Quote of the day

From Scene Daily:

He (Stewart) said, though, that he has not made a decision about what he is going to do and has not requested to get out of his contract.

“We’re going to do our due diligence and go through looking at every option, looking at the pros and cons to everything and then make a decision,” Stewart said. “The good thing is we have a year left in our contract. We’re not in any rush right now. There is nobody putting any pressure on us to make something happen next week.”

It looks as though Smoke will be staying with Gibbs at least until the end of his contract through 2009. Get over it.

What about the drivers who are at the end of their contract this year? That list includes:

Martin Truex, Jr. Is he happy with what DEI can give him? He has already driven in the Nationwide Series for his good friend, Dale Earnhardt, Jr, and HMS may have an opening if they release Casey Mears. This looks like a good item to toss into the rumor mill.

Ryan Newman seems less than enthusiastic about Dodge's overall performance in the Sprint Cup Series this year. He has yet to sign a countract beyond the end of the 2008 season. Could he be looking for a change?

It is generally accepted that, because Roush-Fenway must pare down to four cars, Jamie McMurray will be without a ride in 2009. But Greg Biffle isn't necessarily happy with his role at RFR, and he has yet to sign a contract that will take him beyond the end of this year with Roush-Fenway. The possibility of a switch between Penske and Roush involving Newman and Biffle seems like a great rumor to toss into the mill.

What will Bobby Labonte do? What will Kevin Harvick do? They are both currently unsigned beyond the end of this year. I don't have any unnamed sources to rely on here, and I can't think of any good unsubstantiated rumors to start about them. Anybody care to help?

None of the rumors mentioned above have any credence to them, but they should still give us some topics for speculation, if that is our bag.

Finally, for those who believe that Tony Stewart may buy into Haas/CNC, Dennis Michelson, of Race Talk Radio's Spin Out Zone, has some very compelling arguments as to why he won't. Please read his article "Haas Bowtie Will Not Fit Stewart."

We leave you with a tantalizing teaser from that article:

Do you know how to tell when a NASCAR rumor is a bunch of buffalo chips? The easiest way to tell is when so many writers and broadcasters jump on the bandwagon to tell you that this driver or that driver is definitely heading to such and such team. If you have a short memory may I try to talk some sense into you this week? DALE EARNHARDT JR HEADED TO RCR. Does anyone remember that headline? The track record of certain writers in breaking stories is pitiful. Even when the next wave of articles with more exclusive sources hit it is just another case of media misdirection NASCAR writing style. The Haas bow tie will not fit Tony Stewart!