Who Will Be At The Head Of The Class?

By Orlena Miller

December 12, 2002

The 2002 Winston Cup season was the year of the rookie. Because of the remarkable success of Ryan Newman and Jimmie Johnson, more attention than usual will be given to the class of 2003. Joining the series full time next season are Greg Biffle, Jack Sprague, Jamie McMurray, Larry Foyt and Casey Mears.

Greg Biffle will drive the #16 Grainger Ford for Jack Roush. The Washington native should be the odds-on favorite for Rookie of the Year after winning the Busch Series Championship. Add the momentum the Roush teams enjoyed at the end of the season and Biffle looks like a sure thing.

Led by crew chief Randy Goss the team recently relocated to Concord, NC and will share facilities with Roush’s other Cup teams. "I'm really looking forward to being under one roof with our Winston Cup teammates," said Biffle. "The Winston Cup Series is so competitive, and it's a challenge for any new team to come right out of the box running strong. Goss and I know that the transition is going to be a tough one, but we also know our teammates will be there to help us along the way."

And what teammates he will have, too! Cars owned by Jack Roush won almost one third of the Cup races in 2002. High expectations could be a problem for the #16 team, they are joining an extremely successful organization. Biffle and Goss may need the support of their more experienced teammates to meet these expectations.

Three-time Craftsman Truck Series champion Jack Sprague will drive a NetZero sponsored car for Haas CNC Racing. Neither the car number nor manufacturer for this team is official at this time. Driving for Hendrick Motorsports Sprague finished fifth in the 2002 Busch Series points.

The Haas CNC team made their debut at Homestead, starting 32nd finishing 30th. While new to the Winston Cup series Haas CNC will be supported by Hendrick Motorsports. The Hendrick shop will provide engines and technical assistance to the rookie team.

Sprague said, "Hendrick Motorsports has been so good to me over the years and Rick Hendrick has graciously agreed to continue to assist my career and the efforts of Haas CNC Racing. Having that kind of support is sure to make us better."

Optimism for the new season comes easy in December. However, Jack and the NetZero team should keep in mind that support from Hendrick is no guarantee of success. Ask Terry Labonte.

Sub-sensation, Jamie McMurray will drive the #42 Havoline Dodge for Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates in the Winston Cup Series in 2003. Veteran crew chief Donnie Wingo will be joining the team for the rookie campaign.

Subbing for a sidelined Sterling Marlin Jamie started six Winston Cup events in 2002, winning in only his second start. Following his Winston Cup win McMurray also claimed back to back Busch Series victories.

With this Winston Cup resume the pressure for McMurray to have a stellar inaugural season will be tremendous. The spotlight will be focused squarely on this young man. McMurray has had only a sample of the Winston Cup media circus. How he performs under this scrutiny will probably determine the success or failure of Jamie McMurray’s rookie year.

Over the years I have questioned quite a few of A.J. Foyt’s decisions. And putting his 25-year-old son Larry in a Winston Cup car is definitely questionable. In sixty-five Busch Series starts Larry has only two top-tens.

While he is excited about racing in the upper echelon no one knows how difficult this transition will be more than Larry Foyt. "I'm excited…it's a big step for me. It's tough because we never had the success I wanted to have in the Busch Series before making that next step. It's going to be tough but I'll give it 100 percent and see what happens."

Working for your father is never easy. And certainly driving for A.J. Foyt is no picnic, either. Therefore, I have to wonder at the wisdom of driving for your father, A.J. Foyt. Good luck, Larry.

Chip Ganassi has a reputation for recognizing talent. He chose Alex Zanardi for his CART team in ’96 when no one had heard of Zanardi. Before he left CART for IRL Zanardi had won two titles. But if the choice of Larry Foyt for a Winston Cup ride is questionable, putting Casey Mears in a Cup car is laughable. Mears’ background purely open-wheel, he’s driven in USAC, IRL and CART. Until 2002 Mears had never driven a stock car. He is not ready to compete at the Winston Cup level.

As with the Havoline team Ganassi has paired a novice driver with a veteran crew chief, Jimmy Elledge. However the strength of Jimmy’s years of experience may not be adequate to compensate for the weakness of Mears’ inexperience.

The class of 2003 will be interesting to watch. Whether they are ready for Cup or not all these drivers all have talent. Most of the newcomers have decent teams behind them. But only one will be Rookie of the Year. Who will it be?

You can contact Orlena at: Insider Racing News

select Product Apple Sony Artist Title Label DVD Title