 | | How Kurt Busch interacts with crew chief Roy McCauley will play a key role in his first year as driver of the No. 2. Credit: Autostock |
By Jarrod Breeze, NASCAR.COM
February 6, 2006
03:17 PM EST (20:17 GMT)
Discounting rookies, 13 full-time drivers will be behind the wheels of different cars in 2006. Some of those changes will be for the better, some for the worse. But most won't matter at all: • Kurt Busch
No. 2 Dodge In case you've been following the IRL or Formula One for the past year and missed the news, Kurt Busch signed with Penske Racing during midseason 2005. That deal led to Busch's acrimonious departure from Roush Racing, where just the season before he won the Nextel Cup championship. Busch said all the right things in the offseason, and now believes the move to Penske has made his professional life more personable. "When it gets down to the bottom line, I've got to look at where Kurt Busch can go and win races. I believe with Penske and Dodge I can do that far more into the future," Busch said. Good luck with that, Kurt. Rusty Wallace didn't make the Chase in 2004 and didn't win a race last year. • Jamie McMurray
No. 26 Ford Again, if you haven't heard this before where have you been? Jamie McMurray signed with Roush in '05, and now takes over the car previously occupied by Kurt Busch. Owner Jack Roush, in an attempt to all erase all ties with Busch, changed the car's number from 97 to 26. But it's the number 10, as in top 10, that has McMurray's attention -- and this move gives him his best chance yet of making the Chase. "It's somewhat like Matt [Kenseth] said when you know that you have cars that are capable of winning, you just have to do your part and work with your team and put yourself in the right position, so I'm very optimistic about the season," McMurray said. All five of Roush's cars made the Chase last year and the teams combined for 15 victories. McMurray hasn't won since his second career start in 2002 but has just missed out of the Chase the past two years, finishing 11th and 12th in the final points. The move from Ganassi to Roush will prove to be the biggest of them all. • Bobby Labonte
No. 43 Dodge The 2000 champion for Joe Gibbs gives Petty Enterprises renewed optimism, and Bobby Labonte the opportunity to drive Richard Petty's No. 43. But this isn't King Richard's NASCAR. If Labonte couldn't win a race for Gibbs the past two years, what makes him think he can in the No. 43? After all, the care has found Victory Lane just three times -- the last coming in 1999 -- since Petty won the 200th and final race of his career in 1984. "I think that it is a great opportunity for me. I feel like we got things in the right place ... like we got great race cars. There's not an ounce or venation of 'Oh, God this is gonna be a struggle' because we don't think that," Labonte said. Yes, Labonte will have former champion crew chiefs Robbie Loomis and Todd Parrott in his corner. But no, this is not a step up. • Casey Mears
No. 42 Dodge Casey Mears doesn't change teams, he just moves from the No. 41 to McMurray's old ride. Winless in NASCAR, Mears got close in 2005. But he still finished 22nd in points, the same position as '04. While also going winless in the same time frame, McMurray ranked 13th in '03, then 11th and 12th in the first two Chase years. "I think we'll find out how we work together as the 42 team as opposed to the 41 team last year. We're trying to distinguish some stuff from what we ran last year against what Donnie [Wingo, crew chief] and Jamie ran," Mears said. Working with Wingo is the biggest change for Mears, but his maturation as a driver will be his biggest asset. Mears will win a race in '05, but the move from the No. 41 to the No. 42 will not be the difference-maker.  | 
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• Sterling Marlin
No. 14 Chevrolet Sterling Marlin was hoping to retire with Ganassi, but after a third consecutive season without a victory the No. 40 Dodge was given to rookie David Stremme. That sent Marlin to MB2 Motorsports and a brand new Cup entry. Marlin has gone from finishing third in points in 2001 to 30th last season. In his two years with MB2, new teammate Joe Nemechek has one victory and a 17.1 average finish in the final rankings, far surpassing the 29.1 average finish the previous two years with Rick Hendrick. "Things happen for a reason. [I] had some offers out there and made the best choice I could. We've got fast race cars and if I drive good and not make any mistakes. ... I'm confident we can win a race this year," Marlin said. I'm confident someone from MB2 will visit Victory Lane in '06. But it won't be Marlin. • Michael Waltrip
No. 55 Dodge Michael Waltrip leaves DEI's Chevys for Bill Davis Racing's whatever. It was supposed to be a Dodge, but a feud between Davis and the manufacturer leaves BDR's rolling stock with a frame without a name. Nonetheless, it doesn't really matter. Waltrip wasn't a factor at DEI and he won't be at BDR. Besides, he'll be too busy playing Toyota Man upon that manufacturer's entry into Cup in '07. • Dave Blaney
No. 22 Dodge Richard Childress cut ties with Dave Blaney in favor of up-and-comer Clint Bowyer. So Bill Davis plucked Blaney to take over for an up-and-comer who didn't, Scott Wimmer. As far as Blaney is concerned, it won't make a difference, unless he gets a piece of BDR's association with Toyota in '2007. • Ken Schrader
No. 21 Ford The Wood Brothers like their veterans, replacing the retired Ricky Rudd with the 50-year-old Ken Schrader. Here's hoping the old-schoolers can pull one off in 2006. • Jeff Green
No. 66 Chevrolet Jeff Green had only one top-10 in two years driving the No. 43. True, Petty isn't what it once was, but it's not Haas CNC Racing, either. • Tony Raines
No. 96 Chevrolet New team Hall of Fame Racing will start Terry Labonte for the first five races to get the former champion's provisional points then hand off the reins to Raines. All of which means Raines will start every race (except the two road courses; Labonte returns for those), but let's see how many he finishes. • Travis Kvapil
No. 32 Chevrolet Will the No. 32 face a similar fate as Travis Kvapil's former ride, the now-defunct No. 77 Dodge? I think not. But this might be Kvapil's last chance to prove he's more than just a Craftsman Truck Series driver. • Scott Riggs
No. 10 Dodge Scott Riggs goes from MBV Motorpsorts' Chevrolet to Ray Evernham's Dodge, but his car number remains the same. One number he hopes this change will change is the '0' under the win column. The opinions expressed are solely of the writer. | 
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