On the market: top five free agents

The 39-year-old Jeremy Mayfield once outmuscled Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. AP Tom Bowles's Mailbag Submit a comment or question for Tom. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

As summer turns to fall, NASCAR's Silly Season is a little bit like a department store going out of business. All merchandise needs to be cleared out at bargain basement prices; and by the time you get to its final days, there's next to nothing left to shop for.

But every once in awhile, if you look hard enough, you sometimes get lucky. And with contraction, not expansion, the word of choice on the Sprint Cup circuit these days, there are far more drivers available than usual this time of year.

Here's a look at the top five free agents remaining, and why they should be an attractive option for owners with spots still left to fill:

Jeremy Mayfield: What do current Chase Cinderella Greg Biffle and Mayfield have in common? They have the same number of career postseason appearances: two. It's easy to forget that the 39-year-old Mayfield once outmuscled both Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. en route to two consecutive Chase appearances in 2004 and '05. That was when he was driving the No. 19 Dodge for Gillett Evernham Motorsports, a ride Mayfield lost after plummeting to outside the Top 30 in the standings in 2006.

Since then, the veteran has bounced around in low-quality rides, leaving Haas CNC Racing this season after just seven starts, no top 15s and several DNFs. Some will say Mayfield's already had his last best chance: He spent the better part of a decade with both Penske Racing and GEM, racking up five career wins, nine poles and two bitter, public divorces that made one think he's not a team player.

But those career numbers are far better than anyone else left on the outside looking in, making it not a matter of if, but when he'll get re-signed. Rumor has it if Ganassi doesn't merge with another team for 2009 (a claim Ganassi flatly denied in my column last week), Mayfield is battling A.J. Allmendinger for a spot in the No. 41 car.

A.J. Allmendinger: Speaking of the 'Dinger, he got handed a raw deal this week with his release from Team Red Bull next season. One of the most improved drivers over the second half of '08, the second-year man had scored his first career top 10 with new crew chief Jimmy Elledge, adding a handful of top 15s to pull the No. 84 car back into the safety of a "locked in" qualifying spot in owner points.

But in the eyes of Team Red Bull's Austrian ownership, Allmendinger just wasn't improving fast enough to deserve a long-term commitment. The driver reportedly wanted a three-year deal, far more than owner Dietrich Mateschitz was willing to give as he works to develop open-wheel convert Scott Speed. With Speed's success in both the Truck and ARCA series this year, he's matured faster than expected and put Mateschitz in the position of running him for Rookie Of The Year in Cup next season. Unfortunately for Allmendinger, that left him the odd man out, as Mateschitz ruled an expansion to three cars out of the question.

Still, the open-wheeler has fared better than any convert other than Juan Pablo Montoya, and at 26, should be a shoe-in to get a ride elsewhere. Petty Enterprises has been mentioned as a possible option, but 'Dinger would be a better fit with Montoya at Ganassi.

Michael McDowell: Just 23, McDowell's had a rude awakening this season as a rookie on the Cup tour. In 20 starts, he's yet to crack the top 15, and has been involved in more than his share of rookie mistakes on the track -- Watkins Glen and Loudon come to mind as places where he proved the trigger for big-time wrecks. That's caused current employer Michael Waltrip Racing to struggle selling sponsorship for him next season, leaving the door open for McDowell to look elsewhere.

But there's a reason MWR is working hard to keep this kid in the fold. Runner-up in the ARCA standings last season, McDowell's four wins over there gave notice he's a talented up-and-comer. But the equipment he's driving now is mediocre, at best. With three top 25 finishes in his last four starts, the freshman has an outside chance at sneaking in and stealing the ROTY race with some strong performances over the last quarter of this season. That award is hardly the resume boost it once was, but still strong enough for someone to take a chance on McDowell moving forward.

Tony Raines: Sprint Cup's hard-luck driver was dealt a serious blow last season when Hall of Fame Racing chose not to re-sign him after two top-10 finishes in two years. It was a serious shock, considering the single-car operation had been showing gradual improvement with Raines behind the wheel. But nine months later, it appears HoF has learned its lesson -- the No. 96 team struggled with J.J. Yeley, eventually firing him and going with a merry-go-round of drivers who have yet to make any serious impact. In the meantime, Raines has been driving a limited schedule for Haas CNC Racing's No. 70, the sole driver to score two top-20 finishes in that struggling car -- and he did it in just four starts.

Considering his old team has just one top-20 finish from an entire season's worth of work, Raines' return to the seat could mean a serious improvement in '09. With the No. 96 still looking for a permanent replacement, rehiring their old shoe would go a long way towards righting a wrong.

Scott Wimmer: Wimmer's been off the Cup circuit for nearly two years now, driving a Nationwide Series car part-time for Richard Childress Racing. He hoped that would lead to a full-time deal with RCR's new fourth Cup team for '09; instead, Childress released him when the sponsors wouldn't sign on board. Now, Wimmer is hoping for something to keep his Cup career afloat -- but in a season where few, if any, "minor league" drivers have been impressive, his resume of 12 top-10 finishes in 19 starts is something to look at. People forget he was once one of Cup's hottest young talents, finishing third in the Daytona 500 in 2004 during a two-year stint for Bill Davis Racing.

Here's a thought: with the Pettys looking for a younger driver to rebuild, why not give Wimmer a serious look? At 32, he still has plenty of upside, and he's got more experience than Truck Series newcomer Chad McCumbee. The Pettys could always put McCumbee in a Nationwide ride and give him a chance to further develop -- while giving Wimmer that extra chance at Cup he's earned over the last two years.

There's only one possible problem: Wimmer's problems with a DUI four years ago might not jive with the Pettys' stance on alcohol. But he's pulled through that scenario with flying colors, and with a Boston investment firm now holding controlling interest in the Pettys, that just might be enough to give him a chance.