SPENCER: Ten Teams That Need Improvement

Sprint Cup

SPENCER: Ten Teams That Need Improvement

Haves, have nots on display in Texas...

Lee Spencer | http://www.foxsports.com/ | Posted November 05, 2012 Charlotte, NC

Clint Bowyer, driver of the No.15 5-hour Energy Toyota, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. (Photo: Getty Images)

There was a clear division between the haves and the have-nots in the Sprint Cup garage at Texas Motor Speedway.

On the north end of the garage the top 20 transporters were lined up in all their glory. There was a competitive air among the mostly fully-sponsored rigs. Certainly, on most weekends, any of the teams and drivers from Jimmie Johnson to Jamie McMurray is capable of carving their way to Victory Lane.

Over on the south side of the garage, there was top 20 envy. Those that have the resources – or funding to acquire the parts, pieces and manpower – haven’t figured out the recipe for success yet. Others are still lacking the secret ingredient (or funding) or chemistry within the camp to pull the pieces together.

In reality, any team outside of the top 15 is one or two races away from finding their hauler on the other side of the garage among the unmarked – and unrecognized transporters. And that chasm is growing.

It’s why Michael Waltrip Racing remains one of the feel-good stories of the season. The two MWR teams were on the south side of the garage last year. While their situation was exacerbated by a rules infraction at Talladega, it didn’t matter. Neither team had the necessary spark to be true contenders.

To the credit of Waltrip and his partner Rob Kauffman, the pair stopped the bleeding. In NASCAR, the cliché of throwing good money after bad couldn’t be truer. While money buys speed, allocating funds to the wrong areas simply means that teams will spin their wheels faster without making any progress at all.

MWR recruited Scott Miller and Clint Bowyer from Richard Childress Racing last fall. While Waltrip excelled and placed two teams in the Chase, RCR relied on perennial contender Kevin Harvick to carry the banner for the organization. Harvick trails both Bowyer and Martin Truex Jr. and extended his winless streak – and RCR’s to 44 races on Sunday.

It took RCR more than a year to replace Miller with Dr. Eric Warren. Miller had an ample head start with MWR last fall to ramp up the organization for 2012. Warren now has the daunting task of doing the same at RCR for 2013 or risk the possibility of one or more of his teams sliding down that slippery slope – and over to the other side of the garage.

Here are 10 organizations – on both sides of the garage – hoping to make improvements over the upcoming weeks to solidify their programs for next year:

1. Michael Waltrip Racing — Is not standing idly by with its current pit crews. Brandon Hopkins took over as the rear tire changer for the No. 15 team and Clint Bowyer on Sunday. MWR will use the trip out west this week to recruit athletes at UNLV and ASU for potential pit crew positions.

2. Richard Childress Racing — will reunite Luke Lambert with Jeff Burton next season. The pair developed chemistry quickly in 2011. For Burton, 45, who hasn’t won in 147 races, time is running out. Interim crew chief Shane Wilson led the No. 31 team to a 19th-place finish on Sunday which was apropos considering that Burton is 19th in the point standings.

3. Stewart Haas Racing — reunited Ryan Newman with his Penske Racing crew chief Matt Borland at Martinsville. In their last two starts, the No. 39 finished 11th and 12th but having the opportunity to work together for the final four races of the year should help the team build camaraderie entering 2013. Newman, who signed a one-year extension on his SHR contract, will have to bring his A-game as he competes for top rides against Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick.

4. Roush Fenway Racing — has allowed the experiment between Carl Edwards and crew chief Chad Norris to run its course. Edwards’ performance over the last 14 races is no more or less lackluster than it was during the first half of the season. He’s posted one top five (Dover), four top 10s and hasn’t led a lap since Bristol. Edwards still tops the Cup tour with three wins at Texas, but both Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle outran him again on Sunday.

5. Earnhardt Ganassi Racing — is delusional if the company believes that changing engine programs next season from Earnhardt Childress Racing to Hendrick Engines is going to solve all of its problems. Here’s a case where two of the better-funded teams in the garage have failed to show any noticeable improvement despite gutting the management structure of the organization and the entire No. 42 team sans driver. It will be interesting to watch Chip Ganassi’s next move.

6. Richard Petty Motorsports — appears to be moving in the right direction by attempting to re-sign Marcos Ambrose and Aric Almirola. The addition of crew chief Drew Blickensderfer should give the organization a strong ally between RPM and Roush Fenway Racing in the future. Blick’s return to the Ford fold as Ambrose’s crew chief appeared to get off to a solid start with the No. 9 running in the top 10 until Ambrose wrecked on Lap 311. Expect to see the team pick it up in the final two races of the season.

7. Furniture Row Racing — has upped its commitment significantly over the last four months by recruiting veteran crew chief Todd Berrier and former Sprint Cup champion Kurt Busch to test its potential. Busch’s eighth-place finish on Sunday was his top showing on an oval this year. Props to owner Barney Visser, who has grown his operation slowly but steadily over the last eight years. I would not be surprised to see this team on the other side of the garage next year or by the addition of a second team by the end of 2013.

8. Phoenix Racing — shows a lot of speed at times but for whatever reason, the equipment seldom goes the distance. This team needs to develop consistency so whoever is driving the car races with enough confidence that there’s not going to be a mechanical failure to impede progress.

9. JTG-Daugherty Racing — has made major strides in 2012. Bobby Labonte was mired at 29th in the point standings for most of last year. He’s currently 23rd. At 48, Labonte is not going to set the world on fire, but he seems to have found a happy medium with crew chief Brian Burns. For most of the season, it’s been rumored that JTGD is seeking a partner to up the support. An infusion of funding could be the catalyst that propels this organization inside the top 20.

10. BK Racing — has endured its share of growing pains during their inaugural season. But did anyone expect a debut in NASCAR’s top tour to be easy? But BKR appears committed. It’s attempted to improve its roster throughout the season and show no signs of slowing down. While the latest move – bringing Mike Ford on board – isn’t expected to happen until December, it will be curious to see how the former crew chief transitions into a more managerial role.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED