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NASCAR Might Revamp Rules For Busch Series

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 4, 2007

FORT WORTH, Texas - NASCAR is considering excluding Nextel Cup regulars from championship eligibility in its No. 2 series next year, officials confirmed Saturday.

The Busch Series - it will be called the Nationwide Series next year - is supposed to be NASCAR's equivalent of a Triple-A level, but it has been dominated in recent years by Nextel Cup regulars.

Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards have run away with the championship the past two years, and Buschwhackers - Cup regulars who compete in Busch races - had won all but three of the 33 Busch races.

Harvick, a two-time Busch champ who is fourth in the standings after Saturday's victory despite running only 24 races, supports imposing some type of restrictions on Cup regulars.

"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," he said. "It gives everybody something else to talk about when they are racing for a championship.

"The mix doesn't need to be as it was in Memphis last week's race, where few Cup regulars were entered, because the race was terrible there to watch as a spectator. There is a mixture somewhere in there, but it is a fine line as to what is right and what is wrong."

Clint Bowyer said being excluded from the points standings wouldn't discourage him from entering some Busch races.

"I am a racer; I love racing; I will race anything," he said. "I race the dirt car every chance I get during the week, and I'm certainly not racing for points there. If there is a race on Saturday and we can run it, of course I want to race."

STILL MIFFED: Martin Truex Jr. is still beside himself over finishing 31st last week at Atlanta after leading 105 laps.

Truex was in position to win the Pep Boys Auto 500 when Denny Hamlin's car died in front of him on a restart with three laps remaining and Truex ran into him. Hamlin's engine died because of the rare condition of water in his fuel supply.

As it turned out later, several other cars were found to have contaminated fuel.

"The reason Denny couldn't get going was so bizarre because of where we were," Truex said, referring to the fact that North Georgia is experiencing a severe drought. "You weren't allowed to flush your toilet, and he has water in his gas tank.

"We have had everything go wrong that you could ever imagine happen to us throughout this year and the Chase. Nothing is surprising any more."

Truex won the pole for today's Dickies 500 after his Dale Earnhardt Inc. crew repaired the car that was severely damaged at Atlanta.

BURTON OR BUST: Nikki Kelly, a fan from San Antonio, will win $500,000 if Jeff Burton wins today's race.

Kelly won a promotion called Dickes Race for the Riches in which she got to select one of Richard Childress Racing's three drivers as her driver for the race. She chose Burton, the only two-time Nextel Cup winner at Texas.

Kelly wanted to earmark all of her prize for the college fund she has for her four children, but she said the family is lobbying for a boat. She has given Burton a photo of the kids to carry with him for inspiration, and she is wearing two lug nuts from his car for good luck.

Tony Fabrizio

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