Gillett-Petty Deal On Hold
Alex Gillett still hopes to work out a partnership with Petty Enterprises, although he admits talks have slowed.

"What you've got is one of the most storied people in the sport," the co-owner of Gillett Evernham Motorsports said. "There is a lot of emotion attached to what they want to do in the future and who they want to move into the future with. I can respect that. If that means give them space or not space. We did it with Ray."

Negotiations to merge Gillett with owner Ray Evernham lasted at least four months longer than anticipated because an underground storage tank had to first be removed from Evernham's property in Statesville, N.C., for environmental reasons.

"A lot of people criticized us for taking too long to close," Gillett said. "Well, nobody asked us the question of why. Each one of these has a life cycle. You can't push it."

Meanwhile, Gillett said GEM officials are talking to two or three drivers to replace Scott Riggs in the No. 10 next season. He acknowledged that Canadian driver Patrick Carpentier is a strong candidate even though he has only one Nextel Cup start. David Stremme, who was not re-signed by Chip Ganassi Racing, also is a candidate.

"I'm not sure if you bring somebody like a Patrick Carpentier and throw him right into Nextel Cup," Gillett said. "So we've got some other good options in the No. 10 car we're exploring. We'll see over the next couple of weeks where that ends up." (espn.go.com)

Hamlin Wins Lap Leader Award
Denny Hamlin led five times for 40 laps to earn WIX Filters Lap Leader of the Race honors in Sunday’s UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega. Hamlin claimed the award for the fourth time this season. He has led 838 laps in 15 races this season. Hamlin also led the most laps of any driver, earning a five-point bonus. Hamlin finished fourth, his 11th top-five and 16th top-10 finish in 30 starts this season. This is Hamlin’s best finish in four restrictor plate races this season. His previous best effort was 21st at Talladega in April.

Race and Commercial Breakdown For The UAW-Ford 500