Signing Carpentier only to let him go makes no sense (cont'd)

Pulling the driver for whatever reason after showing progress is not my idea of a real commitment to a long-time driver such as Carpentier, who fans have come to really enjoy.

Majority team owner Gillett, who also owns the Montreal Canadiens, seemingly jumped at the chance to hire Carpentier and believed he could build a strong sponsorship program around the driver geared towards his Canadian roots.

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I'm not pissed off. I kind of expected it. I still hope they find [sponsorship]. They really want to find it. With the economy and the way things are, Reed just fits the bill better. That's fine too.

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PATRICK CARPENTIER

Last year Gillett said, "We are committed to giving Patrick the best resources and opportunities available to make this transition and we look forward to a great deal of success together both on and off the track."

Yeah, I suppose all team owners are optimistic the day they announce a new driver, but they should dust off the sugar coating and plainly say, 'hey we are glad to have him but if he doesn't turn heads in two weeks then our "commitment" is canceled.'

Is it fair to expect a successful transition in a car that hasn't won a race since 2002 when Johnny Benson won at Rockingham? Or is it fair to expect a successful transition from a guy with 19 Cup starts and little to no development in stock-cars?

"In this sport, you never know," Carpentier said. "Every ride is sponsorship dependent now. Teams are searching for sponsors and are a little bit hungrier because money is a little bit scarcer than what it's been before because of the economy. Last year we had really good timing with Mr. Gillett and the Canadiens and the car, so everything worked out. This year, timing isn't as good, but hopefully we'll get to work it out."

Given a full year to develop into these stock-cars -- namely the new generation Cup car -- Carpentier may have proved worth keeping around. He only made maybe seven starts in the Nationwide Series before given the wheel to a Cup car.

Meanwhile, Carpentier is hoping to prolong his short tenure in NASCAR and find a sponsor.

"We're looking. There are a lot of cars that haven't decided yet," Carpentier said. "Ganassi and Penske and a few other teams ...Yates and few guys want to add some cars or change, so we'll see what it is. There are a lot of guys looking out there, knocking on doors."

On the bright side, maybe Carpentier's transition to NASCAR wasn't an entire waste of time like I had originally thought.

You could say Carpentier garnered some much-needed seat time and experience on Gillett Evernham's dime. Much like 22-year-old Sorenson did at Ganassi Racing. The team matured Sorenson and brought him up through the ranks the last three years, but it will be Gillett Evernham to reap the benefits.

Here's hoping both men go on to find lasting success and that Carpentier becomes more of a timeless fixture in the garage and not just a fleeting fad.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer

Also: Sorenson set to join Gillett Evernham team for 2009