***PLEASE NOTE THERE HAS BEEN AN UPDATE TO THIS ARTICLE HERE*** 

ESPN has announced that Ryan Newman has reached an agreement with Stewart-Haas Racing to fill the second spot on that team for 2009. The Indiana native will join his fellow Indiana boy Tony Stewart as teammates. 

I think this will be a great fit for both. I have always believed that “Rocket Man” has a wealth of talent, but I have never felt that Penske always gave him what he needed to succeed the way I think he possibly could. With Stewart’s drive to make this new venture a success, I really feel that this new marriage will be one for the ages. I would rank this new team close to Dale Earnhardt Jr. going to Hendrick Motorsports.

Now that the team is set, now let’s see who they put around each of the teams to make sure that the are competing right out of the box.