Trouble in paradise for Roush juggernaut

David Green weighs in on the Kurt Busch move that made headlines on Tuesday.

By DAVID GREEN

Kurt Busch’s jump from Roush Racing to Roger Penske’s organization sure came as a jolt, but it is hardly the first chink in the armor for the powerhouse Roush team.

The team went into this year with the impending retirement of rock-solid Mark Martin, who had performed well enough in the first Chase for the Cup that he could legitimately hope for a chance to go out as a champion in 2005. But the Roush signed Jamie McMurray, who still had another season remaining on his contract with Chip Ganassi, to replace Martin.

When it began to appear that Ganassi would hold McMurray to the terms of his pact, Roush asked Martin to consider racing one more year. It’s safe to assume that was not something Martin was happy to hear.

The choice of a replacement for Martin also miffed Roush driver Matt Kenseth, who felt he should have been consulted in the selection of a new driver. If it had been Kenseth who jumped ship, that would have been much less of a shocker.

While all this was going on, the Roush team – which, need I remind anyone, has owned the Cup Series championship for two seasons running – was winning nearly half the first 20 races of the season. Busch’s win at Pocono was his second, and the Roush team’s ninth, of the year.

Unless his career decision causes upheaval within the 97 team, Busch has to be considered a solid bet to score a repeat Cup championship. The question is, how will he perform in a lame-duck status? And how long will he be in that position?

Team chemistry is not necessarily dependent upon harmonious relations, as the “Gas House Gang” St. Louis Cardinals of the 1930s proved. But common sense tells you that it’s not an optimum situation when your driver is already headed toward what he perceives to be greener pastures.

Then, there is the bizarre situation for both McMurray and Busch in 2006. Martin has said he may delay his retirement another year, but Wallace unequivocally will not.

This kind of deal is hardly unprecedented. The first high-profile example in NASCAR’s Modern Era was when Darrell Waltrip bought out his contract with DiGard Racing to move to Junior Johnson’s team in 1981.

It’s also pretty standard stuff in the motorsports world at large. Witness Formula One’s Jenson Button, who last year tried to leave BAR Honda for a ride with the Williams BMW team, but was ordered to honor his contract with BAR; now, Button wishes to remain with BAR in 2006, but may be held to the contract he signed with Williams.

From Darrell Waltrip to Kurt Busch, there’s no question drivers have the right to make the career decisions they think are in their best interests. Each of us would want the same kind of freedom. The bottom line, though, is that all the cutthroat machinations may not settle so well with Joe Racefan, who may rightfully feel that drivers ought to have some loyalty to the teams with which they have enjoyed success.