Anyone who knows anything about NASCAR knows the clean air rule. Every last car on the track handles better out in front of the pack than behind other cars. You hear it time and time again in pre/post-race interviews, from crew chiefs talking strategy and handling, and from former champions in the booth. The further away the leader gets from everyone else, the harder he is to pass.



Owning a team isn't any different. Once you've got an operation that makes money by the blimpload from winnings and sponsorship, you've got the fiscal means to get the resources you need to keep it there. Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Roush Fenway Racing. These are the names at the top of the totem pole and they've all been there since multiple team ownership became the norm in the early 90s.

No one is saying that the road to winning will be easy for Stewart-Haas Racing, but the idea that they could ever compete for championships on a real level is just this side of impossible. Unless Newman, Stewart and hundreds of employees for S-HR spend the entire offseason sleepless, the organization will struggle until at least mid-season with results that aren't overwhelmingly better than what the organization has experienced in 2008.

However, I believe the organization will find its footing and eventually, be it late next season or further down the road, contend for wins. Be that as it may, contending for wins and contending for championships are very different things. Just ask Kasey Kahne.