Look out, NASCAR fans: the annual game of musical chairs has begun.
This past weekend at Michigan, as Kasey Kahne was celebrating his series-leading fourth win of the season, Casey Mears was celebrating an accomplishment of his own off the track: announcing that he is moving from Chip Ganassi?s No. 42 car to Hendrick Motorsports next year.
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That by itself is not unusual; all sports have their share of athletes moving from one team to another. NASCAR, however, adds a unique dimension to the process, since most drivers announce their future plans to change teams during the season, while they are still competing for their current club.
Mears will now drive 21 races for a team that he knows he will be leaving at the end of the season.
Every season, one or two drivers announce that they will move to another team, and it sets off a chain reaction. NASCAR fans call this behind-the-scenes drama the “Silly Season.”
This year it began with the addition of Toyota to the Nextel Cup Series for 2007. With start-up Toyota teams looking to get the best drivers, they acted early, signing former champion Dale Jarrett to a contract for next year only 11 weeks into the 2006 season. A few weeks later, Brian Vickers followed suit, announcing that he was leaving Hendrick Motorsports No. 25 car, but not until the end of the season.
That opened the door for Mears, who this week signed on to take over for Vickers when he leaves.
Up Next
What: Dodge/SaveMart 350
When: Sunday, 3 p.m.
Where: Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, Calif.
Listen to Wilson?s Race Report every Monday and Friday at 5:39pm on 93.1 WPOC.
