Imagining what might happen if NASCAR had a trade deadline
Major League Baseball’s trade deadline is fast approaching on July 31 with many left wondering who will sport a new uniform when the dust settles. Will the Philadelphia Phillies kick their rebuilding effort into high gear by dealing Cole Hamels? Will the Cincinnati Reds move Johnny Cueto? Which contender will make the biggest splash and what trade will come out of nowhere to stun the baseball world?
In NASCAR, we have what is called a “silly season,” which is typically the time after the season where some drivers and crew chiefs move to new teams. Those moves usually happen right up until Speedweeks in Daytona. Some of the bigger moves get announced in the second half of the previous season as well. Or in the case of Chase Elliott driving the No. 24 for 2016, it gets announced a full season in advance.
What if we lived in a world where NASCAR teams made trades around the middle of the season? Would teams and organizations in Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup contention make moves to try and win in the here and now or would they stay the course and be patient? And what organizations would be “sellers” in that they would be building for the future?
Another factor to consider, would the Chase format of “win and in” lead to inactivity? And would expiring contracts play a role in any potential deals to help clear room for someone on the rise?
Imagining those scenarios, we’ve dreamed up three trade scenarios involving drivers. These are purely fantasy trades for this exercise since there is no trading in NASCAR.
Trade No. 1
Chip Ganassi Racing gets: Kasey Kahne
Hendrick Motorsports gets: Kyle Larson
Why it works: McMurray’s and Kahne’s respective crew chiefs, Matt McCall and Keith Rodden, go back quite a bit, so their teams may work together more than we’ve ever seen in the past in the sport. With McMurray in the hunt for a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Kahne provides CGR with someone also in position for a playoff spot and someone who may have something extra to prove to get out from under the shadow of the spotlight of the popular Hendrick stable. Larson has had by in large a sophomore slump this season, but the talent is absolutely there. The four-car team can certainly be a little more patient than a two-car setup. Remember, it took Joey Logano some time to reach his full potential, which was aided by his move from Joe Gibbs Racing to Team Penske. This deal would set Hendrick up for years to come with Jimmie Johnson–Dale Earnhardt Jr. as the drivers of the present and the Chase Elliott–Kyle Larson combo set up to drive the organization to its future glory.
Trade No. 2
Stewart-Haas Racing gets: Ryan Newman
Richard Childress Racing gets: Danica Patrick
Why it works: With Tony Stewart struggling to regain his championship form, Stewart-Haas Racing is looking at another season where two drivers make the Chase and two drivers miss the Chase. Trading a team co-owner seems highly unlikely, but in Patrick, the organization has an asset who is marketable on and off the track and who could be dealt to bring in another driver currently in position to make the Chase. Bringing Newman back would be a reunion of sorts for SHR, since he drove there for five years (2009-2013), notching four wins. The veteran driver is currently in the Chase Grid not to mention he was the runner-up to Harvick in last year’s Chase. Patrick would add some spunk and star power to RCR as well as shake up their lineup a bit. And if the trade didn’t work out, since Patrick’s contract is expiring, it would be an easy way to slide Ty Dillon into a RCR car the following season.
Trade No. 3
Michael Waltrip Racing gets: Greg Biffle
Roush Fenway Racing gets: David Ragan
Why it works: MWR’s first priority in righting its ship needs to be finding a stable teammate for Clint Bowyer, who has struggled to find his form since the Richmond scandal that shook up the Chase and the organization in 2013. Since then, downsizing to two full-time cars and health issues for Brian Vickers have left Bowyer with a revolving door of teammates. Bringing over Biffle would provide that stability in the form of a veteran presence who has been through plenty. Yes, Biffle’s results have tailed off in recent years, but is that an indictment of him or of the Roush program dramatically slipping? Ragan has bounced around quite a bit this year so another move would perhaps be a bit much. But his shared history at Roush (driving for them full-time from 2007-2011) and what is essentially an expiring deal would make this trade attractive to them. He could showcase his skills for the remainder of the season, while Roush clears a path to get XFINITY Series points leader Chris Buescher behind the wheel of one of its Cup cars before someone else lures him away. In his five Cup starts for Front Row Motorsports this year, Buescher out-finished the Roush teams eight out of 15 times.