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I'm not up on every stat, but was Pruett's 4th place finish the best showing of a Ganassi car all year? I realize it was a road course, but that kind of performance used to mean something, like how Boris Said obtained a 10 - 12 race opportunity this year.

I know Pruett's initial attempt at a full cup schedule met with dismissal from the #32 car, but near the end I believe the finishes improved and if memory is correct he had a top ten at Indy. I think he still drives Ganassi's GrandAm car and I just think it would be nice to hear about loyalty and company performance being rewarded (I think Pruett has the results on the GrandAm side). Instead I know I'll read about driver development programs and driver diversity.

As I noted at my place I think Jacks comments are a shot across Ganassi's bow. He has used the press to tell Chip, "if I can work it out, so should you and to hell with this lame dack nonsense."

Don't be too dismissive of the "Gong Show" it produced a NEXTEL Cup champion.

Mark: McMurray and Mears finished 2nd and 3rd at Texas earlier this year.

The Gong Show is the superior form of a driver tryout, because it is truly performance-based.

Thanks, Matt so it sounds like the 4th by Pruett was the best finish for the 40 car.

Based on some of your earlier posts I can tell you that my time following racing is a few decades longer than yours. I was at Daytona with my Father the year Coo Coo won a qualifying race.

I'm just naturally going to have a more jaded view of people who seek to get out of a contract. I think it was Benny Parsons who said during the race on Sunday that many drivers are probably being handed addendums to their contracts to sign to prevent more of what McMurray and Busch have done.

Marc: I was looking on your site for the Ganassi post you mentioned above, but I can't find it. Can you point me in the right direction?

Also, what's up with the little tiny type? I know the point size in these comments is small, but the type over at your site is ... tiny. There's just no other word for it. Other than that, I like the redesign.

Mark: Didn't Pruett run a full season for Petty (or someone else) a few years back? He didn't do so great, if I recall. And with all of the young drivers out there, most teams don't seem inclined to give an older driver with a bad record a second chance. That's my theory on why Ricky Craven (sadly) won't get a ride any time soon.

John, I think Pruett made it most of the season in the 32 car the first season it was in Cup. I don't think he ever was there for a 2nd season. I can't remember whether Craven stepped in at that point or if he was hired the next season.

This goes back a few years because I remember how Cal Wells was viewed as an evil person for taking the Tide sponsorship from Rudd when Rudd still owned his own team. That is what propelled Rudd to the 28 car.

I know I'm too guilty of being "Old School". I'll consider some of the new drivers once they are old enough to legally rent a car.

Work interupted my train of thought.

The reason I like Pruett and Said is that it reminds me of a time when drivers were more diverse in their driving skills. I enjoy watching Said give the ovals a shot this year.

Back in the early 70's I think the person who put fear into NASCAR was AJ Foyt when he periodically drove the Wood Brothers car. He won the Daytona 500 in that car and came close a few other times. I enjoyed watching Foyt show up at Charlotte for the fall race well into the late 80's.

Mark Donahue was another example, the guy won in Indy, NASCAR, Trans-Am, and Can-Am. Plus he won the IROC when it meant something. It's unfortunate he picked F-1 over NASCAR because Penske was just starting to build his cup program that died with the Matador. It was shortly after that, he was killed in Austria.

I found the Allisons to be just as interesting for venturing out into other racing away from NASCAR.

Oh yeah, I ventured away from the original post. Silly season and future contracts?? That's easy, move over T.O., meet your new best friends Jamie and Kurt. The 3 of you can discuss what you think it means when you sign a contract.

Found it, Mark.

Pruett ran 28 (of 34) starts in 2000 in the No. 32 Tide Ford for Cal Wells.

No poles, no wins, no top 5s, one top 10 (10th at Indy), 11 DNFs

Avg start: 28.5. Avg. finish: 31.5. He ended the season 37th in points.

No wonder he's not driving full-time now.

The irony: He didn't make the Watkins Glen field. (Rain washed out qualifying, and the field was set by standings. I'm assuming he didn't have the owner points, but my sources are vague on that point.)

X-post. (You posted while I was writing mine.)

A real kick would to be some Cup drivers behind the wheel of those World Rally Cars.

They're basically stock cars. (They look more stock than the cars that did laps last week at The Glen.)

And WRC, with its dirt, gravel, snowy and sandy courses (depending on the locale), is as close to NASCAR's moonshining tradition as you can get.

Whaddya think? Can you imagine Ryan Newman behind the wheel with Rusty as his co-driver? Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson? Junior and Mikey?

I don't think Ryan and Rusty would be driving together, they would probably kill each other in a setting like that. Johnson and Gordon were going to compete in the ROC (Race of Champions) in France right after the banquet ended, but Gordon was sick and Casey Mears went in his place. A lot of top drivers competed in that, and it was quite a show. It even brought Michael Schumacher out. There is talk of having it in the US in a few years, because the country that hosts it usually fields 2 teams. Imagine a team of Gordon and Sam Hornish, or Stewart and Pruett. The possibilities are very enticing.

I also don't think we would be seeing this type of contract issue unless not one, but two high-profile rides are available. Really, how often do you get a chance to replace Rusty Wallace or Mark Martin? If this were about replacing Jason Leffler or Michael Waltrip it would be distrubing, but this are special circumstances.

Down to six drivers: Darnell, Matt McCall, O'Quinn (my pick), David Ragan, Peter Shepherd, Auggie Vidovich (my darkhorse).

Matt--Where are you finding these names?

It's on Jayski's site, but you'll have to dig around a bit for it.