What has been shut down you ask? How about the power that drivers had hoped to gain by the unprecedented contract moves over the past couple of weeks. Jamie McMurray made a deal with Roush Racing to take over the #6 seat of the departing Mark Martin beginning with the 2007 season. McMurray's current team owner, Chip Ganassi Racing, had an option to exercise extending McMurray's contract through the 2006 season. He has exercised it, and claims he will be sticking to it, stating unequivocally that McMurray will drive for him in 2006.

When Roush Racing made that initial unprecedented deal with McMurray, little did they know it would come back to haunt them, real soon! Within a few days, their star driver and defending Cup Champion Kurt Busch, was lured away beginning in 2007 to take over the #2 Dodge being vacated by Rusty Wallace at the end of this season. The same deal applies to Busch that applies to McMurray; Busch has one more year on his contract with Roush Racing.

Gaining power probably wasn't one of the reasons that the two drivers made their contract choices in advance. But after the two deals were made, there had to be a lot of different thoughts going through the minds of drivers and team members, as there probably still are. I have no doubt that this apparent stand-off between owners will be the talk of the garage area for the remainder of the season and beyond.

For the present time, the drivers who had hoped to get out of their final contract year with their present owners, have been shut down. Ganassi and Roush may have found themselves in a quagmire, and it may be a quagmire that was pretty much started my Jack Roush.

The aspect of hiring a driver for a season ahead while he still had a year on his contract was a bad move. Yes, it was an option on a final year for the contract, but it was an option that could be exercised by an angry and disappointed owner, so he is putting it right back on Jack Roush. Roger Penske is playing them both for fools, regardless of what happens, he didn't start the advanced season contract negations, he is just taking advantage of it.

Both owners, Roush and Ganassi alike, are afraid of setting a precedent by allowing their drivers out of their contracts early. If the two of them set that precedent, then all of the 43 drivers in Cup racing would think they could make moves, abandoning owners and teams, regardless of binding contracts. They may have already opened up a can of worms that will be around to haunt them for quite a few seasons.

Some racing industry insiders are speculating that Roush and Ganassi will come to an understanding sometime during the off-season, and let their drivers out of their contracts early. There isn't much to be said about an unhappy lame duck driver, which McMurray is already playing the part of. McMurray has probably ruined any team chemistry he had by openly showing his bad attitude, and it's going to be pure agony for him at Chip Ganassi Racing for the duration. Kurt Busch, on the other hand, has an upbeat attitude and claims that he has solid team chemistry at Roush. He plans on winning the 2005 championship in Roush's #97 Ford, and again next season if need be.

The 2005 Top Five

Track	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th
Daytona -	J Gordon	Kt Busch	Earnhardt	Riggs	Johnson
California -	Biffle	Johnson	Kt Busch	McMurray	Edwards
Las Vegas -	Johnson	Ky Busch	Kt Busch	J Gordon	Harvick
Atlanta -	Edwards	Johnson	Biffle	Martin	Kahne
Bristol -	Harvick	Sadler	Stewart	Earnhardt	Jarrett
Martinsville -	J Gordon	Kahne	Martin	Newman	R Wallace
Texas -	Biffle	McMurray	Johnson	Mears	Marlin
Phoenix -	Kt Busch	Waltrip	J Burton	Earnhardt	Vickers
Talladega -	J Gordon	Stewart	Waltrip	Mayfield	McMurray
Darlington -	Biffle	J Gordon	Kahne	Martin	Newman
Richmond -	Kahne	Stewart	Newman	Ky Busch	Harvick
Charlotte -	Johnson	B Labonte	Edwards	Mayfield	Newman
Dover -	Biffle	Ky Busch	Martin	Johnson	R Wallace
Pocono -	Edwards	Vickers	Nemechek	Ky Busch	Waltrip
Michigan -	Biffle	Stewart	Martin	Kenseth	Edwards
Infineon -	Stewart	Rudd	Kt Busch	R Wallace	Jarrett
Daytona -	Stewart	McMurray	Earnhardt	R Wallace	Jarrett
Chicagoland -	Earnhardt	Kenseth	Johnson	Vickers	Stewart
Louden, NH -	Stewart	Kt Busch	B Labonte	Ky Busch	Biffle
Pocono -	Kt Busch	R Wallace	Martin	Edwards	Newman
Indianapolis -	Stewart	Kahne	Vickers	Mayfield	Kenseth
Watkins Glen -	Stewart	R Gordon	Said	Pruett	Johnson
Michigan -
Bristol -
California -
Richmond -