NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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CUP: Top-10 Deals Of The Decade 2000-2009
A look back at ten years of NASCAR wheeling and dealing...
SceneDaily.com  |  Posted December 27, 2009   Charlotte, NC
Joe Gibbs (Left) and Kyle Busch (Right) teamed up to win 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup events and the 2009 Nationwide Series championship. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

A look at the past decade shows some team and drivers pairings that turned out to be close to perfect. After some had struggled or stepped back in their careers, they gained new life or simply hit their strides when partnered with new organizations.

These moves looked to be brilliant once they were made because of the success they wrought for everyone involved.

NASCAR Scene takes a look at the top-10 Deals of the Decade when drivers and owners gained new life when they made a change.

1. Joe Gibbs Racing hires Kyle Busch. The youngster immediately became a big winner. In two seasons with JGR, he has netted 12 Cup wins and won the Nationwide Series championship.

2. Hendrick Motorsports hires Mark Martin. Martin had scaled back to a part-time role for two seasons when he was lured back to full-time Cup competition by team owner Rick Hendrick. In his first full season with the organization, in 2009, Martin earned five wins and finished second in the standings. He has now decided to run full time through 2011.

3. Richard Childress Racing picks Kevin Harvick. Team owner Richard Childress lost friend and seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt in a fatal crash in the 2001 Daytona 500. The organization put Harvick in the car full time. He not only helped the team heal, but he also became an admirable replacement, winning 11 races since then for RCR and finished fourth in the standings twice.

4. Evernham Motorsports hires Kasey Kahne. The new Ray Evernham-owned team was bringing Dodge into the sport and brought in the young talent Kahne, who had been driving for Robert Yates Racing. Kahne has won 11 races for what is now Richard Petty Motorsports and finished in the top 10 in the standings twice.

5. Tony Stewart joins Haas Racing. The two-time champion decided to take a 50-percent ownership role in the renamed Stewart-Haas Racing while continuing to compete. In his first season in the dual role, Stewart won four times, led the standings, made the Chase For The Sprint Cup and finished sixth in the standings.

6. Richard Childress Racing hires Jeff Burton. The veteran driver headed to what was a struggling RCR organization and helped revive it. He joined the team for the final 14 races of 2004. By 2006, the organization was back on track and putting multiple drivers in the championship-determining Chase field.


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