FORT WORTH, Texas -- With another Nextel Cup regular about
to wrap up a Busch Series championship, NASCAR is looking at a
number of possible changes for its top development series.
NASCAR officials said Saturday they're considering several
adjustments that could give the series, which gets Nationwide as
its new sponsor next season, more of its own identity. The possible
changes are designed to combat criticism that the second-tier
series has become little more than a warmup for Cup drivers.
Since Kevin Harvick won the Busch title in 2001 while also
racing full-time as a rookie in Cup, drivers from NASCAR's top
series, dubbed Buschwhackers, have dominated the companion races --
events run the day before Cup races at the same track.
It has become routine for Cup teams to use the junior series to
give their younger drivers extra seat time and some of their
veterans a chance to gain more knowledge about the track
characteristics and tire wear by running them in Busch.
The problem with that is it leaves fewer seats and opportunities
for developing drivers.
Last year, Harvick ran the full Busch series again and ran away
with the title.
Buschwhackers have dominated again this season, winning all but
three of the 32 Busch races heading into Saturday's race at Texas
Motor Speedway. Carl Edwards is on the verge of wrapping up the
driver title, while fellow Cup star Jeff Burton and former Cup
regular Scott Wimmer have co-driven a Richard Childress Racing
entry to the lead in the owner points.
NASCAR chairman Brian France has said it's very unlikely that
Cup drivers would be banned from the series. But NASCAR is
considering making drivers in the top 35 in the Cup owner standings
ineligible for the Nationwide championship.
Those drivers could still compete in the races, but they would
not earn championship points.
Harvick said something needs to be done.
"I think we definitely need something for that series to help
the guys that don't race in the Cup Series every week and are
trying to make a name for themselves in that series," he said. "I
am sure NASCAR will toy with it and try to do the right things for
the teams and try to get the right mix of what that right number
(of Cup drivers) is."
------=
CHIEF CHANGE: Rodney Childers, one of Gillette Evernham
Motorsports' team directors -- its term for crew chiefs -- has moved
from the No. 10 Gillette Evernham Motorsports Dodge to Elliott
Sadler's No. 19 entry to begin preparations early for the 2008
season.
"We went ahead as a company and are trying to kind of line our
teams up now to get ready for next year," said Sadler, who is a
disappointing 25th in the points. "(Childers) is going to be my
team director for the last three races and kind of give us a chance
to work with each other. I think there is a big difference in
working with someone than speculating over the winter how you are
going to work together starting at Daytona."
The change comes with Scott Riggs about to be replaced in the
No. 10 by longtime open-wheel star Patrick Carpentier. GEM also
fields Dodges for Kasey Kahne.
------=
GOING FOR TWO: Jeff Burton, who won at the Texas track in April
despite leading only one lap, is feeling pretty good about his
chances of repeating in Sunday's Dickies 500 even though he
qualified 27th in the 43-car field.
"The car we won with in the spring is the same car we brought
here this time," Burton said. "It is not a real fast car; it just
runs the same speed all the time. The key for us (is) to get long
runs.
"This car really performs its best on old tires, tires that are
completely worn out. We aren't really sure why, but we keep
qualifying poorly with it. But we look at the practice speeds.
(The) fastest speeds aren't that good, but when you look at
consistent times, it is awesome. We brought it back because it
keeps giving us good results."
------=
STAT OF THE DAY: Series leader Jeff Gordon goes into the Texas
race with 27 top-10 finishes this season -- one shy of his career
best in 1998. Since the schedule was reduced by NASCAR in 1972,
Dale Jarrett holds the season record with 29 top-10 finishes during
his 1999 championship run.<
------=
SPARK PLUGS: Series runner-up Jimmie Johnson, trailing Jeff
Gordon by just nine points, was fastest in the final practice
Saturday, posting a top lap of 186.981. Gordon, struggling with
handling on his No. 24 Chevrolet, was 31st, the slowest of the 12
drivers in the Chase for the championship. ... There have been 16
different winners in the first 33 Cup races this season, with
Johnson topping everyone with eight.