2004 Nextel Cup Preview

4 Once one of the great teams in the sport, the Morgan-McClure Motorsports entry has fallen on hard times as a single team in the multi-car world of NASCAR racing. About the only thing going for this unit is that they have another two years on their contract with Kodak, which given the rumor mill doesn't seem to be on the most solid ground either-a buy-out offer was reportedly in the works. Everything is up in the air here for 2004.

5 Kellogg's, the team's sponsor since 1994, signed a multiyear extension of its contract with Hendrick Motorsports in mid-'03. Meanwhile, Terry Labonte had a solid season and scored a popular win in the Southern 500. But let's face it-Texas Terry has pretty much been a nonfactor since capturing the '96 championship. He is only contracted through the end of the '04 season. Can you say Kyle Busch in 2005?

6 Mighty Mouse Mark Martin will again muscle up in the Viagara Ford for Jack Roush in 2004 after a very uneven '03 season. While Ben Leslie is a solid crewchief, he and Pat Tryson (from the No. 21 Roush engineering partner team) swapped teams after Phoenix in 2003. Martin is signed with Roush thru 2005.

7 This Ultra Motorsports entry got totally on its head in 2003, culminating in driver Jimmy Spencer going upside Kurt Busch's noggin in August. Primary sponsor Sirius is likely out, crewchief Tommy Baldwin bolted in October to Evernham Motorsports, and team crewmembers were handing out resumes like candy late in the season. Meanwhile, Spencer's main contribu-tion since coming to Ultra Motorsports has been his winning a Truck series for team owner Jim Smith. No clue where this three-alarm fire is headed in 2004.

8 This was the top-rated soap opera in the garage area in 2003. Theresa Earnhardt and DEI offered Dale Jr. a new contract early in the year, and they publicly battled over it until everyone made kissy face with a new, five-year deal for Jr. at Charlotte in the fall. The media knows you can't beat a good family spat for entertainment value, so the deal played out in the press all year long. In the final season cliffhanger episode, the contract was completed and the stage was set for 2004 because, as we all know, Bud is thicker than water. Tune in for the season premiere of this prime time mega hit at Daytona in February.

9 Bill Elliott's demise was widely reported a couple of years ago, but Ray Evernham, truckloads of money from Dodge, and three wins in 2002 gave Awesome Bill a get out of jail card in 2003. NASCAR wants Elliott to return for a "farewell" season in 2004, but the media-allergic driver seems fed up with all the politics and isn't the least interested in a circus-style retreat. If Elliott decides to come back in 2004, it will be as a "select event" driver, probably not as a full-time pilot. Given the disgusted look on his face as he stiffed NASCAR and the media after the Kansas race in October 2003 (when he couldn't catch Ryan Newman for the win), we're betting Elliott is finished. Happy trails, Bill. Despite Ford management's "we have a contract" pronouncements, Kasey Kahne and crewchief Tommy Baldwin are at the head of the list to take over this ride.

10 Other than a win at Rockingham in 2002, the Johnny Benson-James Ince combo produced little since they hooked up with MBII Motorsports at the beginning of the 2000 season. The '03 campaign was particularly forgettable, and Ince hit the bricks in early October. There was total oil breakdown late in 2003 as Benson was not renewed and out looking for a ride, and Scott Riggs settled in for this season. This team needs to put 2003 in the Safety Clean barrel and start fresh in 2004.

11 Brett Bodine added injury to the insult of losing the Hooters sponsorship with a frightening crash at Michigan in 2003. One of the last owner-drivers in the series, Bodine's ship may finally have run aground in 2004. He gave it a typically gutsy Bodine run.

12 You'd be nuts to change anything here. With more wins and poles than anyone else in 2003, Ryan Newman, crewchief Matt Borland, and the rest of the computer geek crowd that is NASCAR's most technologically savvy team returns intact this season and is a top title contender.

14/50 Whatever the number here, the A.J. Foyt operation with Larry Foyt at the wheel posted a forgettable '03 campaign that included an injury to the driver late in the season at Talladega. Foyt hopes losing his rookie stripes will make for better results this season. If not, he's always got that North Carolina's Most Eligible Bachelor thing to fall back on.

15 As long as NAPA continues to feature Michael Waltrip and Dale Jr. in those cutesy ads we see in almost every commercial break during a Cup telecast, we'll see more than our share of Michael and the No. 15 NAPA Chevy during the race telecasts this year. Can you say "Plugola"?