Top 10 Silly Season moves of 2001
December 24, 2001
10:12 AM EST (1512 GMT)
1. Ray Evernham signs Jeremy Mayfield and moves Casey Atwood to Ultra Motorsports.
Overview: This was the Silly Season signing of the year. Ray Evernham decided to go with experience in his No. 19 Dodge after Casey Atwood had an up-and-down rookie season in 2001. In Mayfield, he gets a Winston Cup veteran with three career Winston Cup victories.
Evernham farmed out Atwood to Ultra Motorsports; but Evernham made another smart move by taking over some responsibilities of that team, effectively putting three drivers under his control.
The good: Evernham now has two veterans in control of his two main cars -- both of them proven winners.
The bad: Atwood was moved just as he started maturing, and Mayfield has not been consistent the last two seasons.
2. Chip Ganassi signs Jimmy Spencer.
Overview: Jason Leffler struggled all season long in the No. 01 Dodge -- the rookie simply didn't have enough seat time in the Winston Cup Series.
Enter Jimmy Spencer. Spencer, 44, enjoyed one of his better seasons in 2001 with three top-five finishes and eight top-10s. Spencer will be teammates with Sterling Marlin, also 44, and the two veterans should be able to build on the success Marlin has cultivated since Chip Ganassi took over the operation before the 2001 season.
The good: Spencer has the potential to win multiple races for this team, considered by many to be the best program in the Dodge camp.
The bad: No one knows how Spencer will react to his new team after a lengthy relationship with Travis Carter Motorsports.
3. Bill Davis signs Hut Stricklin.
Overview: The signing of Hut Stricklin was not that difficult for Bill Davis Racing -- but finding a sponsor would have been.
In this day of faltering sponsorships, Bill Davis Racing made a shrewd move by signing Stricklin, who brought sponsorship with him to the No. 93 Dodge for 2002. The team will change its number to 23 for next season.
By doing that, Davis won't have to jump through the sponsor hoops and worry about the financing of his second Winston Cup team. Plus, he signed a driver that is not known for tearing up equipment.
The good: Davis won't have to worry about going to Daytona without a sponsor after long-time supporter Amoco left after the 2001 season.
The bad: Stricklin has no Winston Cup victories in 306 career starts.
4. DEI signs Kenny Wallace
Overview: The loss of a driver to injury can sometimes ruin a team, but DEI acted quickly and signed veteran Kenny Wallace to drive the No. 1 Chevrolet in the absence of the injured Steve Park.
Wallace drove the car for the season's final 12 races and won a pole while finishing second at Rockingham.
DEI said that Park will return in a second Pennzoil car when he is able to drive again.
The good: DEI is in good hands until Park returns.
The bad: Park's injury interrupted an outstanding season for the 34-year-old, and no one knows how long it will take Park to return.
5. Mike Skinner signs with Morgan-McClure
Overview: Morgan-McClure used four different drivers in 2001 and struggled with every one of them. The team has not won since 1998 and finished 37th in owners points in 2001.
The team hired the hard-driving Skinner in hopes of reviving a program that was once one of Winston Cup's best.
The good: Skinner provides stability and a much-needed enthusiasm to the team. The pressures he faced at Richard Childress Racing have eased.
The bad: Skinner is alone on a single-car team. That makes it tough to qualify and finish, much less win.
6. Jimmie Johnson signs with Hendrick Motorsports
Overview: Jimmie Johnson left the Busch Series team of Herzog Motorsports for a huge Winston Cup operation partially owned by Jeff Gordon.
Johnson will run for Rookie of the Year in 2002 with the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet.
The good: Johnson will have some of the best equipment in the Winston Cup Series, as well as the mentor-like presence of Gordon.
The bad: The pressure will be high on Johnson, who will face tough rookie competition from Ryan Newman.
7. RCR signs Robby Gordon
Overview: Richard Childress Racing signed Robby Gordon to replace Mike Skinner. The No. 31 Chevrolets will carry Cingular sponsorship.
The good: Gordon has already won with his new ride and finished in the top-10 in two of his final three races in 2001.
The bad: Gordon is still an unproven and inexperienced talent in Winston Cup cars.
8. Carter/Haas signs Joe Nemechek
Overview: Carter/Haas saw Jimmy Spencer bolt and quickly signed Nemechek, who has scored two Winston Cup victories while driving for mid-level teams.
The good: Nemechek, when healthy, is a solid top-15 driver who has emerged as a threat to win the occasional race.
The bad: Pressure. Nemechek needs a good year to impress Kmart, who's contract is up at the end of the season.
9. Robert Yates Racing signs Jimmy Elledge
Overview: The No. 88 Ford of Dale Jarrett has a new crew chief in Jimmy Elledge, who moved from the No. 55 Chevrolet. Todd Parrott moves to team manager.
The good: Elledge is young, energetic, and already a winning crew chief. Robbie Loomis was the same when hired by Hendrick Motorsports.
The bad: It will be interesting to see how chemistry develops between Jarrett and Elledge -- Jarrett and Parrott had worked together since 1996.
10. Harvick's paint scheme changed
Overview: Kevin Harvick's white No. 29 Chevrolet will change to a silver-and-black look for 2002.
The good: Scheme is more lively and more suited to Harvick's driving style.
The bad: None.
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