We've wrapped the season, and so it's time to wrap up our look back. In a feature shamelessly ripped from Puck Daddy's Death Watch and Big League Stew's Walk Toward The Light, we're looking back on all the drivers. In the interest of making sure that this feature doesn't last until April, we're stepping up the pace and covering teams. And yes, I know there aren't taillights on Sprint cars. It's a metaphor. Roll with it.
Team: Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, with special guest star Felix Sabates
Drivers: Juan Pablo Montoya, Martin Truex Jr.
Record: Zero wins, five poles, eight top-5s, 24 top-10s.
Season summary: Overall, a strong performance from a team built Frankenstein-style from the spare parts of others. Montoya was exceptional, and Truex did well enough to get himself a new ride. Whatever was going on behind the scenes, it didn't appreciably affect the racing in the #42, at least.
Where it went right: Montoya broke through as a full-fledged star, completing his transition from open-wheel. He briefly threatened Jimmie Johnson in the Chase. Truex ran fast in practice, notching three poles, but couldn't sustain over the long haul. Still, a respectable season for the folks at EGR.
Where it went wrong: Indianapolis. Montoya got dinged for driving too fast down pit road, and lost what was an all-but-certain victory. Truex, for his part, never really got going, and next year we'll learn how much of that was equipment and how much was the driver, as Truex will be headed for Michael Waltrip Racing.
Prospects for 2010: Montoya looks like he'll be around for a long time to come; as long as he can keep his temper under control, he'll be a Chase contender for the foreseeable future. New addition Jamie McMurray never really flourished while at Roush, so perhaps a smaller environment where he can be more of a spotlight driver will be good for him.
Related EGR posts from 2009:
Will Martin Truex Jr. walk away from Earnhardt Ganassi?
Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya spice up Miami
Let's cool it with the Montoya conspiracy theories
Next up: Roush Fenway Racing
No comments:
Post a Comment