Stewart On The Brink?Charting the changes may actually require computer software, but change is just what the folks at Roush Racing are hoping for in 2002. Jeff Burton was the only one of Roush's four Cup drivers to reach Victory Lane last season, as Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin and Kurt Busch each went 0 for 36. Martin, in fact, ended his streak of 12 straight seasons finishing in the Top 10 in points.
Reversing last season's fortunes will not be easy, though, considering the competitive nature of the sport. Last season's list of 19 winners included first-time winners Michael Waltrip, Harvick, Elliott Sadler, Ricky Craven, and Robby Gordon.
Several drivers top the list of those expected to be top contenders for Jeff Gordon's crown. The irascible Tony Stewart stands as a likely candidate to have a banner season, even a championship campaign. Stewart's employer, Joe Gibbs Racing, proved in 2000 that it knows how to field a Cup champion, giving Bobby Labonte the tools needed to prevail. Plus, Stewart is seasoned and talented. If Stewart can match his late-season charges-he rallied for second in last season's final rundown-with some early-season consistency, then the points will surely fall his way.
Robert Yates Racing, with its pair of veterans in Rudd and Dale Jarrett, looms as another threat for the Winston Cup title. Rudd is coming off one of his best seasons, with two wins and a fourth in points. And Jarrett's four wins last season trailed only Gordon. It will come as no surprise if some other 40-something veteran-Marlin, Ward Burton, Elliott, Jimmy Spencer-is showing the young guys how to post up in the points race by midseason. If nothing else, last season's driver changes show that experience is still at a premium in Winston Cup.
The PinnacleDespite the potential challengers and the depth of stock car racing's premier roster, however, all preseason speculation leads back to one team. Until further notice, the guys on the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet team stand atop the sport. It took getting a full 2000 season under their belts, but Gordon and crew chief Robbie Loomis became the sport's top combination last year. Mix in other key parts of the formula-a team owner in Rick Hendrick who is able and willing to stay at the top, one of the sport's most lucrative sponsorship deals with DuPont, an array of intangibles that add up to victory-and it's no secret that the 24 team is expected to be in top form for years.
Losing Ray Evernham in 1999 was but a temporary setback for Gordon, one marked by a ninth-place points finish in 2000. By the midpoint of last season, Loomis had Gordon back up front, leading the points and challenging for a win each week. Can the team regain its dominant form from the mid-'90s when Gordon won a pair of points titles and had consecutive seasons of 10, 10, and 13 wins? Thirty-three wins in three seasons made for a remarkable run, one that stood alongside the most successful runs the sport has ever witnessed.
The essential question is whether even Gordon himself can match the Gordon run from the mid-'90s. In terms of titles, it's possible. In terms of success measured by a single season, it's not likely, given the intense level of competition brought to the track week after week. Is Gordon still the best of the lot? You bet. And all challengers will be measured by Gordon and the No. 24 team.
New FacesCharting the competition for 2002 Winston Cup Rookie of the Year will require the attention span of a kindergartner. Unlike previous seasons when as many as seven drivers competed for the honor, this season's battle will simply be Jimmie Johnson versus Ryan Newman.
Or, from a broader perspective, the combatants will be Rick Hendrick versus Roger Penske, two of the top team owners in motorsports. Johnson will drive the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet fielded by Hendrick Motorsports while Penske Racing will build Newman's No. 12 Alltel Ford.