New faces in new places for Cup Series season (cont'd)

A driver joining new teams means they're working with new crew chiefs and that's just part of the mix as the new season begins. Several crew chiefs have also made moves to work with new drivers.

Addington

The most significant of those moves would be Addington switching from behind one Busch to another. After winning a pile of races with Kyle Busch at Gibbs', the pair began misfiring last season and the team made a change. In the offseason, Addington came to Penske's to work with Kyle's older brother, 2004 Cup champion Kurt Busch. Kurt challenged for the 2009 Cup working with Tryson, who excelled in that role despite saying before the Chase he was leaving the team at season's end.

Veteran chief mechanic Donnie Wingo simply changed pit boxes within the Roush Fenway camp, after working with McMurray last season. David Ragan's hoping the move fulfills all the promise he and former crew chief Jimmy Fennig displayed in 2008. Fennig has moved to an R&D role at RFR and Ragan, who won his first two career Nationwide Series races last year, hopes Wingo can transfer that magic to the Cup garage and their No. 6 Ford.

A couple guys with engineering backgrounds start 2010 in new crew chief roles, including first-time chief mechanics Ryan Coniam, who'll work with Regan Smith at Furniture Row, and Iain Watt, who's stepped into the position with owner/driver Robby Gordon on his No. 7 Toyota.

Gordon

Gordon's involved in another major change, as he'll cut back from running the full schedule for the first time since 2001. Sponsorship woes have dictated Gordon, who's the most diversified driver in the Cup garage, may run Indy cars, rally cars, Monster Trucks and off-road vehicles this season in addition to Cup cars.

The most noticeable change that hits the Cup garage at the beginning of any season involves colors -- the color schemes that new sponsors and new combinations bring to each new campaign.

The most significant here is for 2003 champion Matt Kenseth, who'd been identified with a single sponsor since his Cup career began, until the toolmaker decided to leave the sport after last season. Thus, Kenseth will start 2010 resplendent in Crown Royal purple, mixed with Valvoline's red, white and blue.

Michael Waltrip has diversified his career to be on TV as much as behind the wheel. But in 2010 he'll make a quantum leap as he quits full-time driving -- unless a major Truck sponsor arrives. However, Waltrip's in the "new look" camp at Speedweeks as he'll make one of his final Cup Series starts in a newly-numbered No. 51 Toyota with familiar sponsorship writing.

Any new season wouldn't be complete without a new team or two and 2010 is no exception.

Kenseth

Michigan businessman Dusty Whitney, a longtime Keselowski family ally, has established a North Carolina base for Whitney Motorsports. Whitney will field the No. 46 Dodge for Cup rookie Terry Cook.

Raymond Key has taken the hard-working approach used by his brother, Curtis Key, with the formation of Raymond's Keyed-up Motorsports. Curtis is zeroing-in on the Nationwide Series this season while Keyed-up plans to begin with Casey Mears driving its No. 90 Chevrolet.

And a new season wouldn't be complete without an enigma or two.

Veteran team owners Beth Ann and Tony Morgenthau's BAM Racing fits that mold only because of the uncertainty surrounding their return to the series. Gilliland will drive BAM's No. 49 Toyota at Daytona with Larry the Cable Guy riding along courtesy of Warner Music Nashville. After that the plan is somewhat up in the air, along with that of close ally Robby Gordon Motorsports.

Latitude 43 Motorsports has remained a mystery since the operation was named as the purchaser of the 2009 owners' points accrued by Roush Fenway's No. 26 program and McMurray. No other news has been released on this team.

And maybe the best news would be if former two-time Cup champion Terry Labonte were able to establish the part-time program he was contemplating at the end of 2009, in partnership with former team owner Billy Stavola.

Related:
• McMurray looking at team-building week in Daytona
• Truex looking forward to future with new team
• RPM born out of GEM merger
• Driving famous No. 43 has Allmendinger pumped up
• Kenseth '09 season in review
• Roush Fenway transfers No. 26 owners' points