By RICK MINTER
Cox News Service

JACK SPRAGUE, No. 0, Pontiac

• Principal sponsor: NetZero

• Owner: Gene Haas

• Crew chief: Dennis Connor

• 2002: The only three-time champion in the history of the Craftsman Truck Series drove a Hendrick Motorsports car in the Busch Series, winning once and finishing fifth in points.

• 2003: The team will work closely with Hendrick Motorsports in a campaign for rookie of the year.

• On the Web: www.netzeroracing.com

JERRY NADEAU, No. 01, Pontiac

• Principal sponsor: U.S. Army

• Owners: Nelson Bowers, Read Morton, Tom Beard

• Crew chief: Ryan Pemberton

• 2002: After driving for Hendrick Motorsports, stepping in for the injured Johnny Benson and filling a vacant seat in the Petty's No. 44, Nadeau dropped off the circuit because of injuries suffered in a go-cart crash.

• 2003: Nadeau was injured in an accident during practice at Richmond and will be out the rest of the season.

• On the Web: www.jerry-nadeau.com; www.goarmy.comwww.goarmy.com

STEVE PARK, No. 30, Chevrolet

• Principal sponsor: America Online

• Owner: Richard Childress

• Crew chief: Mike Beam

• 2002: After missing the first four races of the season because of an injury suffered in 2001, Park struggled to return to form.

• 2003: Moved to the Childress team in midseason after a disappointing run with Dale Earnhardt Inc.

• On the Web: www.steve-park.com

RUSTY WALLACE, No. 2, Dodge

• Principal sponsor: Miller Lite

• Owner: Roger Penske

• Crew chief: Billy Wilburn

• 2002: Despite several strong runs, Wallace's streak of 16 consecutive seasons with at least one victory came to an end.

• 2003: A switch from Ford to Dodge, plus the help he's likely to receive from teammate Ryan Newman, should allow Wallace to start a new streak.

• On the Web: www.rustywallace.com; www.penskeracing.com

MIKE SKINNER, No. 4, Pontiac

• Principal sponsor: Kodak Max

• Owner: Larry McClure

• Crew chief: Chris Carrier

• 2002: In their first full season together, Skinner and his team had a best finish of sixth and wound up 31st in points.

• 2003: The first Craftsman Truck Series champion is hoping a switch from Chevy to Pontiac, plus an alliance with Johnny Benson's team, will help him get his first Cup win.

• On the Web: www.morgan-mcclure.com

TERRY LABONTE, No. 5, Chevrolet

• Principal sponsor: Kellogg's

• Owner: Rick Hendrick

• Crew chief: Jim Long

• 2002: The two-time Winston Cup champion finished 24th in the standings, the lowest in his 25 years on the circuit.

• 2003: Labonte's team has been working to make his cars more like those of teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, who won six races last year.

• On the Web: www.hendrickmotorsports.com

MARK MARTIN, No. 6, Ford

• Principal sponsor: Viagra/Pfizer

• Owner: Jack Roush

• Crew chief: Ben Leslie

• 2002: After finishing out of the top 10 in points in 2001, Martin was runner-up in the championship chase, losing to Tony Stewart by 38 points.

• 2003: An optimistic Martin says he's now at full strength after suffering with a back injury that required surgery two years ago.

• On the Web: www.roushracing.com

JIMMY SPENCER, No. 7 , Dodge

• Principal sponsor: Sirius Satellite Radio

• Owner: Jim Smith

• Crew chief: Tommy Baldwin Jr.

• 2002: Driving for Chip Ganassi, Spencer finished second in the spring race at Bristol but was fired at the end of the season.

• 2003: For years they raced against each other on New England's Modified circuit, but now Spencer and Baldwin are excited to be on the same team.

• On the Web: www.jimmyspencer.com

DALE EARNHARDT JR., No. 8, Chevrolet

• Principal sponsor: Budweiser

• Owner: Dale Earnhardt Inc.

• Crew chief: Tony Eury Sr.

• 2002: Earnhardt Jr. swept the two races at Talladega, but problems with pit stops and a hard crash at California kept him from contending for the championship.

• 2003: Many say that with team improvements made during the winter, Earnhardt will be a threat to win his first Cup title.

• On the Web: www.dalejr.com; www.daleearnhardtinc.com

BILL ELLIOTT, No. 9, Dodge

• Principal sponsor: Dodge Dealers

• Owner: Ray Evernham

• Crew chief: Mike Ford

• 2002: For a while, Elliott was awesome again, winning back-to-back and climbing to sixth in the standings, before bad luck and mechanical woes set in.

• 2003: Evernham, a former crew chief, says he's on the verge of giving Elliott a car that can carry them to the championship.

• On the Web: www.evernhammotorsports.com

JOHNNY BENSON, No. 10, Pontiac

• Principal sponsor: Valvoline

• Owners: Nelson Bowers, Jim Rocco, Tom Beard

• Crew chief: James Ince

• 2002: After missing five races because of injuries, Benson rebounded by grabbing his first Winston Cup win at Rockingham.

• 2003: Now that they know they can out-run the best in Winston Cup, Benson and Ince should win more races this year.

• On the Web: www.johnnybenson.com; www.valvoline.com

RYAN NEWMAN, No. 12, Dodge

• Principal sponsor: Alltel

• Owner: Roger Penske

• Crew chief: Matt Borland

• 2002: Newman and Borland, both trained as engineers, showed that an analytical approach to racing can be successful as the rookie team won two events.

• 2003: The switch from Ford to Dodge hasn't kept Newman from being one of the favorites to win the championship.

• On the Web: www.penskeracing.com; www.ryan12newman.com

LARRY FOYT, No. 14, Dodge

• Principal sponsor: Harrah's

• Owner: A.J. Foyt

• Crew chief: Butch Lamoreux

• 2002: In his second year in NASCAR's Busch Series, the son of a racing icon scored two top-five finishes and was 20th in points.

• 2003: There are doubts about whether the 25-year-old driver has enough experience to compete in Winston Cup.

• On the Web: www.foytracing.com

MICHAEL WALTRIP, No. 15, Chevrolet

• Principal sponsor: NAPA

• Owner: Dale Earnhardt Inc.

• Crew chief: Richard "Slugger" Labbe

• 2002: A year after his breakthrough win in the Daytona 500, Waltrip showed he's stronger at restrictor-plate racing by winning the Pepsi 400 at Daytona.

• 2003: He has shown in preseason practice that he's going to be one of the drivers to beat at Daytona and Talladega.

• On the Web: www.daleearnhardtinc.com

GREG BIFFLE, No. 16, Ford

• Principal sponsor: Grainger

• Owner: Jack Roush

• Crew chief: Randy Goss

• 2002: He won the Busch Series championship and qualified in the top five three times in seven Cup appearances.

• 2003: After winning the Craftsman Truck Series championship in 2000, Busch rookie of the year in 2001 and the 2002 Busch title, Biffle is the favorite to win rookie honors in Winston Cup.

• On the Web: www.roushracing.com

MATT KENSETH, No. 17, Ford

• Principal sponsor: DeWalt Tools

• Owner: Jack Roush

• Crew chief: Robbie Reiser

• 2002: Kenseth's five wins were the most of any driver on the circuit, and his eighth-place finish in the standings was a career best.

• 2003: Backed by the considerable resources of the Roush organization, Kenseth is among the favorites to win the championship.

• On the Web: www.roushracing.com

BOBBY LABONTE, No. 18, Chevrolet

• Principal sponsor: Interstate Batteries

• Owner: Joe Gibbs

• Crew chief: Michael "Fatback" McSwain

• 2002: After finishing in the top 10 in points for five consecutive seasons, Labonte fell to 16th, his worst finish since 1994.

• 2003: A change of crew chiefs, plus a switch from Pontiac to Chevrolet, could be what Labonte needs to rebound.

• On the Web: www.joegibbsracing.com

JEREMY MAYFIELD, No. 19, Dodge

• Principal sponsor: Dodge Dealers

• Owner: Ray Evernham

• Crew chief: Kenny Francis

• 2002: In his first season for Evernham, the results were disappointing for a driver who won twice in 2000 while driving for Roger Penske.

• 2003: With Francis moving over from Bill Elliott's team, plus several other changes, Mayfield has a better chance of showing his talents.

• On the Web: www.evernhammotorsports.com

TONY STEWART, No. 20, Chevrolet

• Principal sponsor: The Home Depot

• Owner: Joe Gibbs

• Crew chief: Greg Zipadelli

• 2002: Despite dropping out of six races, and his off-track troubles, he beat Mark Martin to win his first Winston Cup championship.

• 2003: Stewart seems to be more comfortable in the role of superstar, which is bad news for his competitors. Moving to Chevrolet can only strengthen his hand.

• On the Web: www.joegibbsracing.com

RICKY RUDD, No. 21, Ford

• Principal sponsor: Motorcraft

• Owner: Wood Brothers

• Crew chief: Pat Tryson

• 2002: Despite a messy split from the No. 28 Robert Yates Racing team, Rudd finished 10th in the standings and won a race.

• 2003: The union of a veteran Virginia driver and a longtime Virginia race team may be what they both need.

• On the Web: www.woodbrothersracing.com

WARD BURTON, No. 22, Dodge

• Principal sponsor: Caterpillar

• Owner: Bill Davis

• Crew chief: Frankie Stoddard

• 2002: He opened the season by winning the Daytona 500, won again at New Hampshire, but fell to 25th in the standings.

• 2003: Longtime crew chief Tommy Baldwin Jr. left and has been replaced by Stoddard, whose most recent job was with Burton's brother Jeff.

• On the Web: www.billdavisracing.com

KENNY WALLACE, No. 23, Dodge

• Principal sponsor: Stacker2

• Owner: Gail Davis

• Crew chief: Phillipe Lopez

• 2002: Even though he was a full-time Busch driver, Wallace ran most of the Cup schedule: first as a fill-in for the injured Steve Park, then in the No. 23.

• 2003: The popular driver has yet to score a top-10 finish in the No. 23, so he still needs to prove himself.

• On the Web: www.billdavisracing.com

JEFF GORDON, No. 24, Chevrolet

• Principal sponsor: DuPont

• Owner: Rick Hendrick

• Crew chief: Robbie Loomis

• 2002: Gordon now admits that his split from wife Brooke was a distraction, but he still won three times and finished fourth in the standings.

• 2003: With his personal problems at least on the road to solution, Gordon has a strong shot at a fifth Cup title.

• On the Web: www.hendrickmotorsports.com; www.jeffgordon.com

JOE NEMECHEK, No. 25, Chevrolet

• Principal sponsor: UAW-Delphi

• Owner: Joseph Hendrick

• Crew chief: Peter Sospenzo

• 2002: A deal with Haas-Carter fell apart after six races when sponsor Kmart filed for bankruptcy, but Nemechek rebounded in Hendrick's No. 25 with two runner-up runs in the final four races.

• 2003: Sospenzo is a gifted crew chief and should be able to take advantage of the many Hendrick resources.

• On the Web: www.hendrickmotorsports.com

KEVIN HARVICK, No. 29, Chevrolet

• Principal sponsor: GM Goodwrench

• Owner: Richard Childress

• Crew chief: Gil Martin

• 2002: Harvick won at Chicagoland, but his accomplishments were overshadowed by the "parking" of his Winston Cup car for a race after an incident in a truck race.

• 2003: Two years after stepping into the cars once driven by the late Dale Earnhardt, everyone is looking for a charge to the front.

• On the Web: www.rcrracing.com

JEFF GREEN, No. 1, Chevrolet

• Principal sponsor: Pennzoil

• Owner: Dale Earnhardt Inc.

• Crew chief: Tony Gibson

• 2002: His teammates at RCR were expected to lead the team, but when the final points were totaled, Green was 17th, ahead of Kevin Harvick and Robby Gordon.

• 2003: Moved to the No. 1 car in a switch with Steve Park.

• On the Web: www.rcrracing.com

ROBBY GORDON, No. 31, Chevrolet

• Principal sponsor: Cingular Wireless

• Owner: Richard Childress

• Crew chief: Kevin Hamlin

• 2002: His first full season in Winston Cup produced a best finish of 20th in points. The highlight was running the Indy 500 and Coke 600 on the same day.

• 2003: Gordon is widely recognized as one of the most talented drivers on the circuit, but he badly needs to improve the results.

• On the Web: www.rcrracing.com

RICKY CRAVEN, No. 32, Ponitac

• Principal sponsor: Tide

• Owner: Cal Wells III

• Crew chief: Scott Miller

• 2002: Overall, Craven had a better year than in 2001 (when he got his first Cup win), but he was unable to grab a victory.

• 2003: A switch from Ford to Pontiac and a new crew chief may help, but single-car teams such as Craven's have struggled in recent years.

• On the Web: www.ppi-racing.com

ELLIOTT SADLER, No. 38, Ford

• Principal sponsor: M&M's

• Owner: Robert Yates

• Crew chief: Raymond Fox

• 2002: After two runner-up runs in the first five races, Sadler's season unraveled amid the turmoil of his plans to leave the No. 21 Ford.

• 2003: After initially planning to take a job with Dale Earnhardt Inc., Sadler wound up swapping cars with Ricky Rudd, but Yates' familiar No. 28 now is 38.

• On the Web: www.mmsmotorsports.com; www.sadlerfanclub.com

STERLING MARLIN, No. 40, Dodge

• Principal sponsor: Coors Light

• Owner: Chip Ganassi

• Crew chief: Lee McCall

• 2002: He won two races, at Darlington and Las Vegas, and led the points standings for 25 weeks before being sidelined by a neck injury.

• 2003: He has recovered from his injury, and his crew appears to have his cars in condition to make another strong title bid.

• On the Web: www.chipganassiracing.com

CASEY MEARS, No. 41, Dodge

• Principal sponsor: Target

• Owner: Chip Ganassi

• Crew chief: Jimmy Elledge

• 2002: Running as a rookie in NASCAR's Busch Series, Mears had one top five --- at Talladega --- and finished 21st in points.

• 2003: Ganassi has a knack for picking good young drivers, and this one comes with fine bloodlines --- he's the nephew of four-time Indy 500 winner Rick Mears.

• On the Web: www.chipganassiracing.com

JAMIE McMURRAY, No. 42, Dodge

• Principal sponsor: Havoline

• Owners: Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates

• Crew chief: Donnie Wingo

• 2002: People wondered whether Ganassi was making a mistake when he hired the virtually unknown driver. But he looked like a genius when McMurray won in his second Cup start.

• 2003: The expectations are high, but the team might be up to the challenge.

• On the Web: www.chipganassiracing.com

JOHN ANDRETTI, No. 43, Dodge

• Principal sponsor: Cheerios

• Owners: Richard and Kyle Petty

• Crew chief: Gary Putnam

• 2002: Andretti is known for his loyalty to the Pettys, but the season had to have tried his patience as he finished a disappointing 28th in points with only three top-10 finishes.

• 2003: The driver has vowed to do what he can to again make the famous No. 43 one of the most desired rides in NASCAR.

• On the Web: www.pettyracing.com

KYLE PETTY, No. 45, Dodge

• Principal sponsor: Georgia Pacific

• Owner: Pattie Petty

• Crew chief: Steven Lane

• 2002: After finishing 43rd in the standings in 2001, Petty bounced back to 22nd with a best finish of 10th at Talladega.

• 2003: His car was fast in testing at Daytona, but Petty says this season likely will be another building year.

• On the Web: www.pettyracing.com

KEN SCHRADER, No. 49, Dodge

• Principal sponsor: None

• Owners: Tony and Beth Ann Morgenthau

• Crew chief: Scott Eggleston

• 2002: A promising start in the No. 36 Pontiac turned into a disaster as equipment dropped him to 30th in points and sent Schrader looking for a new ride.

• 2003: It looked as if the oldest regular driver on the circuit signed on with the No. 49 team just to draw a check, but he ran well in the Bud Shootout.

• On the Web: www.bam49.com

TODD BODINE, No. 54, Ford

• Principal sponsor: National Guard

• Owners: Sam Belnavis and Travis Carter

• Crew chief: Derrick Finley

• 2002: Several strong runs were overshadowed by being placed on probation for rough driving.

• 2003: Bodine had back surgery in the offseason and enters the season with a new sponsor and crew chief. Might be a learning experience.

• On the Web: www.todd-bodine.com

DAVE BLANEY, No. 77, Ford

• Principal sponsor: Jasper Engines and Transmissions

• Owners: Doug Bawel, Mark Wallace and Mark Harrah

• Crew chief: Robert Barker

• 2002: In his first season in the No. 77, Blaney was 19th in points.

• 2003: The team should have plenty of engines because their partners at Penske are switching to Dodge, leaving Blaney a shop full of Ford power plants.

• On the Web: www.jasperengines.com; www.daveblaney.com

DALE JARRETT, No. 88, Ford

• Principal sponsor: UPS

• Owner: Robert Yates

• Crew chief: Shawn Parker

• 2002: Jarrett won twice, at Pocono and Michigan but finished outside the top 10 in points for the first time in seven years.

• 2003: Parrott has joined the team as crew chief, and even with the youth movement that is sweeping through the NASCAR garage, Jarrett is still a hot property.

• On the Web: www.racing.ups.com; www.dalejarrett.com

KURT BUSCH, No. 97, Ford

• Principal sponsor: Rubbermaid

• Owner: Georgetta Roush

• Crew chief: Jimmy Fennig

• 2002: Roush's decision to pair the veteran Fennig with the sophomore Busch proved to be one of the smartest decisions of the season. Busch won four races and finished third in points.

• 2003: Busch is 24, but he has the skills to become a big star in NASCAR.

• On the Web: www.roushracing.com

JEFF BURTON, No. 99, Ford

• Principal sponsor: Citgo

• Owner: Jack Roush

• Crew chief: Paul Andrews

• 2002: After finishing third in points in 2000, Burton was considered a championship contender, but he was 10th in 2001 and 12th in 2002.

• 2003: Paul Andrews, who led the late Alan Kulwicki to the 1992 title, has been brought in to turn things around.

• On the Web: www.roushracing.com

Published on May 27, 2003