30 in '10

Those listening in on the podcasts that we did during the 2009 season know that both of us can be quite opinionated. With that in mind, we decided it would be more fun to argue out our picks amongst the two of us, and you get to read along with how that argument went down. Today, we roll out the bottom ten of our “30 in ‘10” – numbers 30 through 21.

#30: Casey Mears

HE SAID: He really, really, really, really misses Hendrick Motorsports…

SHE SAID: Although this team showed some promise toward the tail end of 2009, the lack of firm sponsorship for the full season forces us to put Casey at the bottom of the 2010 top 30 list.

#29: Sam Hornish, Jr.

HE SAID: Nothing personal to Hornish, but I could not think of a bloody thing to say about him when Laura first brought his name up. That about sums up how forgettable his ’09 season was.

SHE SAID: Sam had the second highest number of on track “incidents” in 2009, second only to David Stremme, who wrecked often enough to have his own #blamestremme tag on Twitter.

#28: A.J. Allmendinger

HE SAID: 2009 started strong for Allmendinger, with a fifth-place showing in the Shootout, but he only went downhill from there. DUI’s are not A-OK in NASCAR.

SHE SAID: A.J. has been showing potential, but between his knack for finding the wall a bit too often, the management/brand upheaval at RPM, and my co-writer’s vote, this team comes in lower than what they may well show in 2010.

#27: Bobby Labonte

HE SAID: The numbers tell the tale of how mediocre he was in 2009: only one top 5 and two top 10 finishes.

SHE SAID: Labonte had a couple of promising runs for newcomer TRG motorsports at the end of 2009. The addition of Doug Randolph as Crew Chief may help that along, but a small organization with less funding than many other teams does not help Bobby’s cause in Crucial Taunt’s top 30 of 2010.

#26: David Ragan

HE SAID: David Ragan was great in ’08, but may as well have been driving the UPS truck in ’09.

SHE SAID: Can this team find the flashes of brilliance from 2008? We need to see that for ourselves before we can bump him up the top 30 list.

#25: Brad Keselowski

HE SAID: There are two reasons to not be too excited about Keselowski in 2010 – his 2009 win was a fluke and everybody in the circuit hates him.

SHE SAID: If he can get along with his new teammates and learn to play well with other drivers, he may be much higher than where we put him on our list.

#24: Elliott Sadler

HE SAID: This is much better than his 2009 showing merits, but he should deliver.

SHE SAID: Will the return to Yates horsepower help Elliott, or will management issues at RPM as well as contract talks cause even bigger problems with this team?

#23: David Reutimann

HE SAID: His win might have been fluky, but his talent is real. This team still needs to grow.

SHE SAID: This team has great potential and good equipment, but there weren’t many flashes of brilliance after their one 2009 win.

#22: Jeff Burton

HE SAID: Age may not be catching up with Mark Martin, but it is catching up to Burton.

SHE SAID: This team should be higher on the list, but between a lackluster 2009 and the Crucial Taunt “He Said” vote, Jeff Burton slides down the list for 2010.

#21: Jamie McMurray

HE SAID: From Roush-Fenway to Earnhardt-Ganassi is not exactly an upgrade.

SHE SAID: Will Jamie’s second tour with Chip Ganassi be more fruitful than the first? It will be interesting to see how long it takes this team to get their chemistry in order and see how they take advantage of having Juan Pablo as a teammate.

Interested in hearing more on picks 30 through 21, or want to be part of the conversation? Join Laura and Mark this Wednesday, and every Wednesday, by clicking the link here!