The Rumor Mills Are Cranking Up

It's still a bit early, but the rumor mills are starting to heat up regarding the 2010 season. With high-profile rides at a minimum drivers are starting to make their decisions earlier and earlier. When it comes down to it, the decision of two drivers will dictate the landscape of the upcoming silly season.

The hottest rumor has Martin Truex, Jr leaving Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing and signing on to drive a third Stewart-Haas car with Bass Pro Shops as the primary sponsor. With Chevy and Bass Pro Shops not wanting to part ways with Truex (and Bass Pro Shop's World Of Outlaw relationship with Tony Stewart) it just seems like a natural fit.

The talk during the All-Star weekend was that Dale Earnhardt, Jr was going to move his Nationwide team up to Sprint Cup and tap Brad Keselowski as his driver. This would satisfy Keselowski's request to stay in the Hendrick family and keep him from testing the free agent waters; but there are a few wrinkles that need to be ironed out before this could happen.

With the "Team Cap" going into effect in '10 Rick Hendrick would have to sell his stake in JR Motorsports in order to comply with the rule. This would simply be a formality and a small obstacle standing in their way.

However, If Dale, Jr fails to pull the trigger on this deal Rick Hendrick will have no choice but to "loan" Keselowski out to Stewart-Hass Racing until a seat opens up in one of the four primary Hendrick rides. This could ultimately leave Truex out of the mix at Stewart-Hass Racing and send him back out into the free agent pool.

Apparently Joe Gibbs is flirting with the idea of adding a 4th team to his powerhouse stable. Truex would be a good fit here because he brings sponsorship, but word is Kurt Busch and Juan Pablo Montoya are the hot names to fill the seat. Last year Montoya came close to signing with Gibbs to replace Stewart, but JGR decided "the future is now" and put Joey Logano in the 20. If JGR decides to add a 4th team Montoya would be a logical choice considering how close he came to replacing Stewart.

Personally, I don't see Kurt Busch leaving his ride at Penske Racing. Even though Dodge is going under, Penske will most likely make the move to Toyota and could even add a 4th team with Justin Allgaier as the driver. This would strengthen his organization and allow him to compete with the other powerhouse teams.

Finally, the one organization with the most to lose in the "Team Cap" rule is Roush-Fenway. The odd man out seems to be Jamie McMurray. However, Roush-Fenway's alliance with Yates Racing may be the next stop for the driver of the 26 car. Roush has no ownership stake in Yates Racing only an engine and chassis alliance. Roush could keep McMurray under contract and simply loan him to Yates thus complying with the "Team Cap" rule.

Just like in silly seasons of the past, when one domino falls the others quickly follow suit. The biggest domino this silly season is easily Brad Keselowski. The talented young driver is a hot commodity and is being sought after by a lot of big name teams. Hendrick has some big decisions to make and the clock is ticking. If he waits too long it will be too late. It's this very reason silly season will come early this year.