FOX Sports on MSN - NASCAR - What effects will Junior's move have?
Junior will be in the #5 or #25 for Hendrick. If he gets the #25, Mears will move to the #5. Kyle Busch is the odd man out, and DEI has stated that they may have an interest in Kyle if he becomes available. Busch won't come to JGR, as they have 3 high quality drivers, with a few guys ready in the shoot.
The biggest question now becomes whether Budweiser will follow Junior or not, and was that the big divider that pushed him away from JGR. If Bud does not follow (which is highly unlikely, they are under contract thru this year, so a jump in '08 is possible), Truex will be in the #8, and Junior's replacement will drive the #1.
It will be interesting to see how Gordon, Johnson and Junior will do together. While it is a "team" sport, when push comes to shove, it's all about the driver.