As drivers, owners and fans turn their attention to the Daytona 500, the 2011 season and a new NASCAR points system, it's time to get a head start on Silly Season and break down the top drivers that will make up the 2011 NASCAR free agent class.
Juan Pablo Montoya
Despite the fact that at the end of the 2011 Sprint Cup Season the former F1 star will be 36 years old, Montoya remains one of the most exciting and electrifying drivers in the sport. He has yet to notch a Sprint Cup points victory on an oval track (both of his career Sprint Cup victories have come on road courses) but has shown the ability to be consistent throughout the season, finishing 8th in points back in 2009. While many around the sport might like to see Montoya in a Childress Chevrolet or a Roush Ford, Montoya's long history with car owner Chip Ganassi all but guarantees he'll be back in the #42 Target Dodge in 2012 and beyond.
Carl Edwards
You'd be hard pressed to find a driver more enigmatic than Carl Edwards. Edwards seemed to be one of NASCAR's most popular drivers just a few seasons ago, with legions of fans donning his NASCAR memorabilia from Daytona to Sonoma. How times have changed, as on-track skirmishes with Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch have sullied his reputation with some. While he has yet to win a Sprint Cup Championship, Edwards is an annual dark horse to supplant Jimmie Johnson. Edwards enters 2011 with 18 Cup wins and is a renowned master of the D-shaped, 1.5-mile racetrack, with victories at Atlanta, Phoenix and Texas. He'll enter the 2011 offseason at 32, still in the heart of his prime. His fitness and off-the-track work ethic is well renowned, as he's been featured (shirtless) on the covers of ESPN Magazine and Men's Fitness. Still, there are questions about his performance on Sundays. Edwards has yet to build on the success he found in the 2008 Sprint Cup season, where he finished second in points to Jimmie Johnson while notching a career-high in wins.
Here's a comparison of Edwards' 2008 Sprint Cup season with the two that have followed:
2008: 9 wins, 19 top-fives, 1,282 laps lead.
Combined 2009 and 2010: 2 wins, 16 top-fives, 591 laps lead.
Greg Biffle
The 41-year-old Biffle is still chasing his first Sprint Cup championship after claiming the Camping World Truck Series title in 2000 and the Nationwide Series championship in 2002. If he were to claim the 2011 Sprint Cup title, he'd be the first driver in NASCAR history to win the championship in all three major divisions. Biffle has emerged as a fiery competitor with a nose for victory lane, winning a race in all but one season (2009) since entering the Sprint Cup Series full time in 2003. While his services might be the most sought-after in NASCAR heading into the winter of 2011, it's hard to imagine Biffle leaving Roush Fenway Racing, where he made his NASCAR debut back in 1998.
Ryan Newman
The "Rocket Man" Ryan Newman burst onto the scene full-time in 2002, taking home the Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year award before winning a series-high eight races in 2003. Since then, Newman has added only five wins to his trophy case, although one being a victory in the 2008 Daytona 500. He would wait another 78 starts before winning the spring race at Phoenix in 2010. At this point in his career, it may be fair to dub Newman a fairly consistent yet middle-of-the-road racer, who falls well short of the elite Johnsons and Gordons of the sport but ahead of the likes of David Ragan, Regan Smith and Paul Menard. After finishing sixth, sixth, ninth and eighth in points between 2002 and 2005, Newman has since cracked the top 10 only once, finishing ninth in 2009.
Danica Patrick
It's likely you'll see more of Danica Patrick at the NASCAR memorabilia trailers than you will on the track in 2011. The IndyCar Series phenomenon is slated for only 12 Nationwide Series starts this season, which including dates at Daytona, Las Vegas and Bristol. Danica struggled while testing the NASCAR waters in 2010, notching a best finish of 19th during 13 Nationwide Series starts. Her contract with Dale Earnhardt Jr's JR Motorsports is up at the conclusion of 2011 and she'll have a choice to make: head back to the IndyCar Series or become a full-time driver in NASCAR heading into 2012.
Sean J. O'Rourke - I'm Sean, a 25-year old marketing professional, photographer and sports and music journalist currently living in northeastern New Jersey. ...
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