Get your pen and paper out, NASCAR fans.  It's time for everyone's favorite game...time to play NASCAR Musical Chairs.  Every year there's a good number of changes, and this upcoming offseason is no exception.  So get ready, here comes the big rundown!

#1 = still Martin Truex Jr.: Truex was in the midst of contract negotiations.  Rumors began that he was looking for a new team for 2009.  He put all those rumors to rest when he signed a contract extension with DEI, a move I still don't understand...but hey it's your choice if you want to stay with the Wicked Witch of the West.

#5 = Mark Martin: That's right, Mark is coming back (again) to run one (hopefully) final full-time season for one last shot at a championship...at least that's what he says.  Although Mark and Brett Favre have been in contact for a few years now, telling each other "I'll come back if you will."

#07 = Casey Mears: Yep, Mears is going to RCR, and will hope to finally find something he's never had.  The word of the day for Mears is stability!  Hopefully they don't play "swap a crew chief" again with Mears next year.  Give him some time to adjust to his new team, and try to let him run a full season with the same personnel working on the car.  He might actually develop a relationship with his crew chief and gain some confidence, something he's never known in NASCAR.

#8 = Aric Almirola: Almirola has been auditioning for this seat all year, and he's done a good job.  He's earned the ride full-time for 2009, and I look forward to seeing him behind the wheel every week.  Hopefully he can finish every race without Teresa trying to sabotage the engine...or the handling...or telling the crew to fudge up the pit stop...or.......well you get the idea.

#12 = ??????????: Goodbye, Newman.  The Rocketman is leaving the only team he's ever known in NASCAR.  Roger Penske is looking to replace him.  It's a mystery who will drive this car next year as it stands right now.  Will he go to just 2 cars and get rid of the #12 altogether?  Will he move Hornish to the 12 and axe the 77 yet again?  Could David Stremme be given a 2nd chance in the Cup Series?  Round and round it goes, where it stops, nobody knows!  Stay tuned for more updates on who will be driving the Alltel machine in 2009.

#14 = Tony Stewart: Smoke got his wish.  He's an owner/driver starting next year.  As a tribute to his idol, A.J. Foyt, Stewart will drive the 14 which became synonymous with Foyt in the world of auto racing.  Good luck, Tony, you're going to need it as an owner/driver in this day and age!

#16 = still Greg Biffle: The rumors started to fly faster than Jack Roush can fly his plane.  Roush needed to get down to 4 drivers.  Would Biffle be the odd man out?  Would he look for another team?  The Biff would have none of this nonsense.  He's now signed to stay with the only owner he's known in NASCAR, and he's signed with the Cat in the Hat through 2011.

#20 = Joey Logano: Stewart says adios to JGR to go off on his own, and that opens the door for the 18-year-old phenom to fill some big shoes.  He'll be stepping into a car that Tony Stewart left a lasting legacy with, winning 32 races and 2 championships to date.  I can't wait to see what he can do in the Sprint Cup Series, and I just hope they're not rushing him.

#33 = Clint Bowyer: The RCR mess has finally been straightened out.  It was rumored that Bobby Labonte would sign with RCR to drive the 4th car.  There were also of course speculations that Childress could've given Scott Wimmer a 2nd chance in the Cup Series.  All that is now laid to rest.  Mears joins the RCR bunch, and Bowyer will move to the new team, sponsored by Cheerios.  Now Clint will have a healthy breakfast before every driver's meeting instead of a shot of whiskey.

#39 = Ryan Newman: Rocketman Ryan Newman moves over to a new team, becoming teammates with Tony Stewart.  At least Haas has 2 solid drivers now, the problem is his equipment still sucks compared to the rest of the competition.  I think Smoke and Newman will work well together as teammates, but the team they've joined is a match made in hell if you ask me.

#43 = still Bobby Labonte: Bobby was rumored to be the 4th RCR driver, then he hinted that he'd stay with Petty Enterprises, then we didn't know what the hell was going on...well now we do.  Bobby will stay with Petty Enterprises and continue to dig himself deeper into a hole with a has-been team for the next 4 years.

#99 = still Carl Edwards: Are you tired of seeing Carl with the Aflac duck?  If you answered yes, I got some bad news for you...Aflac will be the primary sponsor of the 99 next year.  So not only is Carl Edwards staying a Roushketeer, Kyle Busch will be getting a faceful of duck feathers when Carl passes him.

#???? = Reed Sorenson: Sorenson knows he's going to be teammates with Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler next year, but there are still questions left to be answered.  What number will Reed be driving?  Is he taking Carpentier's place in the #10?  Is he going to be driving a 4th GEM car?  Is he going to be in the #10 while Carpentier moves to a 4th GEM car?  There are a lot of details which still need to be worked out, but at least he knows he has a ride for 2009.

Scott Riggs = I'm looking for a ride!: With Stewart-Haas Racing now finalized to have Stewart and Newman as the 2 drivers, Riggs is once again screwed out of a job.  Right now he's looking for a new ride (again) for 2009.  There are a couple vacancies out there.  Nobody is signed to drive the #12 yet in place of Ryan Newman.  There's also nobody signed to drive the #41 which will soon be vacated by Reed Sorenson.

My guesses: I look for Scott Riggs to take over the #41 in place of Reed Sorenson.  I'm thinking Sorenson will be a 4th GEM driver, either in the #10 while Carpentier moves to the new team, or driving the 4th GEM car himself while Carpentier remains in the #10.  Finally, I look for David Stremme to return to Sprint Cup racing for Roger Penske in the #12.

Stay tuned for more updates on NASCAR's Silly Season.  There's still a few pieces left to the puzzle for 2009, and they'll hopefully be finalized before we get to Homestead.

BK over and out