Now that it's official -- Casey Mears and Hendrick Motorsports will part ways at the end of the 2008 season -- let the conjecture begin on just where Bakersfield's other NASCAR driver begins the 2009 season.

Rumor has it that Richard Childress Racing will have a fourth car, and that sponsor General Mills -- Cheerios -- is looking for an All-American boy (with both sponsor and fan likeability) to drive the car.

That's the same RCR that Bakersfield's other NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick has been a part of for 8 years, 7 in the Winston/Nextel/Sprint Cup Series.

So this begs the question: Would Harvick and Mears get along? Could two guys that were born in the same town but raised on the opposite sides of town with different upbringings and completely different racing backgrounds become cohesive teammates? And not just teammates but drafting partners who are willing to push each other into victory lane?

This isn't Ricky Bobby and Cal Naughton Jr., quite yet. But wouldn’t that make for a great story?