NASCAR Silly Season continues to heat up with the rumors and speculation growing more interesting by the day.
On Monday, a report surfaced that Joe Gibbs Racing may be interested in Greg Biffle's services. The same report said Gibbs made a run at Carl Edwards before he resigned with Roush Racing.
Publicly, Biffle has stated he wants to stay with Roush Racing, but he's been pretty tough on the organization at times, including Saturday at Darlington when pit miscues and a parts failure knocked him out.
If it's true that Gibbs is interested, it may not be a bad move. It could be considered a lateral move for Biffle, but if he's upset with the equipment he's getting a Roush, a change of scenery would do him good.
But the interesting aspect of this report is that it sure appears JGR is preparing for Stewart's departure.
So a checklist of the top drivers on the rumor wire include David Ragan, Biffle, Stewart, Ryan Newman and Martin Truex. I know all these drivers say they want to stay right where they're at, but I'd be shocked if everything stays status quo.
Here's my latest guess on where drivers end up:
Ragan -- likely stays with Roush; possibly jumps to RCR
Biffle -- Roush or Gibbs
Stewart -- partnership with Hendrick or RCR
Newman -- Penske or RCR
Truex -- DEI or Hendrick
The RCR ride is the tricky one. While it's a great opportunity with a top organization, it won't begin next season in the top 35 in owner points. So even for a great qualifier like Newman, there's always that possibility rain could cancel qualifying, knocking him out of the race. So drivers currently in a ride that's in the top 35 like Newman, Biffle, Truex and Ragan really have to weigh whether a move to RCR is wise. It's why Bobby Labonte (who has been long rumored for the ride) or Stewart make a bit more sense because they have the champions provisional to fall back on.
Of course, there have been maneuverings before where owner points were transferred, such as the DEI-Ginn deal last year, so RCR may have something up its sleeve yet to make sure the car is top 35 by the start of next season.
I can't wait to see how this turns out. It has gotten to the point where I'm as interested in Silly Season as I am the racing.
