Team Preview Archive

Team: Roush Racing

Drivers: Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin

2003 Points Finish: 1st (Kenseth), 11th (Busch), 12th (Burton), 17th (Martin), 20th (Biffle)

Team Summary: Though Kenseth won the championship, overall, Roush Racing's five drivers lost 16 engines prematurely in 2003.

To remedy those engine woes, Roush has aligned with Robert Yates Racing, widely considered the premier Ford engine-building entity, and will run RYR power plants in 2004.

Jeff Burton, in the No. 99 Ford, still seeks sponsorship for 2004.

Team: Hendrick Motorsports

Drivers: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Terry Labonte, Brian Vickers

2003 Points Finish: 2nd (Johnson), 4th (Gordon), 10th (Labonte), 25th (Nemechek)

Team Summary: All four of Hendrick's teams won in 2003, from Jeff Gordon's three victories with the No. 24 to Jimmie Johnson's three victories with the No. 48 to Terry Labonte's one victory with the No. 5 to Joe Nemechek's one victory with the No. 25.

Nemechek is gone - leaving the team late in the year - but in his place comes rising star Brian Vickers. All Vickers did last year was win the Busch Series championship in one of Hendrick's cars.

With the start of the 2004 season looming, Hendrick Motorsports appears to be as good as ever.

Team: Dale Earnhardt Inc.

Drivers: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Michael Waltrip

2003 Points Finish: 3rd (Earnhardt Jr.), 15th (Michael Waltrip), 38th (John Andretti), 56th (Ron Fellows), 58th (Jason Keller)

Team Overview: For the first time in four seasons, Dale Earnhardt Incorporated will run only two full-time NASCAR Nextel Cup Series teams in 2004.

But while DEI has championship designs in place for its two veteran drivers, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip, it's also building for the future via Martin Truex Jr.

And with changes in the team' competitive structure also comes a major change in its management.

Last week team principal Teresa Earnhardt, the late Earnhardt's wife, announced that head engine builder Richie Gilmore would replace Ty Norris as DEI's executive vice president of motorsports.

Team: Richard Childress Racing

Drivers: Kevin Harvick, Robby Gordon, Johnny Sauter

2003 Points Finish: 5th (Harvick), 16th (Gordon), 32nd (Steve Park)

Team Overview: Entering the 2004 Nextel Cup campaign, Richard Childress Racing is composed of three units, each carrying distinctly different team dynamics.

One team is a bona fide championship contender, another is surging towards prominence and the third is brand spankin' new.

Kevin Harvick's No. 29 bunch could win the whole shebang in 2004. Robby Gordon has proven his mettle as a NASCAR Top 10 candidate, and then there's rookie Johnny Sauter, the third driver of the No. 30 America Online Chevrolet in as many seasons.

By all counts 2004 could be the year RCR re-stakes its claim as NASCAR's premier organization.

Team: Penske Racing

Drivers: Rusty Wallace, Ryan Newman, Brendan Gaughan

2003 Points Finish: 6th (Newman), 14th (Wallace)

Team Overview: Rusty Wallace will have his third crew chief in four years as he tries to snap a losing streak that dates to April 2001.

Wallace's new chief is Larry Carter, who helped make BACE Motorsports a respectable Nextel Cup outfit in 2003.

Ryan Newman, who led the series with eight wins and an astounding 11 Bud Poles in 2003, returns with crew chief Matt Borland. Newman is sure to be many publications' pick for 2004 Nextel Cup champion after finishing just 311 points back in 2003.

Brendan Gaughan will attempt to make the huge leap from the Craftsman Truck Series to the Nextel Cup Series in Penske's third car. Gaughan brought his Craftsman Truck Series crew chief, Shane Wilson, with him as he runs for Rookie of the Year.

Team: Joe Gibbs Racing

Drivers: Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart

2003 Points Finish: 7th (Stewart) 8th (Labonte)

Team Overview: The only part of silly season to touch Joe Gibbs Racing involved its owner - Joe Gibbs - who left day-to-day operation of the company to coach the Washington Redskins.

Other than that, not much has changed.

Bobby Labonte will drive for the team for the 10th straight year. He's in his second season with crew chief Michael McSwain. The two made major strides in 2003, winning two races and returning to the top 10 in points.

Tony Stewart will begin his sixth season for JGR -- all of them with crew chief Greg Zipadelli. Stewart is expected to be one of the drivers to benefit most from the new NASCAR points system - he has historically been one of the best drivers over the final 10 races.

Team: Evernham Motorsports

Drivers: Jeremy Mayfield, Kasey Kahne, Bill Elliott

2003 Points Finish: 19th (Mayfield), 9th (Elliott)

Team Overview: Evernham Motorsports enters the 2004 with more optimism than its had in years.

Jeremy Mayfield is the team's flagship driver now that Bill Elliott moved to part-time duty, and Mayfield enjoyed a fine second half in 2003, with two second-place finishes. Mayfield begins his third full season with the team.

Kasey Kahne will run for Rookie of the Year in the team's No. 9 entry. Kahne, like Mayfield, was one of the hotter drivers in the second half of 2003 -- except he competed in the Busch Series, where he won the season finale.

The team will use Elliott as the outfit's third driver in a handful of races.

Team: Ganassi Racing

Drivers: Sterling Marlin, Jamie McMurray, Casey Mears

2003 Points Finish: 13th (McMurray), 18th (Marlin), 35th (Mears).

Team Overview: Chip Ganassi Racing was one of the few teams that didn't make any major changes in the offseason.

Jamie McMurray will be expected to build on his successful rookie season -- McMurray posted one of the best records in the second half. Donnie Wingo, McMurray's crew chief, also begins his second season with the team.

Sterling Marlin hopes to bounce back from a disappointing 2003, where he failed to score a top-five finish. Lee McCall will be his crew chief for the third season in a row.

Casey Mears endured a long and frustrating rookie season and will be expected to improve significantly from his 35th-place showing a year ago. Jimmy Elledge, one of the top young crew chiefs in the sport, will again serve as his head wrench.

Team: Haas CNC Racing

Driver: Ward Burton

2003 Points Finish: 21st (Burton), 38th (John Andretti), 40th (Jack Sprague), 47th (Jason Leffler)

Team Overview: Haas CNC's first season was one of upheaval, as the team went through four drivers -- Jack Sprague, John Andretti, Jason Leffler and Burton -- and two crew chiefs -- Dennis Connor and Tony Furr.

But with Burton and Furr as anchors, Haas CNC could be a sleeper team in 2004. They switched from Pontiac to Chevrolet in the off-season, the result of General Motors pulling its support of the Grand Prix.

There is plenty of work to do, as Haas CNC finished only 37th in car owners' points last year. But Burton said the team is adding some depth, and he is getting more comfortable with the Hendrick chassis and engines.

And most important, the relationship between Burton and Furr is growing.

Team: Robert Yates Racing

Drivers: Dale Jarrett, Elliott Sadler

2003 Points Finish: 22nd (Sadler), 26th (Jarrett)

Team Overview: Like most things in NASCAR, 2004 brings radical change and a fresh outlook for Yates. Jarrett's new crew chief, Mike Ford, revitalized Bill Elliott's career at Evernham Motorsports and was a member of Jarrett's 1999 Winston Cup championship team alongside new shop foreman Barry Swift.

Sadler, meanwhile, enters his sixth full season with a revamped pit crew courtesy of new general manger Eddie D'Hondt. D'Hondt served as GM for Elliott's self-owned race team before moving with Elliott to Evernham Motorsports.

Most of all, the Ford Taurus is a better race car than it was one year ago, and both drivers, Jarrett especially, should benefit from the new tire compound NASCAR has introduced for the season.

Team: MBV/MB2 Motorsports

Drivers: Joe Nemechek, Scott Riggs

2003 Points Finish: 24th (Johnny Benson), 45th (Jerry Nadeau).

Team Overview: The team went through major changes in the offseason. Scott Riggs was lured from the Busch Series to drive the No. 10 Chevrolet -- Johnny Benson was released from the final year of his contract. Riggs brought his Busch Series crew chief, Doug Randolph, to serve as his head wrench with MBV.

Jerry Nadeau, still injured from a May 2003 accident at Richmond, will likely miss much of 2004. Joe Nemechek, who finished in the 2003 season in the MB2 Motorsports Pontiac, will drive the car for all of 2004.

The team was forced to switch from Pontiac to Chevrolet following the retirement of the Grand Prix.

Team: PPI Motorsports

Driver: Ricky Craven

2003 Points Finish: 27th

Team Overview: Team owner Cal Wells isn't known for sitting around and leaving things unchanged. Wells changed crew chiefs for 2004, bringing in Dave Charpentier as his new crew chief.

He also hired Mike Beam to head the team's competition department.

The team will switch to Chevrolet following the dropout of Pontiac from the sport. The team has now used three different car makes (Ford, Pontiac, Chevrolet) in the last three seasons.

One thing that didn't change was the driver and sponsor -- Ricky Craven begins his fourth full season with the team.

Wells tried to start a second team for 2004, but the owner was not able to secure the needed sponsorship.