Edwards throws caution to the wind in attempt to win (cont'd)

2. Paul Menard will leave DEI for Yates after this season. What does this mean for Yates, and where does this leave DEI?

David Caraviello: Does anyone really win here? I guess Yates gets a needed sponsor, but also a driver who hasn't done much to set himself apart. As for DEI ... wow. Brother, can you spare a sponsor (read more)?

Paul Menard has one top-10 in 68 career starts and none in his two full seasons in the Cup Series.

Mark Aumann: Well, there's Martin Truex Jr., who has sponsorship. And then there's Aric Almirola and Regan Smith, who don't.

Raygan Swan: I'm not sure what to make of this, but I guess Paul Menard will always be the winner in the end with guaranteed family sponsorship.

Mark Aumann: And the assumption is that Menard will be the third car, but Doug Yates has been struggling to cobble together two programs in 2008. Hopefully, Travis Kvapil and David Gilliland return, because they've shown strength at times.

David Caraviello: I'll tell you what, the Yates situation is a sign of either how blind corporate America can be, or truly how bad the economy is right now. No team has done more with less. Hardly any sponsorship cash, and it has more than held its own.

Mark Aumann: It really shows the ebb and flow of this sport, doesn't it? There was a time when Robert Yates Racing was a dominant force in restrictor-plate racing. Then DEI assumed the mantle. And now it's seem as if while Yates -- which seemed on the ropes two years ago -- is growing, DEI is perhaps struggling.

David Caraviello: Not to come across like a Yates cheerleader or anything, but you wonder what that organization would be capable of with the proper funding.

Raygan Swan: You definitely see a lot of heart coming from both the organization and the drivers, especially David Gilliland. What a great attitude he has.

David Caraviello: And Travis Kvapil has done wonders with that 28 car. He's had some great runs.

Mark Aumann: I know that we're supposed to be neutral and all, but knowing how hard it is for smaller teams to survive right now, you want to see Yates succeed and grow. I really would hate to see Cup become nothing but conglomerates.

Kvapil | Gilliland

2008 Results

Kvapil and Gilliland

	Kvapil	Gilliland
Wins	0	0
Top-5s	0	1
Top-10s	3	2
Avg. Fin.	23.0	24.7
Driver Rank	24	26
Owner Rank	24	27

David Caraviello: As for DEI, we know what it is capable of. We've seen it. It's still the same organization that won all those races with Waltrip and Dale Jr. and Steve Park. A lot of the same people are there. But without sponsors, there's only so much any team can do.

Mark Aumann: Money makes the world go 'round, and the recent financial issues on Wall Street aren't going to make companies any more willing to part with their cash right now. It's a tough, tough marketplace.

David Caraviello: I'll tell you what, Mark, DEI is the prime example of how no team is safe from this kind of stuff. I mean, two years ago it was among the elite teams in this deal. And now look where it is. If I'm a team owner, that's frightening.

Mark Aumann: I just hope DEI can fight through this without resorting to either merging or folding.

Raygan Swan: Well, maybe they can call on Brian France and NASCAR for a bailout! It's hard to feel for the teams when some American families are living in their cars right now, not watching fast ones going around tracks

Mark Aumann: Great point, Raygs. And we may see a lot of teams doing more with less.

David Caraviello: Well, we're still talking about job security. This sponsorship money still puts bread on the table for a lot of people. I mean, dozens of folks were laid off at Ganassi when the No. 40 team shut down.

Raygan Swan: Yeah, and the NASCAR garage absorbed most of them. NASCAR teams need to learn how to cut the fat like all businesses, run smarter operations and have some long-term planning and quit running the "wait and see" approach.

David Caraviello: Hey, no question. Not everybody needs a corporate jet. But let's not be dismissive here -- more of these teams go under, more people are out of work.

Raygan Swan: Noted, I just feel like so many of the teams have no backup plans.

Mark Aumann: But there's the "mutual disarmament" theory that Jack Roush ascribes to, that he's willing to scale back -- if everybody else does, too.

David Caraviello: Boy, Mark, how do you do that? I guess the four-team cap is an attempt at that, but still, it's quite a genie to stuff back in the bottle.

Mark Aumann: Hey, do I look like Brian France? Don't answer that. We need a NASCAR detente. A Camp David Caraviello Accord, as it were. Not to be confused with a Honda Accord, which isn't NASCAR approved.

Raygan Swan: I drove one of those to the UAW hall here in Kokomo [Ind.] once and got my tires slashed. (Continued)