I am sitting here getting ready for the Loudon race, taking picks from everyone in the fantasy league, listening to Sirius radio and watching the pre-race shows.  That is when it hit me – I know exactly how it is all going to play out.  While most of the thoughts you are about to read are based solely on my personal speculation, they are not without merit.  I have heard a lot of rumors and under this scenario I think it will all fit.  Let’s see how close I get.

            The main cog in the gear that turns Silly Season is Tony Stewart.  The two-time Champ is the biggest name on the market, even though he still has a year left on his contract with Gibbs.  Gibbs has Joey Logano ready to make it big and they appear to have no plans to run a fourth car.  Tony has had a long relationship with General Motors.  He won both his Cup championships in a Pontiac then a Chevy, and I believe he partners with Chevy and the dirt track teams that he owns.

            The owner of Haas, I think his name is Gene, owns the greatest wind tunnel in North America .  While his cars have never really done well on the track and they are at the bottom of the Chevy pecking order – behind Hendrick, Childress and DEI, they have still got something to offer by way of capital.  They have been rumored to offer 50% ownership of the operation to Mr. Stewart.  This may seem like a stretch for a multi-millionaire to offer half his estate to a driver but remember, Mr. Haas is currently in jail.  He may be in desperate need of some cash and bringing on Tony and maybe selling the wind-tunnel to Rick Hendrick would be what it takes to pay off his back taxes.

            So that would put Tony Stewart in the same garage as his good buddy Dale Earnhardt Jr. along with Johnson and Jeff Gordon in the other half of the Hendrick stable.  Earnhardt would still house the Nationwide effort for himself and Rick, while Tony would be the head of operations over at Haas.  They all would run Hendrick motors and BASICALLY become a 6-car team.  That may be the way Nascar is headed.  Jack Roush has been forced to downsize to the max of 4-cars, so he will shove McMurray and that team over to Yates, they already work together as it is, to form their 7-car alegence.  Childress and DEI are in co-hoots with Richard starting a 4th team next year they are a 7-car operation.  All of the Toyota ’s are under one umbrella when it comes to sharing technology so in a sense they are a 10-car team.

            So now Tony is going to have two driver seats to fill.  Johnny Sauter and Joe Nobody (Scott Riggs) are out and Mark Martin and Martin Truex Jr. are in.  Mark will be able to run a limited schedule or go for that championship he has never won in the Cup series.  If he runs part-time, Brad Kesolowski will come up and run a limited schedule when Mark takes a week off.  Martin Truex Jr. will bring the Bass Pro Shops sponser along for the fun.  Tony Stewart will not keep Home Depot.  Word out of the garage is Office Depot and Old Spice will be on his car.

            That leaves Ryan Newman as the logical choice to go to Richard Childress Racing as their 4th driver.  He is a great qualifier and having no points should not keep him from getting in the field each week at the start of the season.

            Casey Mears is going to be left holding the short stick and will most likely end up driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc. or fill the void at Penske.  The last chip being thrown around was Greg Biffle and he has re-signed at Roush.