Feud of the Week: Mears rumor, sponsor movement, N.H. favorites - NASCAR

Pete Pistone	Brian De Los Santos
The hot rumor out of Sonoma is that Mark Martin will replace Casey Mears at Hendrick Motorsports in 2009. Is Hendrick giving up on Mears too soon?
Unfortunately, I don't think so and from what I've been hearing, despite Mears' fifth-place finish in Sonoma last week it's a foregone conclusion there will be a new driver in the No. 5 Hendrick ride next year. It's hard to imagine what the problem has been with that team this year -- granted the crew and personnel are different from a year ago -- but even though the rest of the Hendrick drivers aren't setting the world on fire, Mears has been way off the entire season. Look for Martin to split time in the seat with another young driver -- possibly Brad Keselowski or Landon Cassill -- in a mentoring program like the one he's doing at DEI this year, and for Mears to be looking for a new ride in 2009.	I don't know that it's about Mears as much as owner Rick Hendrick trying to figure out why he can't get that fourth team up to speed. Is it the car or is it the driver? By putting a proven driver like Martin in the seat, he should get his answer. If Martin can't get it done, something is seriously wrong. I'd say it's the proactive thing to do. He's tried to put young untapped talent in that car and it just hasn't panned out. Now it may be time to try a different approach. Mears, no doubt, will land on his feet. The fourth Richard Childress Racing ride is the latest rumor. But I don't know that Mears will ever be the superstar so many think he can become.

Mikeyfan1599 asks: Let's see, General Mills is changing, UPS is rumored to be moving, the Army is now looking elsewhere, Office Depot, AFLAC it keeps going on and on. I have never seen such a silly season with sponsors have you?

It's certainly been a busy time on the sponsorship front, you're right, and it's not over yet. Caterpillar is moving from Bill Davis to RCR, Home Depot is suffering from slumping sales and said to be re-evaluating its racing program and NASCAR still hasn't found a replacement sponsor for Craftsman on the Truck Series. The economy is definitely the culprit as is the rising cost of sponsoring a full Cup ride. Look for more split sponsorships in the future with teams dividing the season into thirds or quarters and allowing companies to be involved in the sport at a lesser cost albeit with limited exposure.

You're dead-on Mikeyfan, I can't recall a time of so much sponsor movement. I think it's just a way for the companies to reposition themselves within the sport a bit. There isn't one single reason for all the movement, though you can bet that most companies just want to be with a proven winner or a fan favorite. Caterpillar, a longtime sponsor at Bill Davis Racing, jumped at the chance to sponsor the No. 31 car of RCR's Jeff Burton in 2009 and beyond. CAT's getting more bang for the buck at RCR where Burton consistently puts his car among the leaders. UPS and Army also would like an uptick in exposure -- if the price is right. I don't imagine Office Depot is leaving Carl Edwards because it wants to. But he's a superstar now and can demand a bit more money from sponsors. Aflac may have come in offering more money and Office Depot either couldn't or wouldn't match it.

Who should be looking forward to this week's race at New Hampshire and who should be wary?
Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer won in Loudon a year ago and will be favorites this weekend. The flat, one-mile track suits both drivers' styles perfectly and Hamlin in particular has always been a flat-track specialist. Sunday starts the "Race to the Chase" and the battle to get into the top 12 to make the playoffs should heat up, meaning the pressure is on for guys like Kevin Harvick, David Ragan and Ryan Newman. Gillett Evernham teammates Kasey Kahne and Elliot Sadler probably hope this weekend goes fast since they have average finishes of 22nd and 15th respectively during their New Hampshire Cup careers.	New Hampshire has had seven different winners in its past seven events and a number of drivers have fared well at the track over the years. Six active drivers (Burton, Gordon, Stewart, Newman, Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch) have multiple victories. Stewart and Gordon have double-digit top five finishes. Among the big guns, you might want to steer clear of Edwards in your Fantasy leagues. A second-place run in 2006 was his only top 10 in seven trips to Loudon.
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