McMurray, Labonte find rides in strange silly season

Bobby Labonte would have been my first supposition as to who would drive the No. 1 Chevrolet, considering his career accomplishments, as well as Jamie McMurray’s previous fallout with Chip Ganassi in 2005.  Additionally, McMurray sponsored by Bass Pro Shops would be equivalent to Jimmy Spencer endorsing Avon products.  Of course, that is an observation from an outsider, McMurray may very well be an avid outdoorsmen.

FoxSports reported that McMurray and Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing completed the deal on Tuesday, and introduced the three-time winner as the driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet, replacing the departing Martin Truex Jr.  At Phoenix, TRG Motorsports reported that Bobby Labonte would drive the No. 71 Chevrolet, or as rumor has it, No. 71 Dodge.  Taxslayer, an income tax program will sponsor Labonte. 

Now, Labonte seems to fit in better with Bass Pro Shops, and McMurray could pass for an income tax preparer if you gave him a shirt, tie, and chinos.

McMurray certainly did not suffer a significant downgrade in this year’s rendition of silly season, which was far less absorbing as the last two years which included drivers such as Dale Earnhardt, Jr, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, and Ryan Newman, just to name a few.  Back to McMurray…typically, a driver has two opportunities to prove their worth in the Sprint Cup Series before being relegated to less than stellar equipment. 

When McMurray was driving for Chip Ganassi Racing earlier this decade, they were a solid team.  Sterling Marlin won five races for this organization, and McMurray won a race as well.  Jimmy Spencer and Casey Mears had their chances to win as well, however, not near as often as McMurray and Marlin.  McMurray nearly qualified for the Chase in 2004 and 2005.  Since joining Roush Fenway Racing in 2006, he has yet to crack the top fifteen in the final championship standings.  He would have been better off staying with Ganassi. 

According to traditional patterns, McMurray should be lobbying for a ride at Phoenix Racing, or Front Row Motorsports.  Instead, he joins a team that has been rather solid.  While the stats do not favor the No. 1 team in 2009, they have had rotten luck.  From a performance standpoint, the No. 1 has been as competitive as the No. 26.

Moreover, it was common knowledge that Truex Jr would not be back with the team since early spring, and as much as we try to deny it, lame duck situations rarely produce solid results.  Tony Stewart in 2008 and Kyle Busch in 2007 were the exceptions. 

McMurray should have a decent showing in 2010, probably top fifteen or eighteen. 

Labonte, well, I was rooting for him to get another crack at a solid ride.  Many will say that he failed with Petty Enterprises, and then with Hall & Oates, I mean Hall of Fame Racing, but we all know that he settled for what was available in both of those circumstances.  He went from tier one (Joe Gibbs Racing) to tier three and four as far as quality of equipment. 

Hopefully, my speculation is correct, and the Labonte/TRGM effort will have a closer affiliation with Richard Childress Racing if the No. 07 dissolves.   

Casey Mears, Reed Sorenson, and David Stremme are all searching for rides, and according to speculation, they are eyeing the No. 09 Phoenix Racing ride.  Coincidentally, each of those drivers began their Sprint Cup careers with Ganassi. 

Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr solidified their plans months ago, and we are waiting to see if the Menards stick with the RPM/Yates union, or take their cash elsewhere.  David Gilliland is another driver searching for an opportunity. 

I am not even going in the Danica Patrick direction, because, well, I am just tired of that topic.

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