Jeremy Mayfield (19) was supposedly...
Jeremy Mayfield (19) was supposedly a lock with Richard Childress Racing late in the '03 season, but re-upped with Evernham and his Dew Crew until 2005 just as we finished key-stroking this article.
16 Greg Biffle punctuated an uneven rookie season with a stunning, albeit gas mileage win at Daytona in July. Biffle's agent had been wrangling for a new contract for 2004 and 2005 at Roush, and was also shopping the driver around with several other teams, but he's firm at Roush. Meanwhile Randy Goss, Biffle's long-time crewchief, was the latest to be caught in the Roush Racing crewchief-go-round, giving way to Doug Richert in August. Richert fell victim to chest pains at Charlotte in October, leaving this deal unsettled on top of the pit box for 2004 as we went to press.
17 These guys took full advantage of the consistency reward program provided by the NASCAR point system in 2003. Matt Kenseth is what Mark Martin used to be-calculating, cunning, and killer behind the wheel when required. Meanwhile, Robbie Reiser has quietly proven to be one of the better crewchiefs in the division by getting the absolute best out of his team week in and week out. The last driver to repeat a championship was Jeff Gordon in 1997-'98. These guys may be the next to do it.
18 While Bobby Labonte's Chevy went up in flames in a fiery wreck at midseason, it was smoke under the hood courtesy of several engine failures that derailed his '03 campaign. These guys will have to be better in 2004 as the team returns intact with sponsor Interstate Batteries and crewchief Michael "Fatback" McSwain. Will Joe Gibb's starting a third Cup effort consume or divert resources that could help this team?
19 Save for a late season charge when he was auditioning for other rides, about the only time you saw Jeremy Mayfield in the first two thirds of the '03 campaign was when he was crashing or blowing up. At full throttle in the rumor mill, it seemed both Ray Evernham seats might be up for grabs in 2004. Scott Riggs supposedly told one SCR source back in September that his Cup deal was done for 2003 and it was with a Dodge team. Could this be it? Nope. Surprisingly, Mayfield re-upped with Evernham until 2005 just before we went to press.
20 Tony Stewart's contract issues and problems in the engine department at Joe Gibbs Racing last year translated to an off-season for the '02 division champion. Stewart and Home Depot return to the Gibbs team in 2004 after a protracted contract battle ended with Stewart inking a five-year deal in late August. This landmark agreement is the one all other drivers base their new contracts on-just ask Dale Jr.
21 Ford announced at the Brickyard 400 that it had extended its agreement with Roush Racing, Robert Yates Racing, and the Wood Brothers for five more years. That's good news for Ricky Rudd, who will return in the No. 21 Ford this season. Rudd and the 21 get new crewchief Ben Leslie from Mark Martin's No. 6 team. This is the second time Roush has swapped the top kick on the 6 in an effort to jump-start the team.
22 Ward Burton announced at Indy that he was out the door at Bill Davis Racing at the end of the '03 season, but it was decided for him that there was no time like the present, and he finished out 2003, from Atlanta on, with his new ride at the 0. Davis PO'd the Dodge Boys with his help in the development of the Toyota NASCAR Craftsman Truck series entry, and a switch from Dodge to Chevy for driver Scott Wimmer in the Busch series halfway through the season. Now Wimmer, the latest Wisconsin Late Model ace to come through the short-track to the bright lights path (see Matt Kenseth), will wheel the 22 CAT Cup car this season.
23 As long as Kenny Wallace has sponsor Stacker 2's money in his pocket, he'll have a ride at Bill Davis Racing. In 2004, that looks like a Busch effort or a Toyota Truck series ride for "Herman The German" with select Cup efforts like restrictor-plate races at Daytona and Talladega.
24 The first half of the '03 NASCAR season looked more like the '93 campaign when then rookie Jeff Gordon seemed to be stuck in the fence or in the garage area more than he was on the racetrack. That was followed by a solid second half of the season for the four-time Cup champion. Gordon, DuPont, and crewchief Robbie Loomis return this year without all the distractions of Gordon's messy tabloid fodder breakup with ex-wife, Brooke. Racing will again be the primary focus for this Hendrick Motorsports bunch, which means trouble for the rest of the division in 2004.