Pressure is on in '08 for teams like DEI, Evernham

Editor's note: The following is Part II in a series examining the need to step up in 2008. Today, we focus in on teams, manufacturers, groups and other NASCAR entities. Part I featured individual drivers.

Dale Earnhardt Inc.: Sometimes, they say, divorce is good for both parties. Such could be the case for DEI without Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2008. No doubt, the organization is in a period of transition and will face a certain amount of backlash from fans now that the favorite son has left.

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The signature car at DEI will have a significantly different look this coming season. The 8 in '08 will feature two drivers -- Mark Martin and Aric Almirola -- and U.S. Army replaces Budweiser as the primary sponsor. But it's mechanical, not cosmetic, issues that are of a much greater concern to DEI brass.

DEI had 10 DNFs because of blown motors in '07, six of which were as personally frustrating to Junior as Teresa Earnhardt herself. It all became too much, especially when he realized he wasn't going to get control of the organization.

However, Martin Truex Jr. managed to make the Chase despite three of his four DNFs being attributed to engine failure. Paul Menard had only two DNFs in the 30 starts he made. So all is not lost ... yet. And that is the challenge that lay ahead for DEI.

Joe Gibbs Racing: From the "been down that road before" department, this isn't the first time JGR has changed manufacturers. Gibbs has bounced from Chevrolet to Pontiac and back again in its 16-year history. JGR has won driver's championships with both -- two with Pontiac and one most recently with Chevy.

But the switch to Toyota will be a greater undertaking. Toyota struggled mightily, as expected, in its NASCAR debut. Gibbs is expected to bring it the credibility and success it lacked in 2007.

Can JGR be for Toyota what Hendrick Motorsports is, in essence, for Chevrolet? It had the best COT operation of any team outside the HMS stable in '07. That's definitely a plus heading into '08. It also has three of the best drivers currently in NASCAR, which brings forth another question. Can Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch coexist on the same team?

Drivers with similar, aggressive racing styles tend to find one another on the track. Stewart and Busch have had skirmishes before. Chances are good they will bump fenders again. But will they butt heads?

Roush Fenway Racing: Three seasons ago it was Jack Roush's racing team being touted as the dominant force in NASCAR. He had the only five-car organization, and in 2005 all five of his cars made the Chase.

It's been a precipitous drop since. Two of those drivers -- Kurt Busch and Mark Martin -- have left the organization in the past two years, replaced respectively by Jamie McMurray and David Ragan. NASCAR grandfathered in a clause that will limit a team's number of cars to four. Roush cried foul.

Then NASCAR debuted the Car of Tomorrow before Roush was ready. Again the owner cried foul. He also complained about the deep pockets Toyota would bring to the game. So in order to make things fair, at least in his mind, he went out and brought in Boston Red Sox owner John Henry of the Fenway Sports Group as a partner.

Roush Fenway won seven races in '07, second only to Hendrick Motorsports. But it wasn't so much the wins but the consistency that has proved lacking. Roush has had just four cars make the Chase the past two years. The good news is Carl Edwards made the Chase in '07 and won twice in the COT. If the rest of the organization can approach the 99's success in the new car, then Roush Fenway will be back on its game in '08. (Continued)