Kahne leaves Bud high and dry

Budweiser has not contacted me -- yet -- about sponsoring my 1999 Jeep Cherokee next year.

It's one of only a few vehicles in the infield for a NASCAR race this season that hasn't been rumored to carry Bud decals next year.

Kasey Kahne, currently Bud sponsored, left the beer maker flat April 13 when he said he wouldn't return to George Gillett's Richard Petty Motorsports team when his contract expires after the season.

Three days later, Kahne signed with Hendrick Motorsports and will begin driving the No. 5 Chevy in 2012. His departure probably will have the King of Beers seeking a new throne because it is unlikely Gillett's shaky organization will be able to lure any of the few big-name drivers available to replace Kahne for next season.

Kahne inherited Budweiser when Dale Earnhardt Jr. moved to Hendrick, which reportedly was not supportive of having a beer sponsorship.

Who knows where Belgium-owned InBev -- Budweiser's parent company -- will send its Bud marketing money.

Some NASCAR reporters speculate it will stay with Kahne next year. Some suggest it will head to Richard Childress Racing or Michael Waltrip Racing.

Where will Kahne end up in 2011?

Hendrick assured him there will be a ride for him, though Mark Martin will return to drive the No. 5 next season. It's likely Hendrick, which already sells Stewart-Haas Racing engines, chassis and provides technical support, could assign Kahne to that team, which would expand from two to three cars. Maybe the Clydesdales would trot over to that stable.

Bud will not be the only corporation looking for a horse to ride on the NASCAR merry-go-round.

This week Shell Oil Company and its Pennzoil brand announced they will leave Childress to join Penske Racing next year, with Kurt Busch using the No. 22 on his Dodge. Penske's young upstart, Brad Keselowski, will inherit the No. 2 and Miller Lite backing that has been with Busch since he began driving the "Blue Deuce" when he joined Penske in 2006. Only the numbers and sponsors will change.

Penske has vowed to keep Sam Hornish Jr. on its three-car team. If that holds, Penske will need to replace longtime backer Mobil 1 on Hornish's car because rival Pennzoil will be an associated sponsor on it.

What about Kevin Harvick? He'll be a free agent after this season. If he stays with Childress, he will have a new sponsor because Shell/Pennzoil has been in his car since 2007.

Loss of income will not be limited to some team owners involved in these switcheroos.

Busch and Kahne -- and any other driver who ends up with a lame-duck team or sponsor -- will see a drop in souvenir sales. Other than collectors, who wants to buy a T-shirt or jacket that will be obsolete in eight months?

Just ask a Tony Stewart fan who bought a Home Depot item a week before he left that team.

It is April, right?

The past couple of weeks indicate NASCAR's "silly season" -- when drivers and sponsors bounce around like jumping beans, usually after the season is over -- has become a yearlong affair.

As such, it's appropriate two Sprint Cup races this year were postponed to Mondays because of rainouts.

That's the perfect TV time slot for soap operas.

Jeff Wolf's motor sports column is published Friday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He can be reached at jwolf@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0247. Visit Wolf's motor sports blog at lvrj.com/blogs/heavypedal/ throughout the week.