Silly Season ; Around the NASCAR paddock, rumors, half-truths, lies and damn lies are running rampant.(Brief Article)

Maybe this missive should begin with a disclaimer: Since hardly anyone is willing to say anything on the record at this point, virtually everything you're about to read is full-blooded, unofficial speculation.

But, on the other hand, that doesn't mean these things aren't going to happen. Or, at least, could possibly perhaps might maybe happen. They've all been mentioned in some quarters, but don't say we didn't warn you if many of them die on the vine.

That's what NASCAR's annual ``Silly Season'' is all about.

You can tell it's Silly Season when word circulates that Tony Stewart might leave straight-laced Joe Gibbs Racing for the freedom of Chip Ganassi/Felix Sabates Racing. Stewart and Gibbs dismiss that as silly, but Ganassi enjoys tap-dancing around a definitive answer. (Another rumor is that Champ car driver Kenny Brack will get some Cup starts in a third Ganassi/Sabates car. You can almost take that one to the bank.)

Why would Stewart even consider such a move? 1) Ganassi could offer a contending Indy 500 car each May, and 2) nobody at Ganassi/Sabates would flinch in the least if Stewart ran a Tuesday night late-model race under an assumed name at East Backwater Speedway. FYI: He's just as happy (happier?) running a dirt-track midget or sprint car at East Backwater as he is in a Cup car at Martinsville or Pocono.

But several key questions remain. Foremost among them is, does Ganassi/ Sabates (and maybe Target) have enough millions to buy the last three years of Stewart's contract? Even so, would Home Depot let Stewart go after creating so much of its in-store and mass-market advertising around him? How would Pontiac react to losing its biggest star (yes, bigger than Bobby Labonte) to Dodge? Where would Ganassi/Sabates driver Jason Leffler land if Stewart came in to team with Sterling Marlin? And would Stewart be willing to trade proven, winning Pontiacs for a Dodge program that's just now finding its feet?

You can tell it's Silly Season when Kyle Petty issues a statement reminding one and all that Buckshot Jones is solid for next year. Rumor was that Jones was in jeopardy, and several replacements were being considered. According to Petty, that's simply hogwash. (Interest-ingly, though, the statement dealt only with Jones. It didn't mention the '02 status of Petty or John Andretti.)