said:
    Nov 26, 2009 at 3:37 AM

    Talking about the #5-8 or 9 comments above. The one guy said they had to have talent. Well, I kind of agree and kind of don't. They were racing with more upper eschalon teams and I think they were dropped because they couldn't get it done. So, now if they get picked up by a smaller team then what happens? I think it's downhill from there. My god, look at Bobby LaBonte. Wasn't he an excellent driver once? Even won a champion. (hate to say it but maybe its time to retire). Now he's being bounced from team to team. I'm thinking when they end up with the smaller teams they just don't have the equipment of Hendrick, Roush, etc. Without the equipment how can you win races? Obviously the money isn't there to have the great equipment. It's getting harder and harder for these guys to get sponsors. So to me it just seems like it's a total downhill deal. So I think it's a little bit of both, lack of talent and no money, sponsors. I wonder if sponsors think about these guys like I do during the race? I'm so intent on watching the racing up front that I don't even pay attention to their track position or even if they are off or out. And if I don't think about any of them then I guess I wouldn't even pay attention to the sponsors on their cars. And the sponsors don't get much air time so why would they even consider sponsoring these guys. Funny, though, Michael Waltrip does wonderful with sponsors. He's quite the sellable guy. For not winning races, his sponsors get plenty of air time! By the way I hate the start and park garbage. I call these guys fillers. They're just wasting space. Oh Well !

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  42. 42
    goat10000 said:
    Nov 26, 2009 at 11:15 AM

    Stremme actually ran better in the 12 car, especially towards the end of the season, than Keselowski did. And Casey Mears had some strong runs.

    Kvapil consistently ran decent with questionable equipment in 2008.

    Sorenson hasn't shown that much, IMO, although he has run good in the Nationwide series.

    Speaking of Nationwide, someone needs to give Mike Bliss a full-time ride. The guy finished fifth in the points, even after losing his ride, and going from car to car. If I was CJM, I'd give him a good look, because he seemed to be a good match with that team (#11).

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  43. 43
    knchevy41 said:
    Nov 26, 2009 at 6:13 PM

    Right on FAN OF REED 43! I hope he gets that ride with Braun in Nationwide, and maybe the 07 for Childress!

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