Kahne Back Up To Speed ~ On Bristol Pole
It was ironic that the last Nextel Cup winner at Bristol Motor Speedway, Kyle Busch, was the first driver to take to the track for qualifying on Friday. And it also was a coincidence that Busch was the fastest in the first Cup practice, but Busch encountered a slick race track. He slipped a bit on the first lap and aborted the second one when he nearly lost control of the car and when the session was over, Busch was 20th on the starting grid.

Kasey Kahne, who hasn't had a top-five finish this year, put his No. 9 Dodge on the pole for Saturday night's Sharpie 500 Nextel Cup race. Starting on the outside pole, in a phenomenal job, rookie Juan Pablo Montoya, also in a Dodge, starts second with Jamie McMurray third and David Ragan was fourth. Dave Blaney, driving a Bill Davis Racing Toyota, will roll off in fifth place followed by Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, Ricky Rudd, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Burton. The top-ten consist of four Fords, three Dodges, two Chevrolets and one Toyota.

Other notables in the race, Michael Waltrip qualified in the 16th spot while teammate Dale Jarrett was 33rd. Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start in 17th and Nextel Cup points leader, Jeff Gordon, will be alongside in 18th. --Five drivers failed to qualify, rookie David Reutimann, Sterling Marlin, Brian Vickers, Kevin Lepage and Stanton Barrett.
For Full Starting Lineup...     (Insider Racing News)

No. 31 Team Without Logos
Richard Childress doesn't know how long he'll have to go without a sponsor on the hood of Jeff Burton's car, which arrived at Bristol Motor Speedway without "AT&T" on its hood. "All that's up to the court," Childress said Friday. "Where we stand, it's hard to say. It's all legal."

Burton will race in Saturday night's Nextel Cup race in his orange and black No. 31 Chevrolet without the AT&T globe or any mention of the cellular company on the car. The car arrived in a black hauler with only the No. 31 on its side and crew members wore gray RCR shirts instead of uniforms with the AT&T logo. Burton wore an orange driver's suit adorned only by associate sponsors.

NASCAR banned AT&T from being on the car after winning a recent appeal that overturned a previous decision that has allowed RCR to use the AT&T logo since May 19. Officials said the car would not have been allowed through inspection or onto the track with the logo.

Childress said AT&T has filed an injunction asking for a court hearing in early September to try to get the decision overturned. Until then he may have to race without a primary sponsor.

"My take on the whole thing is we've been here 14 weeks with AT&T," Childress said. "All you guys have been talking about is the Sprint Chase. AT&T has been doing their deal with Burton. We've both lived in a world together. The world isn't coming to an end. Hopefully, at the end of the day we can figure out how we can all live by the same rules."

NASCAR and AT&T have been in a legal dispute since March when AT&T and Cingular, which was on Burton's car, merged. NASCAR argued that its agreement with series sponsor Sprint Nextel disallowed the logo change.

"Cingular was our sponsor and we've got to do everything we can to keep them in the sport," Childress said. "One of the key things was AT&T didn't buy Cingular. They owned Cingular, so we already had an association. (espn.go.com)

Martin-Almirola In No. 8?
Barring a last-minute change, Nextel Cup Series veteran Mark Martin and rookie Aric Almirola will become the drivers of Dale Earnhardt Inc.’s No. 8 Chevrolet next season, The Charlotte Observer has learned.

Martin and Almirola, who currently drive the No. 01, which was acquired by DEI through a merger with Ginn Racing earlier this season, are also expected to be joined by sponsor Army next season in the No. 8, multiple sources said Thursday.

A formal announcement is expected within the next two weeks.

The Army had used the No. 01 while at Ginn because it was employing a marketing campaign called “An Army of One,” but has since abandoned that campaign for its new “Army Strong” slogan. Thus, a change in car number would not necessarily affect the Army’s marketing programs.

When asked about the possibility of Army, Martin and Almirola moving to the No. 8, DEI vice president John Story said Thursday nothing had been decided but that “anything and everything” was possible with the No. 8 team.(thatsracin.com)

Blake Bjorklund To Run Some Busch Races
Haas CNC Racing announced today that developmental driver Blake Bjorklund will race in selected NASCAR Busch Series events during the remainder of the 2007 season.

Through an existing partnership between Haas CNC Racing and Jay Robinson Racing, Bjorklund will drive the No. 28 U.S. Border Patrol Chevrolet. The targeted races are at California Speedway, Lowes Motor Speedway, and Homestead-Miami Speedway with the possibility of additional races. Bjorklund, who had been driving the No. 8 Chevrolet Silverado for MRD Motorsports in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, will now focus solely on preparation for his Busch Series schedule.

“We’re pleased to be in the position to offer Blake this Busch Series opportunity,” said Joe Custer, Haas CNC Racing general manager. “We are hoping it will be a successful venture.”

Bjorklund said, “I’m really looking forward to racing in the Busch Series for Hass CNC and Jay Robinson. I enjoyed the chance to drive in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and I learned a lot but I am excited to get back in a car and tackle this new challenge.”

Bjorklund’s debut in the NASCAR Busch Series at California Speedway’s Camping World 300 will air live on ESPN2 Sept. 1 at 9:30 p.m. EDT.

Jacques Villeneuve To Make NASCAR Debut In A Truck
Following an invitation from Toyota NASCAR team Bill Davis Racing, former F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve will make his NASCAR debut behind the wheel of a Toyota Tundra truck on Monday, August 27 at Chicagoland Speedway in Illinois.

Having won both the IndyCar Series Championship and the legendary Indy 500 event, Villeneuve is no stranger to oval racing, although he last did so in 1995. For a driver with an almost unequalled resumé, the 36-year-old father of one is fully accepting of his ‘rookie’ status, and is focused on learning as much as he can, as quickly as he can.

Speaking from Bill Davis Racing’s High Point, N.C. HQ, Jacques Villeneuve commented, “We have spent the last few months considering a number of NASCAR options and were in agreement that the truck offers the closest reference point to the Car of Tomorrow. Bill Davis Racing was aware of my interest in NASCAR and approached my management team with a view to allowing me to test within its truck program. I’m glad we were able to work that out, and having spent the day with the team for my seat fitting, I am really looking forward to working with Bill and his staff.”