John Andretti
Age: 38
Home: Indianapolis
Car: No. 43, Dodge
Sponsor: Cheerios
Crew Chief: Greg Steadman
Career: 262 Winston Cup starts, 2 victories, 35 top 10s, 2 poles.
2001: 35 starts, 0 victories, 2 top 10s, 0 poles.
Comment: Has regressed in standings for four straight years, from 11th to 17th to 23rd to 31st last year, fueling off-season rumors that car owner Richard Petty would dump him.
Projection: Another long season.
Casey Atwood
Age: 21
Home: Antioch, Tenn.
Car: No. 7, Dodge
Sponsor: Sirius
Crew Chief: Kevin Cram
Career: 38 starts, 0 victories, four top 10s, 1 pole.
2001: 35 starts, 0 victories, 3 top 10s, 1 pole.
Comment: Rookie-of-the-year favorite last year didn’t live up to his potential. Third-place finish in Miami last November is reason for hope, however.
Projection: Progress will be slow, consisting of a few more top-10 finishes.
Johnny Benson
Age: 38
Home: Grand Rapids, Mi.
Car: No. 10, Pontiac (The car number as published has been corrected in this text.)
Sponsor: Valvoline
Crew Chief: James Ince
Career: 197 starts, 0 victories, 47 top 10s, 2 poles.
2001: 36 starts, 0 victories, 14 top 10s, 0 poles.
Comment: Has taken over title of best driver never to have won a race. Strong run in 2000 Daytona 500 saved his career and last year rose to 11th in points.
Projection: Finally gets his first victory but could drop in standings.
Dave Blaney
Age: 39
Home: Sharon, Pa.
Car: No. 77, Ford
Sponsor: Jasper
Crew Chief: Ryan Pemberton
Career: 75 starts, 0 victories, 8 top 10s, 0 poles.
2001: 36 starts, 0 victories, 6 top 10s, 0 poles.
Comment: Has improved from 31st in 2000, his first full season, to 22nd last year. Switches from Dodge to Ford.
Projection: At his age, needs a breakthrough season fast, and this could be it.
Brett Bodine
Age: 43
Home: Chemung, N.Y.
Car: No. 11, Ford
Sponsor: Wells Fargo
Crew Chief: Mike Hillman
Career: 442 starts, 1 victory, 61 top 10s, 5 poles.
2001: 36 starts, 0 victories, 2 top 10s, 0 poles.
Comment: He’s a Winston Cup rarity, the owner of the car he drives. Ended season with an upbeat eighth-place finish at New Hampshire, his first top-10 result since 1997.
Projection: More frustration, leading him to pull the plug and drive for someone else.
Todd Bodine
Age: 37
Home: Chemung, N.Y.
Car: No. 66, Ford
Sponsor: Kmart
Crew Chief: Larry Carter
Career: 145 starts, 0 victories, 16 top 10s, 5 poles.
2001: 35 starts, 0 victories, 2 top 10s, 3 poles.
Comment: Call him Front-Row Todd for finishing behind only superstars Jeff Gordon and Dale Jarrett in last year’s pole race. More telling is that the poles became finishes of 14th, 43rd and 14th.
Projection: A finish of about 25th in standings seems about right.
Jeff Burton
Age: 35
Home: South Boston, Va.
Crew Chief: Frank Stoddard
Sponsor: Citgo
Car: No. 99, Ford
Career: 259 starts, 17 victories, 119 top 10s, 2 poles.
2001: 36 starts, 2 victories, 16 top 10s, 0 poles.
Comment: Never quite overcame a horrendous start in 2001 that saw him finish 30th or worse in four of the first six races. Victory total has gone from six to four to two last year, and his 10th-place points finish was his worst since 1996.
Projection: Will get back into the top 10, but barely.
Ward Burton
Age: 40
Home: South Boston, Va.
Car: No. 22, Dodge
Crew Chief: Tom Baldwin
Sponsor: Caterpillar
Career: 250 starts, 3 victories, 67 top 10s, 6 poles.
2001: 36 starts, 1 victory, 10 top 10s, 0 poles.
Comment: Two of his three victories have come at Darlington. Jeff’s brother doesn’t win much, but he’s consistent. The kind of smart, patient driver Dodge needs while it works out the bugs.
Projection: Could rise a few places from his 14th- place finish of last year.
Kurt Busch
Age: 23
Home: Las Vegas
Car: No. 97, Ford
Sponsor: Sharpie
Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig
Career: 42 starts, 0 victories, 6 top 10s, 1 pole.
2001: 35 starts, 0 victories, 6 top 10s, 0 poles.
Comment: Says he’s a lifelong Cubs fan. Second behind Kevin Harvick in rookie of the year chase.
Projection: Bright future: Will move up a few places from his 27th of last year.
Stacy Compton
Age: 34
Home: Hurt, Va.
Car: No. 14, Pontiac
Sponsor: Conseco
Crew Chief: Donnie Brown
Career: 48 starts, 0 victories, 3 top 10s, 0 poles.
2001: 16 starts, 0 victories, 1 top 10, 0 poles.
Comment: Plans to run a full season in both Winston Cup and Busch, racing both for A.J. Foyt.
Projection: Many back-of-the-pack finishes.
Ricky Craven
Age: 35
Home: Newburgh, Maine
Car: No. 32, Ford
Sponsor: Tide
Crew Chief: Mike Beam
Career: 180 starts, 1 victory, 24 top 10s, 4 poles.
2001: 36 starts, 1 victory, 7 top 10s, 1 pole.
Comment: Former rookie of the year (’95) finally won a race (Martinsville) and even the competition cheered. Popular driver has battled injuries and funding problems, running 30-plus races last year for the first time since 1997.
Projection: Top-10 finish in standings a possibility.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Age: 27
Home: Kannapolis, N.C.
Car: No. 8, Chevy
Sponsor: Budweiser
Crew Chief: Tony Eury
Career: 75 starts, 5 victories, 21 top 10s, 4 poles.
2001: 36 starts, 3 victories, 15 top 10s, 2 poles.
Comment: The biggest thing he’s got going for him, besides his talent and strong team, is that he’s not intimidated by his father’s legacy. The No. 8 is in honor of grandfather Ralph Earnhardt, a NASCAR pioneer driver.
Projection: Not consistent enough yet to win a title; that’ll come next year.
Bill Elliott
Age: 46
Home: Dawsonville, Ga.
Car: No. 9, Dodge
Sponsor: Dodge Dealers
Crew Chief: Mike Ford
Career: 659 starts, 41 victories, 294 top 10s, 51 poles.
2001: 36 starts, 1 victory, 9 top 10s, 2 poles.
Comment: Awesome Bill from Dawsonville returned to Victory Lane for the first time in seven years in his new Dodge. One of seven drivers to earn over $20 million in Winston Cup purses.
Projection: A 15th-place finish, same as last year.
Jeff Gordon
Age: 30
Home: Pittsboro, Ind.
Car: No. 24, Chevy
Sponsor: DuPont
Crew Chief: Robbie Loomis
Career: 293 starts, 58 victories, 190 top 10s, 40 poles.
2001: 36 starts, 6 victories, 24 top 10s, 6 poles.
Comment: Is he the greatest ever? And the four-time champion is only 30. He won’t match Richard Petty’s 200 victories but his 19.7 winning percentage is better than the King’s 16.9, and it’s tougher to win today.
Projection: Foolish to bet against him: Your 2002 Winston Cup champion.
Robby Gordon
Age: 33
Home: Cerritos, Calif.
Car: No. 31, Chevy
Sponsor: Cingular
Crew Chief: David Ifft
Career: 62 starts, 1 victory, 6 top 10s, 0 poles.
2001: 17 starts, 1 victory, 3 top 10s, 0 poles.
Comment: Was last year’s season-ending victory at New Hampshire a sign that he’s finally living up to his potential, or another tease? Switches to a car owned by the savvy Richard Childress.
Projection: Longshot to win the whole show.
Jeff Green
Age: 39
Home: Owensboro, Ky.
Car: No. 30, Chevy
Sponsor: AOL
Crew Chief: Todd Berrier
Career: 58 starts, 0 victories, 3 top 10s, 1 pole.
2001: 8 starts, 0 victories, 1 top 10, 1 pole.
Comment: Second last season in the Busch series, in which he has won 14 races. Childress owns the car and sponsorship is solid. Hasn’t run more than 22 Winston Cup races in a season.
Projection: Talented driver could improve to top 20 finish.
Bobby Hamilton
Age: 44
Home: Nashville
Car: No. 55, Chevy
Sponsor: Square D
Crew Chief: Charley Pressley
Career: 337 starts, 4 victories, 64 top 10s, 1 pole.
2001: 36 starts, 1 victory, 7 top 10s, 0 poles.
Comment: Victory at Talladega shows this veteran’s not through. Has a new crew chief.
Projection: More improvement, finishing in the top 20.
Kevin Harvick
Age: 26
Home: Bakersfield, Calif.
Car: No. 29, Chevy
Sponsor: Goodwrench
Crew Chief: Kevin Hamlin
Career: 35 starts, 2 victories, 16 top 10s, 0 poles in 2001, his only season.
Comment: Chicagoland’s inaugural winner had a memorable first season after taking over Earnhardt’s ride: two victories, the rookie of the year award and the Busch Series championship in his spare time.
Projection: Will win points title someday, but not this year.
Dale Jarrett
Age: 45
Home: Newton, N.C.
Car: No. 88, Ford
Sponsor: UPS
Crew Chief: Jimmy Elledge
Career: 459 starts, 28 victories, 210 top 10s, 15 poles.
2001: 36 starts, 4 victories, 19 top 10s, 4 poles.
Comment: How could four victories translate into only a fifth-place series finish? Because the former champ (2000) was 30th or worse a crippling five times.
Projection: Will find more consistency and battle until the end for the title.
Jimmie Johnson
Age: 26
Home: El Cajon, Calif.
Car: No. 48, Chevy
Sponsor: Lowe’s
Crew Chief: Chad Knaus
Career: 3 starts, 0 victories, 0 top 10s, 0 poles in 2001, his only year.
Comment: Vying for rookie of the year honors in a car with solid connections: It’s owned by Jeff Gordon and by Gordon’s car owner, Rick Hendrick.
Projection: One to tab for the future; this year there’ll be problems.
Buckshot Jones
Age: 31
Home: Monticello, Ga.
Car: No. 44, Dodge
Sponsor: Georgia-Pacific
Crew Chief: Bryant Frazier
Career: 47 starts, 0 victories, 1 top 10, 0 poles.
2001: 30 starts, 0 victories, 0 top 10s, 0 poles.
Comment: Arguably the best name on the circuit; his grandfather once exclaimed that he was “tougher than buckshot.” Driving for Petty Enterprises, which has to help. Had a tough, tough 2001 with only three top-20 finishes in his first full campaign.
Projection: He’ll improve just enough to keep his ride.
Matt Kenseth
Age: 29
Home: Cambridge, Wis.
Car: No. 17, Ford
Sponsor: DeWalt
Crew Chief: Robbie Reiser
Career: 76 starts, 1 victory, 22 top 10s, 0 poles.
2001: 36 starts, 0 victories, 9 top 10s, 0 poles.
Comment: 2000 rookie of the year didn’t progress much last year. With the retirement of Dave Marcis, he’s the lone driver from Wisconsin, which has given NASCAR some good ones: Alan Kulwicki, Dick Trickle, Ted Musgrave.
Projection: Pressure’s on, but he’ll respond well.
Bobby Labonte
Age: 37
Home: Corpus Christi, Tex.
Car: No. 18, Pontiac
Sponsor: Interstate
Crew Chief: Jimmy Makar
Career: 294 starts, 18 victories, 142 top 10s, 21 poles.
2001: 36 starts, 2 victories, 20 top 10s, 1 pole.
Comment: It’s tough defending a title, as Labonte found out last year in dropping to sixth. Did finish strong, winning the penultimate Atlanta race and running third in the finale.
Projection: Top-five finish likely.
Terry Labonte
Age: 45
Home: Corpus Christi, Tex.
Car: No. 5, Chevy
Sponsor: Kellogg’s
Crew Chief: Jim Long
Career: 709 starts, 21 victories, 340 top 10s, 26 poles.
2001: 36 starts, 0 victories, 3 top 10s, 0 poles.
Comment: Bobby’s brother won the second of his two series championships in ’96 but since then has faded to 6th, 9th, 12th, 17th and 26th in 2001. New crew chief might help. Brushes off talk of retirement.
Projection: Retirement might look better after so-so season.
Sterling Marlin
Age: 44
Home: Columbia, Tenn.
Car: No. 40, Dodge
Sponsor: Coors Light
Crew Chief: Lee McCall
Career: 539 starts, 8 victories, 178 top 10s, 11 poles.
2001: 36 starts, 2 victories, 20 top 10s, 1 pole.
Comment: One of last year’s great stories: Just when it looked like he was fading into obscurity, this veteran enjoyed his best season since 1995. Jumped from 19th in points to third.
Projection: Won’t sneak up on anyone this year.
Mark Martin
Age: 43
Home: Batesville, Ark
Car: No. 6, Ford
Sponsor: Viagra
Crew Chief: Ben Leslie
Career: 494 starts, 32 victories, 293 top 10s, 41 poles.
2001: 36 starts, 0 victories, 15 top 10s, 2 poles.
Comment: Suffered his worst points finish (12th) in 14 years and was winless for the first time in six years. Finished second in the points three times and third four times.
Projection: Could be the start of a slow fadeout.
Rick Mast
Age: 44
Home: Rockbridge Baths, Va. Mich.
Car: No. 90, Ford
Sponsor: Duke’s
Crew Chief: Craig Huartson
Career: 355 starts, 0 victories, 36 top 10s, 4 poles.
2001: 17 starts, 0 victories, 0 top 10s, 0 poles.
Comment: The worst three letters in the language for a driver are DNQ, and Mast led the league by failing to qualify 15 times last year. Switches to a Ford team. Legend has it he traded a cow for his first race car.
Projection: New team will help him qualify more regularly.
Jeremy Mayfield
Age: 32
Home: Owensboro, Ky.
Car: No. 19, Dodge
Sponsor: Dodge Dealers
Crew Chief: Sammy Johns
Career: 237 starts, 3 victories, 58 top 10s, 6 poles.
2001: 28 starts, 0 victories, 7 top 10s, 0 poles.
Comment: Would rather forget last season, when he missed the last eight races to injury and finished 27th. Switches from Ford to Dodge, a car owned by the incomparable Ray Evernham.
Projection: New team is just what he needs; top 20 at least.
Jerry Nadeau
Age: 31
Home: Danbury, Conn.
Car: No. 25, Ford (The car number as published has been corrected in this text.)
Sponsor: UAW
Crew Chief: Tony Furr
Career: 139 starts, 1 victory, 17 top 10s, 0 poles.
2001: 36 starts, 0 victories, 10 top 10s, 0 poles.
Comment: A promising 2001 (17th place). Once competed in a go-kart race on ice in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Projection: Headed in right direction; could crack top 10.
Joe Nemechek
Age: 38
Home: Lakeland, Fla.
Car: No. 26, Ford (The car number as published has been corrected in this text.)
Sponsor: Kmart
Crew Chief: Donnie Wingo
Career: 253 starts, 2 victories, 32 top 10s, 6 poles.
2001: 31 starts, 1 victory, 4 top 10s, 0 poles.
Comment: Used to be called “Front Row Joe” somewhat derisively because he had a knack for winning poles but not races. Finally broke through in ’99 and got back to Victory Lane at Rockingham last year.
Projection: 28th last year, about the same this time.
Ryan Newman
Age: 24
Home: South Bend, Ind.
Car: No. 12, Ford
Sponsor: Alltel
Crew Chief: Matt Borland
Career: 8 starts, 0 wins, 2 top 10s, 1 pole.
2001: 7 starts, 0 wins, 2 top 10s, 1 pole.
Comment: Opened some eyes by winning pole at Charlotte last May and finishing second in Kansas City last September. Roger Penske is his car owner.
Projection: Two top-fives last year signal strong future.
Steve Park
Age: 34
Home: East Northport, N.Y.
Car: No. 1, Ford (The car number as published has been corrected in this text.)
Sponsor: Pennzoil
Crew Chief: Paul Andrews
Career: 114 starts, 2 victories, 30 top 10s, 2 poles.
2001: 24 starts, 1 victory, 12 top 10s, 0 poles.
Comment: Opens the season on the sidelines, recovering from head injuries suffered in a Busch series race last August. Kenny Wallace will drive the No. 1 car until he heals. Eleventh in points in 2000.
Projection: Don’t expect much; it will take a while for him to get comfortable again.
Kyle Petty
Age: 41
Home: Randleman, N.C.
Car: No. 45, Dodge (The car number as published has been corrected in this text.)
Sponsor: Sprint
Crew Chief: Steven Lane
Career: 609 starts, 8 victories, 167 top 10s, 8 poles.
2001: 24 starts, 0 victories, 0 top 10s, 0 poles.
Comment: Like Earnhardt Jr., not intimidated by a famous father, but unlike Dale Jr. didn’t seem to inherit the consuming desire to win. Finished 43rd last year; hasn’t won since 1995.
Projection: Another long season, followed by retirement.
Shawna Robinson
Age: 28
Home: Des Moines
Car: No. 49, Ford
Sponsor: BAM
Crew Chief: Eddie Sharp
Career: 1 start, 0 victories, 0 top 10s, 0 poles.
2001: Same as above.
Comment: Became first female to qualify for a Winston Cup event last June at Michigan, where she finished 34th. Car owner is also a woman, Beth Ann Morgenthau. They’re planning 24 starts this season.
Projection: In a sport where cooperation is a must, she’ll get very little out there.
Ricky Rudd
Age: 45
Home: Chesapeake, Va.
Car: No. 28
Sponsor: Havoline, Ford
Crew Chief: Michael McSwain
Career: 731 starts, 22 victories, 344 top 10s, 27 poles.
2001: 36 starts, 2 victories, 22 top 10s, 1 pole.
Comment: Hastily joined Robert Yates’ team last year after Tide dropped him. The pairing has worked. Had a streak of 16 straight years with at least one win, a record, from 1983-1998.
Projection: Not quite the fourth-place finish he had last year.
Elliott Sadler
Age: 26
Home: Emporia, Va.
Car: No. 21, Ford
Sponsor: Motorcraft
Crew Chief: Pat Tryson
Career: 105 starts, 1 victory, 4 top 10s, 0 poles.
2001: 36 starts, 1 victory, 2 top 10s, 0 poles.
Comment: Victory at Bristol on March 25 was his first in the big time. Brother Hermie a Busch Series veteran.
Projection: Winning No. 2 seems harder than winning No. 1.
Ken Schrader
Age: 46
Home: Fenton, Mo.
Car: No. 36, Pontiac
Sponsor: M&M’s
Crew Chief: Newt Moore
Career: 528 starts, 4 victories, 176 top 10s, 23 poles.
2001: 36 starts, 0 victories, 5 top 10s, 0 poles.
Comment: Veteran has raced almost every conceivable kind of vehicle. Hasn’t won since 1991 and went from 10th place in ’97 to 12th, 15th, 18th and 19th last year in the Winston Cup standings.
Projection: The slide will stop and he’ll improve a bit.
Mike Skinner
Age: 44
Home: Susanville, Calif.
Car: No. 4, Chevy (The car number as published has been corrected in this text.)
Sponsor: Kodak
Crew Chief: Scott Eggleston
Career: 167 starts, 0 victories, 38 top 10s, 5 poles.
2001: 23 starts, 0 victories, 1 top 10s, 0 poles.
Comment: Former Truck Series champ (1995) seemed on verge of first Winston Cup victory in 1999 and 2000, but that was when his crew chief was the savvy Larry McReynolds, now in the Fox TV booth. Missed 13 races to a knee injury.
Projection: Will return to respectability, meaning a top-20 points finish.
Jimmy Spencer
Age: 45
Home: Berwick, Pa.
Car: No. 41, Dodge (The car number as published has been corrected in this text.)
Sponsor: Target
Crew Chief: Doug Randolph
Career: 370 starts, 2 victories, 70 top 10s, 4 poles.
2001: 36 starts, 0 victories, 8 top 10s, 2 poles.
Comment: Looks like a nose tackle rather than a race driver. Nicknamed “Mr. Excitement” for aggressive racing style. Moves from Ford to a Dodge team co-owned by Chip Ganassi.
Projection: Will finish where he usually does, 15th to 20th, but should win a race.
Tony Stewart
Age: 30
Home: Rushville, Ind.
Car: No. 20, Pontiac (The car number as published has been corrected in this text.)
Sponsor: Home Depot
Crew Chief: Greg Zipadelli
Career: 104 starts, 12 victories, 66 top 10s, 4 poles.
2001: 36 starts, 3 victories, 22 top 10s, 0 poles.
Comment: A matter of time before this superstar wins a series title. Won half as many races (3) in 2001 as in 2000 but improved points finish from sixth to second by being more consistent. IRL rookie of the year in 1996 switched to NASCAR but has twice run the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.
Projection: Will be in the title chase until the end.
Hut Stricklin
Age: 40
Home: Calera, Ala.
Car: No. 23, Dodge (The type of car as published has been corrected in this text.)
Sponsor: Hills Brothers
Crew Chief: Phillipe Lopez
Career: 306 starts, 0 victories, 29 top 10s, 1 pole.
2001: 22 starts, 0 victories, 1 top 10, 0 poles.
Comment: Bobby Allison’s son-in-law is the only active member of the “Alabama Gang”owhich once included the Allisons, Neil Bonnett and Red Farmerocurrently racing. Eight DNQs last year.
Projection: Not as many DNQs, but not much success either.
Kenny Wallace
Age: 38
Home: St. Louis
Car: No. 1, Chevy
Sponsor: Pennzoil
Crew Chief: Paul Andrews
Career: 243 starts, 0 victories, 15 top 10s, 0 poles.
2001: 24 starts, 0 victories, 2 top 10s, 0 poles.
Comment: With Steve Park injured at Darlington, he got hooked up with DEI to race the No. 1 Pennzoil Chevy for the rest of the season and made some great runs, impressive enough for DEI to give him a one-year contract.
Projection: He’ll be highly motivated to perform well while he has the chance.
Rusty Wallace
Age: 45
Home: St. Louis
Car: No. 2, Ford
Sponsor: Miller
Crew Chief: Bill Wilburn
Career: 562 starts, 54 victories, 292 top 10s, 36 poles.
2001: 36 starts, 1 victory, 14 top 10s, 0 poles.
Comment: Will equal Rudd’s 16-year victory streak if he wins one this year. Many Cup drivers own jets, but Wallace has a license to pilot them.
Projection: Capable of winning on any Sunday but another Winston Cup title seems unlikely.
Michael Waltrip
Age: 38
Home: Owensboro, Ky.
Car: No. 15, Chevy
Sponsor: NAPA
Crew Chief: Slugger Labbe
Career: 498 starts, 1 victory, 85 top 10s, 2 poles.
2001: 36 starts, 1 victory, 3 top 10s, 0 poles.
Comment: Finally won a race last year and sat down and wept bitter tears right afterward: It was the Daytona 500 and Dale Earnhardt was his car owner. Only two other top-10 finishes.
Projection: Winless again but could crack top 20 in points.
— Chicago Tribune
