DeWalt will not be back on the #17 Roush Fenway Ford driven by Matt Kenseth next year. That ends a 10-year relationship with Roush/Roush Fenway, and an 11-year relationship with Kenseth.
Roush Fenway needs to lose a team after this season to get down to the Hendrick-standard 4 teams. Kenseth does have a multi-year deal with Roush Fenway, along with Greg Biffle (whose sponsor, 3M, is not signed beyond 2009) and Carl Edwards (whose sponsor, Aflac, is signed through 2011). David Ragan and Jamie McMurray are currently signed only through 2009, though Ragan’s sponsor, UPS, does have a multi-year deal with Roush Fenway. Let the speculation begin.
Speculation is since Stewart is on a good run this year, guys like Harvick and Kenseth will want to start their own teams. Big mistake in the economy with NASCAR for right now.
I still see DeWalt on another car next year. Maybe not as a major sponsor but DeWalt is still up against Kobalt on the 48 car.
Somehow, I don’t see DeWalt in NASCAR at all next year. The scuttlebut is that Citi will move up next year.
As for ownership, the Stewart deal is unique. He bought into an existing team that had a pipeline into Hendrick Motorsports, and turned that into Hendrick’s all-but-official 5th and 6th teams (heck, I’d almost say 4th and 5th teams, with the #88 taking the usual #25 role). I honestly don’t see that being duplicated.
The Harvicks, as well as Dale Jr, may well try, however. They both have extensive, and at least semi-successful, Nationwide operations. The big question is how many teams can Hendrick support.
I just don’t see Kenseth as a car owner. He’s always denied any interest in that, even as an owner-in-name-only like Mark Martin was when he was with Roush.