With all that hardware
that they bring and all the expectations they have I still don’t see any of these drivers stepping up and having
a great rookie year like Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson have had in the past.
Jacuques Villeneuve will
race for Bill Davis Racings (BDR) third team next year. In 2007 BDR did not see many bright spots with their other two teams
and it could be a lot of the same in ’08, how wise can adding a third team really be? Villeneuve
might have an Indy 500 Championship and Formula 1 Championship but I don’t expect he will get much respect or TV time
next season.
Patrick Carpentier will
be behind the wheel of the No. 10 Dodge Fielded by Gillett Evernham Motorsports (GEM). GEM has not had a win in cup since
2006. The 10 car could not make a majority of the races in ’07 and now the team brings in a rookie with a famous name
and ties to the new majority owner and expects results. Don’t look for or expect much out of this team in 2008. They
need points and experience and don’t have either.
Sam Hornish Jr. will have a
ride in the newly reformed No. 77 car owned by Roger Penske. Penske tried the third car a few years ago and it failed horribly.
The No. 77 team will probably get the owner points of the No. 2 team; this will guarantee that Hornish will make the first
five races. For all the Kurt Busch fans lets hope that Hornish doesn’t bring down the team like Brendan Gaughan did
a few years ago.
2006 StockCar Review.
