Shoes Are Dropping...

Well, the movers are moving and the shakers shaking, and it’s all about who races what at Daytona in 2012 and beyond.

David Ragan, widely speculated to have the inside track on the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Dodge that Kurt Busch was summarily dismissed from, has met with Penske Racing officials and talks are currently under way.

The interesting news is that Ragan already had a deal in principle with Phoenix Racing’s James Finch, and that he would keep it unless a better deal came along. Ragan will follow up with Penske officials next week, and we’ll know if he’s the guy there soon after.

Meanwhile, Kurt Busch has talked to Finch about the No. 51 car for 2012, Finch disclosed.

"I told him I'd meet with him and see what's going on,'' Finch told ESPN. "I haven't decided who I am going to put in my car next year. He wasn't necessarily at the top of the list."

Since Busch just became “available” last week, and since Ragan already had the workings of a deal, that’s not surprising to hear. Busch should be worried about what Finch said next, concerning his driving talent and propensity to wee-wee all over everyone and everybody when stuff goes wrong.

Finch said Busch's behavior issues—which is the reason that he’s no longer the driver of the 22—didn’t mean he would not hire the 33-year-old former champion. But it doesn’t mean that he’ll put up with much either.

"Kurt, his talent is pretty good,'' Finch said. "He's one of the best there is, but I'm not going to listen to that s--- and pay him money."

That’s a money quote right there, I don’t care where you’re from, and Busch would do well to heed Finch’s not-so-subtle warning. There’s an old adage about how one’s alligator mouth would soon overload his hummingbird behind…and the leash will be very short.

Finch is a no-nonsense kind of guy, and if you’re sitting on a wallet that he’s put cash into, you’re going to represent or do it somewhere else. The first tirade that comes out of Dirty Kurt’s mouth over the radio will be the last, and he’ll fade into the woodwork with potty mouth and horrible attitude intact.

On the crew chief front, Darian Grubb’s magical mystery tour came to an end a week after it began, and he’ll be shot-caller for Denny Hamlin in 2012…or until Denny sulks his way to a new crew chief for the second time.

Not to get off on a rant here, but there’s a fine line between being involved in the building of your cars and actually trying to be the crew chief from the cockpit. Darian is much more laid-back than Mike Ford ever was, and that might be enough to make Denny happy, at least to the extent that he can be made happy.

Congratulations to Grubb and to the Gibbs’, who are dealing with a myriad of problems these days. Kyle Busch’s woes are legion and he’s paying for his ill-advised Texas actions. Hamlin should be mollified with Grubb, and Joey Logano is on thin ice (his dad owns the ice rink in Matthews; hence the reference) in the soon-to-be-Home-Depot-less No. 20 car. Greg Zipadelli has to wear an electronic surveillance bracelet every time he leaves the shop for fear that he’ll go to Kannapolis for SHR and never come back.

There are still seats to be filled, primarily the No. 71 at TRG and the Front Row crowd of Fords, but the 51 and 22 seem to be almost out of the play.

Have a good weekend, and enjoy the two-day remove from the silly season!