#26 scheduled 2009 sponsor schedule
Feb 7 Bud Shootout/Daytona, Crown Royal
Feb 15 Daytona, Crown Royal
Feb 22 Auto Club Speedway, Crown Royal
Mar 1 Las Vegas, Irwin Tools (1)
Mar 8 Atlanta, Irwin Tools (2)
Mar 22 Bristol, Crown Royal
Mar 29 Martinsville, Irwin Tools (3)
Apr 5 Texas, Valvoline/Sears (1)
Apr 18 Phoenix, Crown Royal
Apr 26 Talladega, Crown Royal
May 2 Richmond, Crown Royal
May 9 Darlington, Crown Royal
May 16 All-Star Challenge, LMS, Crown Royal
May 24 Lowe's Motor Speedway, Irwin Tools (4)
May 31 Dover, Crown Royal
Jun 7 Pocono, Irwin Tools (5)
Jun 14 Michigan, Crown Royal
Jun 21 Infineon Raceway, Crown Royal
Jun 28 New Hampshire, Irwin Vicer Grips (6)
Jul 4 Daytona, Irwin Marathon (7)
Jul 11 Chicago, Valvoline/Sears (2)
Jul 26 Indianapolis, Crown Royal
Aug 2 Pocono, Crown Royal
Aug 9 Watkins Glen, Crown Royal
Aug 16 Michigan, Crown Royal
Aug 22 Bristol, Irwin Tools (8)
Sept 6 Atlanta, Crown Royal
Sep 12 Richmond, Crown Royal
Sep 21 New Hampshire, Crown Royal
Sep 28 Dover, Irwin Tools (9)
Oct 4 Kansas, Crown Royal
Oct 11 Auto Club Speedway, Crown Royal
Oct 17 Lowe's Motor Speedway, Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea
Oct 25 Martinsville, Crown Royal
Nov 1 Talladega, Irwin Tools (10)
Nov 8 Texas, Crown Royal
Nov 15 Phoenix, Irwin Tools (11)
Nov 22 Homestead, Crown Royal

Contract Status: Driver: 2009; Sponsors: Crown Royal 2009 [moves to #17]; IRWIN 2009?; Manufacturer: 2013

Official: McMurray to the #1 car: Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates announced that they will add Jamie McMurray as a teammate of #42-Juan Pablo Montoya, to drive the #1 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevy for the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. McMurray will return to Ganassi whom he raced for from 2002-2005. Bass Pro Shops will once again return for their fifth season as one of the primary partners on the #1 Chevy. The Jamie McMurray Foundation (JMF), created in 2006, was formed to promote awareness of, and raise funding for, research, education and support for individuals and families affected by autism. The JMF is dedicated to bringing the financial backing and support of the NASCAR community, together with the passion and commitment of the autism community to promote better understanding of this challenging disability. Bass Pro Shops, of Springfield, Missouri, will enter their fifth season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as one of the primary sponsors of the #1 Chevy.(Earnhardt Ganassi)(11-18-2009)

McMurray supposedly signs with EGR: Apparently, a one-year deal was inked last Wednesday between Jamie McMurray and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and is expected to be announced sometime on Tuesday. Kevin "Bono" Manion is expected to continue on as the crew chief.(FoxSports)(11-17-2009)

Roush's Smith not retiring: Roush Fenway Racing president Geoff Smith has decided to delay his retirement. Smith said because of tough economic times and the merger between partner Yates Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports that he will stay on at least through the 2010 season. Smith is handling a lot of the paperwork in the merger that he said is agreed to on all major issues and should be announced soon. He also plays a major role in bringing sponsors to the cars for the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series. Smith has yet to wrap up a full season of sponsorship for the #17 of Matt Kenseth.(see more at ESPN Insiders)(11-17-2009)

Wingo to stay at Roush UPDATE Fennig? #26 Crew chief Donnie Wingo appears to be headed back to Roush Fenway Racing next season in a capacity still to be determined. Wingo's future with the organization has been uncertain since it was revealed in late July that driver Jamie McMurray's #26 team would go away and sponsor Crown Royal would move to Roush driver Matt Kenseth's team next year. The breakup of McMurray's team is part of a downsizing by Roush Fenway to conform to NASCAR's new four-car limit set to take effect in 2010. Asked on Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway if there would be a place for Wingo next season at Roush Fenway, team co-owner Jack Roush said, "The answer to that is yes." Wingo later backed up his boss' assertion. "I don't think the plan is finalized for next year but we have spoken and he says he's got a place for me there next year and I'm real happy about that," he said. "It's where I want to be right now and I hope I can end my career here. ... I'm just looking forward to whatever they have for me in the future, whatever I can do to help."(SceneDaily), on SPEED's Happy Hour coverage, it was mentioned at Jimmy Fennig, crew chief of the #6 Ford of David Ragan with Roush Fenway Racing, will go to Roush's R&D area and Donnie Wingo will become the crew chief of the #6 team.(11-8-2009)
UPDATE: #6-David Ragan doesn't expect Jimmy Fennig to be his crew chief in 2010. "Yeah, I would say there will be some change in the crew chief role,'' Ragan said on Friday at Phoenix International Raceway. "As far as who and when and all that stuff, that's to be determined. We still feel like we don't want to lose focus on the last two races and start planning for 2010 too early. As soon as the checkered flag falls on Homestead all of our thoughts will be on 2010 and preparing a stronger team.'' Ragan said Fennig, who has been at Roush Fenway Racing for 13 years, wants to head up an R&D department for the organization. "He's been a teacher and crew chief and mentor and really taught me a lot the last couple of years,'' said Ragan, in his third full season in the Sprint Cup series. "Ninety percent of what I know today I learned from Jimmy Fennig. A lot of things are changing at Roush Fenway. I'm sure right after Homestead, Jack [Roush] and [general manager Robbie Reiser] will make those decisions.'' Fennig said he is waiting for management to tell him what he will be doing next season.(ESPN)(11-14-2009)

More layoffs after 2009 season?: Teams have predicted that the unemployment lines following the season finale at Homestead will exceed the numbers we witnessed following 2008. Under NASCAR's four-car rule, Roush Fenway Racing loses one team under its roof and another across the street at Yates Racing. While employees have been told there will be movement in the ranks with the potential of a Richard Petty Motorsports/Yates merger, in either case a minimum of two teams will dissolve — the #26 and the #44. The #96 Hall of Fame Racing team will no longer use the services of Yates Racing in 2010. However, the #98 team could remain under the Yates banner — and not RPM — in order to keep Paul Menard in the fold. Regardless, the four teams (98, 9, 19 and 43) are expected to operate under one roof.(FoxSports)(11-3-2009)

New driver of #1 announced this week? An announcement on the driver that will replace #1-Martin Truex Jr. could come this week, sources close to the situation said. Jamie McMurray, who is losing his ride at Roush Fenway Racing because the organization has to reach the four-car cap, is one candidate. Bobby Labonte, the 2000 Cup champion, is the other. EGR co-owner Chip Ganassi wants McMurray. Bass Pro Shops, which will sponsor the #1 for 20 races next season, isn't sure he fits the image.(read more at ESPN Insider)(11-2-2009)
UPDATE: It's no secret that Bass Pro Shops has a contract to sponsor the #1 Earnhardt Ganassi Racing car that McMurray is slotted to drive next year. And it's no secret that Bass Pro Shops wants to move to the #39 car with Ryan Newman. Now, this is not a knock on BPS, which has offered tremendous support to many racing programs in and beyond NASCAR. But McMurray's contract with EGR has been prepared but lacking signatures for some time. No, McMurray is not going to apply for his NRA membership any time soon, but he will go above and beyond for his sponsors whether it's Bass Pro or anyone else.(FoxSports)(11-3-2009)

McMurray wins at Talladega: #26-Jamie McMurray won the AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway under a green-white-checkered finish that ended under caution for his 1st win of the season and third of his career. #9-Kahne finished 2nd, followed by #20-Logano, #16-Biffle, #31-Burton, #48-Johnson, #55-Waltrip, #09-Keselowski, #19-Sadler and #71-Labonte. The other Chasers finished as follows: #83-Vickers 13th, #99-Edwards 14th, #42-Montoya 19st [caught in final accident], #24-Gordon 20th [caught in final accident], #5-Martin 28th [caught in final accident], #2-Busch 30th [caught in final accident], #14-Stewart 35th [caught in accident with 4 to go], #39-Newman 36th [caught in accident with 4 to go], and #11-Hamlin 38th [lost engine].
The first "big one" came with 4 laps to go, even though it only collected 5 cars. #39-Newman checked up to keep from getting into #14-Stewart. #47-Ambrose got into the back of Newman causing him to spin out of line, he turned backwards, flipped upside down, end over end, and landed on the hood of #29-Harvick. #19-Salder was also collected. Newman flipped a couple more times and the car came to rest on its roof. Safety crews had to flip the car over and cut the roof off to get Newman out but he was able to walk to the ambulance under his own power. The red flag was out for 13 minutes during cleanup. After the red flag was lifted, several drivers including #5-Gordon, #24-Gordon and #42-Montoya ran out of gas, further delaying the restart of the race for the finish.
Then coming to the white flag #09-Keselowski appeared to get in the back of #2-Busch, spinning him into traffic and collecting a number of cars and causing NASCAR to throw the caution flag.
There were 6 cautions for 23 yellow flag laps and there were 60 lead changes among 26 drivers.
For race results, awards and more, see my Talladega Superspeedway Race Results Page.
For the drivers points standings, see my Drivers Points Standings.(11-1-2009)

150 Talladega starts for Roush: Roush Fenway will make its 150th Sprint Cup start at Talladega this weekend. Talladega is the eighth track in 2009 that the team has accomplished this feat. The first seven were Bristol, Charlotte, Daytona, Dover, Martinsville, Michigan, Pocono and Richmond.(Roush Fenway PR)(11-1-2009)

McMurray close to signing new deal? UPDATE: hearing that Jamie McMurray is close to signing a deal to drive the #1 Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevy in 2010, announcement could come the week following Martinsville.(10-21-2009)
UPDATE: It’s not etched in stone, but the speculation surrounding Jamie McMurray-to-Earnhardt Ganassi Racing isn’t exactly written in chalk, either. Neither McMurray nor anyone at EGR has confirmed the move, but garage-insiders say there’s a strong likelihood the driver of the Roush Fenway Racing #26 Fusion will replace Martin Truex Jr. in the #1 Chevy next year. The wild-card in the scenario is the sponsor. Bass Pro Shops would like to have an “outdoorsman” type of driver, one who’ll appeal to their customer base. To some degree, Truex Jr. fulfilled that role; less so McMurray, who’s not exactly the world’s most passionate hunter, fisherman or camper.(Ford Racing)(10-25-2009)

2010 #1 driver to be named soon: Earnhardt Ganassi Racing is close to naming a driver for the #1 car next season and it apparently won't be Jamie McMurray, as has been widely speculated. A source close to the situation said McMurray, whose contract at Roush Fenway Racing is up after this season, no longer is in the picture and that two people are in the mix. Rumored drivers include: Bobby Labonte, Reed Sorenson, David Stremme, David Gilliland and Casey Mears.(see full post at ESPN Insiders)(10-16-2009)

Roush to visit RPM: Jack Roush is scheduled to take a tour of the Richard Petty Motorsports facility on Wednesday. Other managers from Roush Fenway Racing will join Rosuh on the tour of the Statesville, N.C., shop. There have been ongoing talks since before September of a merger between Yates Racing, a sister organization of Roush Fenway, and RPM. Regardless of whether RPM merges with Yates, majority team owner George Gillett has said his team will be running Fords in 2010. Given that Roush is the principal supplier of Ford engines, RPM will be working directly with RFR in one form or another.(FoxSports), see an image of a real #9 Budweiser Ford for 2010 on my #9 Team Schemes page.(10-14-2009)

Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea to sponsor McMurray at LMS: Jeremiah Weed Southern Style Sweet Tea announced that it will be coming along for the ride at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on October 17 as primary sponsor of the #26 Roush Fenway Ford driven by Jamie McMurray. In the process, the brand also becomes the first vodka to sponsor a car since NASCAR lifted its ban on spirits sponsors beginning with the 2005 season. [Note: Diageo's flavored malt beverage Smirnoff ICE sponsored #17-Kenseth and #97 Busch in 2004-2005 part time, the drink uses the Smirnoff name but contains no vodka]. “In its first ever major sponsorship, Jeremiah Weed Southern Style Sweet Tea is thrilled to utilize NASCAR as a platform to extend its Southern ideals and traditions to the millions of fans who follow the sport,” said Judd Zusel, Director of Innovation, Diageo [also the maker of Crown Royal]. “Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea sees a clear opportunity to elevate the brand even further by connecting with adult consumers that have an undying passion for the sport they love, and encourage them to enjoy our sweet tea vodka responsibly throughout the weekend’s race festivities.” Mr. Jeremiah Weed, legendary patron father of Jeremiah Weed Bourbon Liqueur, first made this announcement from his home in Weed, Kentucky, and declared that it was now, more than ever, the right time to rally behind America’s fastest sport and all of its avid fans. “Jeremiah Weed was born in the south and to thank some of the brand’s favorite people for embracing the product, we thought Charlotte would be the perfect place to make our NASCAR debut,” said Weed. “We look forward to providing fans a reason to celebrate responsibly all weekend, and will do everything we can to ensure that we are toasting Jamie when hopefully he puts the #26 car in Victory Lane.” Jeremiah Weed Southern Style Sweet Tea first introduced itself to the sport earlier this year when it offered to become the official sponsor of air in the stock car tires. To guarantee fans enjoy the race in true southern style, Jeremiah Weed will announce additional details regarding the sponsorship of the #26 Ford leading up to the race weekend. Additional updates from Mr. Weed can be found on the Jeremiah Weed website.(Diageo), see images of scheme on my #26 Team Schemes page.(10-5-2009)

Roush keeping an eye on the Henrick cars in question: Car owner Jack Roush [#'s 6,16,17,26,99 Ford's] says he understands that the two cars in question [Hendrick Motorsports #5 and #48 Chevy's] were in fact slightly "out of tolerance," in being off-set a bit to the right (which would help in aerodynamics in corner handling), although Roush said the specific 'miss' was probably too slight to be of any significant advantage. "I've been fined a lot of times for a lot of different things…and if the cars were out of tolerance by a quarter of an inch, which is what I've heard…well, the rest of the garage is held to a much tighter tolerance than that," Roush said. "So we'll see what NASCAR ultimately does about it."(mikemulhern.net)(10-5-2009)

Crew chief changes at Roush? UPDATE: There is supposedly a meeting planned at Roush Fenway Racing featuring General Manager Robbie Reiser and representatives from Ford. Could crew chief changes be in RFR's future? One rumor circulating NHMS Sunday morning had veteran crew chief Jimmy Fennig connecting with former Roush racer Jeff Burton at RCR. Not so, Fennig said. "After 13 years with Jack, my goal is to retire from Roush Racing," Fennig said. "But I'm getting too old to be on the road." Another scenario places Fennig in a research and development role. Fennig says testing suits him just fine.(FoxSports)(9-21-2009)
UPDATE: Car owner Jack Roush says that any personnel moves among his non-Chase teams will be made after the season since he's focused on the championship with Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle. "I will re-evaluate every person and every position on every team this winter as I do every year,'' Roush said. He said he would make a change on a Chase team immediately if it could help that team contend for the championship.(Roanoke Times)(9-27-2009)

McMurray to replace Sadler in 2010?: could Jamie McMurray be in a Yates Racing car [Richard Petty Motorsports team that Yates merged with] next year after all? Former original Yates employees are saying is they would prefer McMurray over #19-Elliott Sadler.(FoxSports)(9-13-2009)

Roush hopes to find a new owner for the #26: The deal between Richard Petty Motorsports and Yates Racing has put Roush Fenway Racing in the position of looking for a new owner to take over the #26 car in 2010. Roush Fenway president Geoff Smith said the RPM-Yates deal has him looking for somebody to take ownership of the #26 car currently driven by Jamie McMurray. Smith was working on a deal to move the #26 to Yates Racing to get Roush Fenway to the NASCAR cap of four cars. With four cars in the RPM stable -- Paul Menard from Yates, Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler and A.J. Allmendinger from RPM -- there no longer is room for expansion. Smith hasn't completely given up hope on keeping McMurray in the #26 with another owner using Roush Fenway engines and chassis, but said the only way that could happen was for full sponsorship to be found. Most of the speculation has McMurray going to the #1 at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, but that car isn't fully sponsored for next season [Bass Pro Shops for 20-23 races]. Smith said Erik Darnell, who is driving seven races for the #96 at Yates/Hall of Fame Racing entry this year, also could be a candidate for the 26 if ownership and sponsorship is found. "The Jack Roush pressure, on me in particular, is we don't want any person that came to work for us to lose their job because of a business decision or shrinkage," Smith said. "We want to keep the 26 alive however we can." Smith added that Roush Fenway has not had serious discussions with RPM officials about using its engines and chassis even though Petty said that was the plan. But he admitted it would be financially beneficial for Roush Fenway to supply eight teams vs. five to six. Petty said details of the deal with Yates are 80% complete and should be finalized over the next two weeks to a month.(ESPN.com)(9-13-2009)

McMurray looks to be headed to the #1 car: The merger between Richard Petty Motorsports and Yates Racing all but made it official that Jamie McMurray will move to the #1 at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing next season. McMurray has been in discussions with EGR for several months after being told he would not be re-signed by Roush Fenway Racing to drive the #26 next season. Roush had to shrink from five to four cars to reach NASCAR's four-car cap rule.(See full post at ESPN Insiders)(9-12-2009)

McMurray wins a couple of Kart races: The WKA George Kugler/Bridgestone Manufacturer’s Cup Series completed the final day of action at the New Castle Motorsports Park for the Show Hauler Truck Nationals. The 1-mile Indiana circuit hosted a number of exciting races over the weekend with a number coming on Sunday. Nearly half the winners from the day’s action earned their first feature win of the season, including NASCAR’s Jamie McMurray competing in the series during his off-weekend. Another familiar name scored his first big win of his young career, Michael Goodyear - son of IndyCar driver Scott Goodyear in Sportsman category. The TaG Final was a thriller with McMurray leading the way. As the laps wind down, McMurray was able to stretch out to a 1.292-second margin for the victory.(ekartingnews.com)(9-2-2009)

Irwin Tools leaving Roush? Irwin Tools appears to be ending its relationship with Roush Fenway Racing. In a release discussing the company's new title sponsorship of the August race at Bristol Motor Speedway – the Irwin Tools Night Race – the company stated that it was time for a "new chapter" for the company. The company has been a mainstay in the sport since 2003, serving as a primary car sponsor for Roush Fenway Racing. During that span, drivers Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray both won races in company-sponsored Fords while Busch won the NASCAR Cup championship with that sponsorship in 2004. McMurray has been sponsored by Irwin this season. "It's been a great ride with Roush Fenway Racing," said Eric Pinkham, Newell Rubbermaid's Vice President, sponsorship and event marketing. "They clearly helped us put Irwin Tools on the map, and we appreciate what they've done for the Irwin brand. Now it's time for a new chapter for Irwin."(SceneDaily)(8-27-2009)

New title sponsor for Bristol fall race UPDATE: Haven't seen anything official yet, but been told Irwin Tools will replace Sharpie as the race title sponsor for next August's Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway and will be known as the Irwin Tools 500. Also, supposedly Irwin Tools does not know if it will sponsor a car/driver in 2010 [from the PR below, it does not sound like they will sponsor a car]. It currently serves as the primary sponsor for 11 Sprint Cup races on Roush Fenway Racing's #26 Ford that Jamie McMurray drives. That team will close up or move to Yates Racing in 2010, with either McMurray as the driver or another driver.
UPDATE: IRWIN Tools, a Newell Rubbermaid [also owns Sharpie] company and manufacturer and distributor of a broad line of professional hand tools and power tool accessories, announced that it will be the title sponsor of the IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway beginning in 2010. While the event's new name is unique - the "IRWIN Tools Night Race" - the summer classic under the lights at Bristol will continue to be 500 grueling laps around the high banks of the .533-mile oval, one of NASCAR's most popular and storied facilities. A spectacle in sports since 1961, Bristol has had 55 consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series sellouts, dating back to 1982. "We could not have constructed a better partnership than one between IRWIN Tools and Bristol Motor Speedway," said IRWIN President Neil Eibeler. "Like our many IRWIN products, Bristol leads the way in innovation, quality and ingenuity among NASCAR venues. We can't wait to see the blue and yellow colors of IRWIN Tools here for years to come. Our employees are thrilled and our customers will be waiting in anticipation to see nearly 160,000 fans in the stands next year for the first ‘IRWIN Night Race at Bristol,' the most popular NASCAR race of the year." IRWIN Tools takes over the entitlement from Sharpie, a sister company under the Newell Rubbermaid umbrella, which has sponsored the race since 2001.
"We're very happy to keep the Night Race in the Newell Rubbermaid family," said Jeff Byrd, President and General Manager of BMS, NASCAR's fastest half-mile. "We have gotten to know the IRWIN Tools team and their desire is to be the best technological company in the tool business. We feel we have the best facility in our sport so pairing up the two can only result in success. We look forward to a wonderful partnership and future together." The IRWIN Tools name has been a mainstay in NASCAR since 2003, serving as a primary car sponsor for Roush Fenway Racing. During that span, drivers Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray both won races in IRWIN Tools Fords while Busch carried IRWIN to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship in 2004. "It's been a great ride with Roush Fenway Racing," said Eric Pinkham, Newell Rubbermaid's Vice President, Sponsorship and Event Marketing. "They clearly helped us put IRWIN Tools on the map and we appreciate what they've done for the IRWIN brand. Now it's time for a new chapter for IRWIN and we can't wait to get started on the IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol." The 2010 IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol will be on Saturday, August 21. For more information, call 1-800-GO-IRWIN or visit www.irwin.com.(BMS)(8-22-2009)

Roush's Smith talks about 2010 plans: Sunday on "The SIRIUS NASCAR Radio Pre-Race Show", SIRIUS XM's Claire B. Lang spoke with Roush Fenway Racing president Geoff Smith about the possible changes to the team's roster of drivers before next season.
Geoff Smith: "If you're asking about our team plans for 2010, we're settled that Carl Edwards and Aflac, Greg Biffle with 3M, and David Ragan with UPS will be staying put and that sponsorship is going to kind of determine whether or not the #17 or the #26 are going to have to be the teams we shut down and move, if we can."
Smith: "There are difficulties. You just can't assume that a team can transfer intact just because you want it to. There are sponsors that get to vote as to what organization they're going to sponsor. So we have to work through that, which is what I've been saying. I expect, now that the DeWalt cloud has been removed, we're going to move very quickly to lock in the sponsorship and then that sponsorship will determine [whether] the #17 stays or goes."
Host, Claire B. Lang: "Meaning that we could see a past champion, Matt Kenseth, moving?"
Smith: "It all depends on the sponsorships. Our objective is to keep both of those teams (the #17 and the #26) in the Ford Motor Company community. We're hoping that we don't have to keep one and then lose one out of the Ford community entirely. So if we can keep them both in the [Ford] community by shuffling the #17 we would do that. Pretty unlikely that Matt Kenseth or the #17 will move at this point."
(SIRIUS NASCAR Radio)(7-27-2009)

McMurray told he is free to 'look around' for a ride; to #1 car?: Roush Fenway Racing has informed #26=Jamie McMurray he is free to talk to other organizations about next season, team president Geoff Smith said on Sunday. But Smith said that is not an indication Roush doesn't want the driver of the #26 Ford associated with the organization in 2010. Smith said Roush is willing to move any of its five drivers with sponsorship to partner Yates Racing next season if that would maintain the current Ford stable. He said most of the drivers are willing to do that, understanding they will be in same equipment with the same technology. The problem is convincing sponsors to move to what is perceived as the "B'' team. UPS, for example, is committed to keeping David Ragan at Roush. "It's not moving apples to apples,'' Smith said from the garage at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
NASCAR has mandated that Roush be at the four-car cap by 2010. Roush currently has five drivers, McMurray, Ragan, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth. Although Edwards, Kenseth and Biffle signed extensions last season, Smith is not opposed to moving one if that keeps all within the Roush/Yates umbrella. "We would be open to any combination to keep them,'' he said. McMurray is considered the most likely to be moved because his contract expires after this season. Smith said it did not make sense in this economic climate to re-sign him to a long-term deal without sponsorship commitment. Crown Royal, which sponsors a portion of races on McMurray's car, has two years left on its contract. Smith didn't rule out that could be moved to Kenseth's car if necessary.
Roush announced earlier this week that DeWalt, Kenseth's long-term sponsor, will not return in 2010. Smith said sponsorship for that car would be cleared up soon. McMurray avoided conversations with the media on Friday and Saturday. He reportedly has been contacted by Earnhardt Ganassi Racing as a candidate to fill the spot being vacated by Martin Truex Jr. in the #1 Chevy.(ESPN)(7-26-2009)

Ragan the odd man out at Roush? UPDATE nope? Who will be the odd man out at Roush Fenway Racing? According to published reports, Roush Fenway president Geoff Smith is putting together a sponsor package that would keep #26-Jamie McMurray in the fold. McMurray, whose contract expires after this season, has been speculated as the most likely to be moved to satellite team, Yates Racing, to get Roush to four teams. If McMurray stays then #6-David Ragan becomes the top candidate to leave because #17-Matt Kenseth, #99-Carl Edwards and #16-Greg Biffle signed new deals within the last year. A decision on restructuring should come by September at the latest. Roush has until the end of this season to move from five to four teams as NASCAR mandated when it put a cap on teams.(ESPN Insider)(7-21-2009)
UPDATE: With #99-Carl Edwards, #17-Matt Kenseth and #16-Greg Biffle all signed to long term contracts, multiple sources say that #6-David Ragan will be the fourth driver at the team next year. "Absolutely, I can confirm that David Ragan will be driving for UPS in the #6 Roush Fenway car," said Zak Brown, CEO of Just Marketing International, which handles the UPS marketing account. According to NASCAR rules, RFR has to downsize from five to four teams by the end of this year. #26-Jamie McMurray, the fifth driver at RFR, is likely headed across the street from the Roush shop to Yates Racing, which is a satellite organization of RFR. However, another option appears to be a reunion with former boss Chip Ganassi [in the #1 Chevy].(FoxSports)(7-25-2009)

McMurray Trades Stock Car for Taxicab in Indy: Before hitting the bricks at one of the most historic tracks in all of motorsports, NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray will show off his skills on the street when he provides adults free and safe rides home from Indianapolis-area hot spots on Friday, July 24. The Crown Royal “Safe Rides Home” designated-driver program provides adult consumers safe rides home via a fleet of four (4) replica purple and gold #26 Ford Fusion cars. The program will take place at the corner of Jackson Place and South Meridian on Thursday, July 23, with safe rides home made available from 8pm – 12am. McMurray will headline the event on Friday, July 24 at the corner of Broad Ripple Avenue and Guilford Streets from 7:30 – 9:30pm, with rides continuing until midnight. In addition to his spot in the driver’s seat, McMurray will make appearances at various local venues in the Broad Ripple-area to meet with fans and sign autographs. This marks the fifth year the Safe Rides fleet will take to the streets of Indianapolis prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekend. During that span, the “Safe Rides Home” program has provided residents and race fans in the area hundreds of free rides totaling more than 5,000 miles. Throughout the years, Indianapolis residents and bar owners have commended Crown Royal for offering this service. Consumers can sign up to receive a free safe ride home at special Crown Royal #26 taxi stands on Thursday they will be located at corner of Jackson Place and South Meridian and Friday at the corner of Broad Ripple Avenue and Guilford Street. Eligible residents must be 21 or over and live within a 20-mile radius of the signup location. There is a four-passenger limit per car.(Taylor)(7-23-2009)