On the other hand, you can argue that Schrader is now with a competitive team, and he will contend to win races. This is definitely the best shot he has had in a number of years, as he has the opportunity to build on the momentum of Ricky Rudd's three-year stint with the Wood Brothers.

With Michael “Fatback” McSwain acting as Race Director, Schrader will push the button or face the wrath of the most intense man in racing. McSwain demands performance.

The odds of this team winning are slim, but a couple of top 5s are a possibility. This team recorded nine top 10s last season, including a runner-up finish at Infineon and a fourth at Bristol. While Schrader is not the road racing ace Rudd is, he can still get around a short track when given the right piece.

Crew chief David Hyder, who followed Schrader from the BAM Racing operation, will have to make the adjustment to a competitive operation. Schrader's going Truck racing in '07, so he has one year to get his first Cup win since 1991, when he won at Atlanta and Dover.

The BAM Team qualified for every race and had a couple of good runs, namely at Bristol, Lowe's and Talladega.

A look at the Wood Brothers' 2005 results will likely give us a more accurate barometer of how this new partnership will perform.

The short track results were a reason for optimism. At tracks like these, where a driver has more bearing on the outcome than the car, the Wood Brothers team put up some decent runs. A seventh at Martinsville in the spring and the fourth at Bristol were highlights. The 11th-place runs at the fall Martinsville event and Richmond prove that this team, with a proven pilot at the wheel, can put up good showings.

• The Good: Schrader qualified seventh at Bristol in the fall, ran in the top 10 for most of the evening and finished an impressive 11th in inferior equipment.

• The Bad: At the spring Phoenix race, Schrader had a good run until he crashed out after 255 laps. It was a possible top 10 dashed, as he settled for a 38th-place finish.

• The Ugly: He got caught up in a big crash at the spring Bristol event that eliminated several cars, prompting the mild-mannered Schrader to level a few choice words at fellow competitors. It goes to show that he still has the fire in his belly.