Three Teams In Kyle Busch Mix
Joe Gibbs Racing, Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Evernham Motorsports appear to be the front-runners for Nextel Cup driver Kyle Busch. Busch met with DEI drivers and management on Saturday in Indianapolis. He is scheduled to meet with EMS owner Ray Evernham and drivers this week.

J.D. Gibbs, the president of Joe Gibbs Racing, admitted his organization is in the running. "We've had conversations with them. I'll say that," Gibbs said before Sunday's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "He's got a lot of great opportunities and we're one of them."

Busch would only acknowledge that he is down to 3-5 teams. "We are still talking to a few teams," he said. "We haven't quite narrowed it down to just one. There have been a few teams we have eliminated."

Chip Ganassi Racing and Richard Childress Racing were among Busch's five finalists. Multiple sources close to the situation said JGR and DEI have the upper hand and that a decision will come within the next seven to 14 days.

"He's in the process of going through a second round of talks," said a team executive who asked not to be identified.(espn.go.com)

2008 Daytona Test Dates Announced
Testing dates for the historic 50th running of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 17, 2008 at Daytona International Speedway have been finalized. The first wave of Sprint Cup Series teams will test in preparation for "The Great American Race" on Jan. 7-9 with Jan. 10 serving as a rain date.

The second wave of Sprint Cup Series testing will be Jan. 14-16 with Jan. 17 serving as a rain date. The Sprint Cup Series teams will be split into two groups based on the owner's points following the Sprint Cup race weekend at Chicagoland Speedway.

Among the drivers expected to be in the first wave of teams (odd-numbered teams in the owner's standings) will be Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer and Kurt Busch.

Among the expected drivers in the second wave (even-numbered teams in the owner's standings) are Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton, Tony Stewart, Martin Truex Jr. and Jamie McMurray. Testing dates for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who will join Hendrick Motorsports for the 2008 season, will be announced at a later date.

Other testing dates for Preseason Thunder include:

* Jan. 4-6, Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve in preparation for the 46th anniversary of the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 26-27, all teams.

* Jan. 11-13, Craftsman Truck Series in preparation for the Feb. 15 Chevy Silverado 250, all trucks.

* Jan. 18-22, Busch [New sponsor name for series] Series in preparation for the Feb. 16 Camping World 300 presented by Chevrolet, two different sessions.

NASCAR Preseason Thunder Fan Fest dates, which will coincide with January's Sprint Cup Series, Craftsman Truck Series, Busch [new name] Series and Rolex Series testing sessions at the "World Center of Racing," will be held on the following dates:

* Jan. 5: The Roar Before The Rolex 24
* Jan. 8: Nextel [Sprint] Cup Fan Fest
* Jan. 12: Craftsman Truck Fan Fest
* Jan. 15: Nextel [Sprint] Cup Fan Fest
* Jan. 19: Busch [new sponsor name] Series Fan Fest

The Fan Fest events start at 5 p.m. but fans may enter the Sprint Fanzone beginning at 9 a.m. to watch all of the exciting testing action on those days. Admissions for the Nextel Cup Fan Fest dates are $15 while Busch and Craftsman Truck Series admissions are $10. The Roar Before The Rolex 24 admission is also $10. Fans will be able to get a sneak peek on teams as they prepare for DIRECTV Speedweeks 2008 with inquisitive fan forums with many of their favorite drivers as well as enjoying all the state-of-the-art amenities in the popular Sprint Fanzone.

Also included in NASCAR Preseason Thunder Fan Fests will be bands, show cars, pit stop demonstrations, displays, a silent auction and hot laps around DIS (additional charge). Fans can continue to watch all of the January testing sessions free from the Oldfield Grandstands located just outside of The Daytona 500 Experience. Tickets for Preseason Thunder Fan Fests are by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.

Bowyer Stays Busy
After spending Monday at home in North Carolina, Clint Bowyer will spend Tuesday and Wednesday reacquainting himself with his racing roots. On Tuesday morning, Bowyer flew to Humphries County, Tenn., and headed to Loretta Lynn’s Ranch to spend the morning and part of the afternoon at the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships.

Following his stop at Loretta Lynn’s, Bowyer will fly into Decorah, Iowa before competing in his Jack Daniel’s-sponsored dirt modified in the United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) event that night at Cresco Speedway. On Wednesday, Bowyer will head to Oskaloosa, Iowa where he will race in the USMTS event at Southern Iowa Speedway.

Bowyer will be a guest on Thursday’s installment of NASCAR NOW. NASCAR Now, ESPN’s daily news and information program totally dedicated to NASCAR, will air on Thursday, August 2 at 6 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The NEXTEL Cup Series sophomore driver will be live on location at ESPN’s studios in Bristol, Conn., where he will tour the facility and be guest on select ESPN television and radio programs throughout the day.

No. 25 Team Will Test Road Course
On Wednesday, August 1st, Casey Mears and the No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet team will test Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 440 at Road Atlanta, a 2.54-mile, 12-turn road course in Braselton, Ga. -- Crew chief Darian Grubb said the team plans to work on the Chevrolet R07 engine package and overall race tuning in preparation for the upcoming NEXTEL Cup race at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.

Walk With Irvan-Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch will join 15-time Cup winner Ernie Irvan for the LAPS Walk on Saturday at Pocono Raceway. The walk begins at 3:30 p.m. local time with an autograph session immediately following. All proceeds from the LAPS Walk will go toward traumatic brain injury prevention and treatment. For more information, visit (www.lapswalk.org).

Montoya's Busch Team To Shut Down
Juan Pablo Montoya will race in his final Busch Series event next week at Watkins Glen, then the team will stop competing.

Chip Ganassi Racing officials said Wednesday the No. 42 Busch program was formed only to help Montoya adjust to NASCAR after six seasons in Formula One. He drove the car to a win in March on the road course in Mexico City, and will try for another one in Watkins Glen, N.Y., next Saturday.

After that, Ganassi will stop operating the team because the remainder of the schedule isn't a good fit with Montoya's Nextel Cup season.(espn.go.com)

Busch Series Considering New Car
Pleased with the performance of its car of tomorrow in the Nextel Cup series, NASCAR is exploring the possibility of incorporating some of the new car’s safety aspects with the cars used in the Busch Series, perhaps as early as next season.

Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s vice president of competition, said Friday the sanctioning body continues to examine ways to improve the Busch Series. Some Busch teams have already asked about incorporating some safety aspects from the COT, he said.

Pemberton said he did not expect the primary design features of the COT – the rear wing and front splitter – to be used in the Busch Series.