February 15, 2007
By Rebecca Gladden

Rebecca Gladden

Mark Martin in the 6. Dale Jarrett in the 88.

And both men driving Fords.

Just a few of the iconic images that NASCAR fans won't be seeing this year.

As the 2007 season prepares to launch with Sunday's Daytona 500, fans are scrambling to familiarize themselves with numerous changes affecting their favorite drivers and teams.

Perhaps the most obvious difference this year is the introduction of Toyota to NASCAR's elite racing series, joining Big Three manufacturers Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge.

Toyota will field three full-time teams this season with a total of seven drivers:

Bill David Racing - Two teams:
No. 22 - Dave Blaney
No. 36 -Jeremy Mayfield

Michael Waltrip Racing - Three teams:
No. 00 - David Reutimann
No. 44 - Dale Jarrett
No. 55 - Michael Waltrip, and #00-David Reutimann

Red Bull Racing - Two teams:
No. 83 - Brian Vickers
No. 84 - AJ Allmendinger

Also notable are the changes affecting veteran drivers, such as Martin and Jarrett mentioned above. Both will be in new rides this year with new manufacturers. Mark Martin plans to run a partial season of 20 races in the No. 01 Chevy of Ginn Racing, marking the first time since Martin signed with Roush Racing in 1988 that he will not be piloting a Ford. Sharing the ride with Martin is Cup rookie Regan Smith who will run the remaining 16 races.

The 01 car, with U.S. Army as a primary sponsor, has been Joe Nemechek's ride for the past few years. Nemechek moves to the No. 13 Chevy for Ginn Racing this year.

Dale Jarrett's move to Toyota took many fans by surprise when he announced his decision towards the end of last season. While Jarrett keeps his UPS primary sponsorship, '07 marks the first time in over 10 years that fans won't see Jarrett behind the wheel of the No. 88 UPS Ford for Robert Yates Racing.

As an interesting aside, both Mark Martin and Dale Jarrett own Ford dealerships back home.

RYR will also have a new look this season, as Jarrett's former Yates teammate Elliott Sadler spends his first full year in the No. 19 Evernham Dodge. Sadler assumed that ride in August of 2006 when Evernham terminated his contract with Jeremy Mayfield. The '07 team at Yates consists of David Gilliland in the 38 and Ricky Rudd in the 88. Gilliland ran 14 races in the 38 car last year after Sadler's move to the 19. Meanwhile 50-year-old Rudd, with 875 Cup starts under his belt, is returning to full-time racing after taking the 2006 season off.

Chip Ganassi Racing will be a focus of attention this year with superstar open-wheel driver Juan Pablo Montoya behind the wheel of the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge. Montoya is already credited with attracting new European fans to the sport and is a favorite of pundits for Rookie of the Year honors Casey Mears, who had been with Ganassi since his 2003 Cup series debut, assumes the No. 25 Hendrick ride left vacant by Brian Vickers' move to Toyota. Mears takes over the National Guard sponsorship most recently associated with Greg Biffle, while Biffle will carry Ameriquest and 3M sponsorships.

A few other changes worth noting:

• Rookie of the Year candidate Paul Menard is expected to run a full season in the No. 15 car for Dale Earnhardt Inc. Menard joins DEI teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the 8 and Martin Truex Jr. in the 1.

• NASCAR veteran Ward Burton is returning to full-time Cup racing for the first time since 2004, driving the No. 4 Morgan-McClure Chevy.

• Robby Gordon is switching manufacturers to Ford this year after several seasons with Chevy.

• David Reutimann's Michael Waltrip Racing ride will carry primary sponsorships from Burger King and Dominos, while Waltrip maintains his long-term relationship with NAPA.

• Richard Childress Racing's No. 29 Chevy with driver Kevin Harvick will not carry the GM Goodwrench sponsorship for the first time since the Dale Earnhardt era in the No. 3 car. Harvick's primary sponsors this season include Shell/Pennzoil and Reese's.

• Veteran racer Ken Schrader will be sharing time in the No. 21 Wood Brothers car with Jon Wood. Current plans call for Schrader to run 26 races and Wood to run 10.

• Kyle Petty is expected to utilize a substitute driver for about five races this season when Petty spends time in the TNT broadcast booth.

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.