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Rainout Gives Busch, Edwards Head Start

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By TONY FABRIZIO The Tampa Tribune

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 13, 2008

LOUDON, N.H. - Kyle Busch will start the Chase where he has been most of the season - up front in Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 18 Toyota.

With qualifying rained out for the second consecutive week Friday, the lineup for Sunday's Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was set by the owner points standings.

Busch, who has won a season-high eight times, will start on the pole next to six-race winner Carl Edwards. The remaining top 12 will line up in the order of the revised driver standings, which correspond to the owner standings through the Chase positions.

Because passing is difficult at New Hampshire, starting position is more important than on many tracks. Fourteen of New Hampshire's 27 Cup races have been won from top-10 starting spots, including four from the pole.

"That will be great for Sunday," Busch said of his pole. "Last time we were here we started so far back we had a hard time moving up."

REUTIMANN'S PLANS: Zephyrhills' David Reutimann knew he was losing sponsor UPS after this season, but he didn't know to whom. Friday, the company announced it is taking its lucrative backing to David Ragan's No. 6 Ford in 2009.

"I'm disappointed, but they're still my sponsor until the end of the year, so my job is to go out there and do the best job I can," said Reutimann, who led 104 laps last week at Richmond and has finished a career-best ninth in the past two races.

Reutimann has re-signed with Michael Waltrip Racing for next season and will switch back to the No. 00 Toyota, while keeping his current team personnel. Aaron Rents, his sponsor in the Nationwide Series, will sponsor his Sprint Cup car in 18 races.

After running the Nationwide Series full time the past two seasons, Reutimann will not get that opportunity in 2009. He is set to share a 10-race schedule with boss Michael Waltrip.

BACK TO TRUCKS: Reunited for one race with former crew chief Jason Overstreet of Clearwater, Reutimann will make his first Craftsman Truck Series start today since Nov. 17, 2006.

He is driving Germain Racing's No. 9 Toyota in place of Justin Marks, who will focus on trying to run the Nationwide Series. The only hitch for Reutimann is that the No. 9 truck is green. An old superstition in racing holds that green is bad luck. "I don't buy it, but my old man racer Buzzie Reutimann does," Reutimann said.

Reutimann was Rookie of the Year in the truck series in 2004 and finished third in the standings in 2006.

LOGANO DEBUT: Teen phenom Joey Logano was kept from making his Sprint Cup debut last week at Richmond because qualifying was rained out. Even with another rainout, he will start 40th in Sunday's race.

Logano has the same Toyota car he did last week, but this time it's carrying Hall of Fame Racing's No. 96. That number has top-35 status and an automatic starting spot.

"My nerves are fine, actually," said a relaxed and smiling Logano, who will replace Tony Stewart in Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 20 Toyota next year.

Jeff Gordon, who made his Cup-level debut in 1992 at age 21, offered Friday that it's "a bit too soon" for Logano to compete full time in NASCAR's series. Elaborating, he said Logano's biggest challenge will be "everything off the track."

QUOTABLE: During a promotional swing in New York this week, the 12 Chase drivers appeared on "Late Show with David Letterman" and gave the Top 12 perks of being a NASCAR driver. The best line belonged to Clint Bowyer: "Sorry, I forgot my joke. I was thinking about Jessica Alba. Man, she's hot."

Tony Fabrizio

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