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An autoextremeist.com column is reporting that serious discussions of pulling out of NASCAR are taking place for the first time in the conference rooms of one domestic manufacturer in Detroit. We have confirmation that not only are the discussions taking place, they're so far down the road that a timetable for a pullout has been created, taking into account the end dates of existing contracts with individual racing teams currently aligned with this particular manufacturer.
  -- jayski.com

During an interview Tuesday on Out of Bounds on Fox, flagship product of the Fox Sports Radio Network, Kevin Harvick said there was "no question that Kurt Busch is by far the most hated guy" in NASCAR.
  -- Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Red Bull Racing has hired John Probst from Ford Racing Technology, a team spokesman confirmed Tuesday night. Probst will serve as the new team's technical director. A mechanical engineer with a degree from Penn State, Probst was the vehicle systems supervisor for Ford. The Red Bull operation, owned by the energy drink company, will field two Toyota teams in Nextel Cup in 2007.
  -- SceneDaily.com

One subplot that won't go away, suddenly up there on the level with new bad boy Matt Kenseth and connivers in the garage, is the saga that occurred a week ago when the girlfriend of Greg Biffle confronted Busch's fiancée after the drivers wrecked during the Samsung/RadioShack 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway. Biffle's gal pal faces a NASAR reprimand, but the bigger question remains: Should family and friends be barred from pit areas? The women apparently made up via text messaging, which led Nextel Cup driver Ken Schrader to opine on the Speed Channel that if Biffle and Busch tried to clear the air it would be by "direct connect."
  -- Arizona Republic

Some NASCAR observers think there will be a woman behind the wheel within the next five years. Three-time Cup champion Darrell Waltrip sees a problem. "The cars are beasts to drive," he said. "They're 3,400 pounds, and it takes a lot of physical effort, plus the races are long. When I look at the condition alone and physical makeup, I don't see anybody (female driver) out there right now I think could get out there and hang that tough."
  -- Arizona Republic

Roy McCauley, crew chief for Busch's No. 2 Dodge team, will miss the Subway 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. He had surgery Tuesday to treat a blockage after experience mild chest pains Monday. McCauley, 36, is scheduled to return to work next week. Matt Gimbel, who served as crew chief for Busch when he won the Busch Series race at Texas two weeks ago, is expected to fill in. He will work with team engineer Derek Stamets and car chief Corey Tucker.
  -- Charlotte Observer

It's difficult enough to win a Cup race -- just ask Jeff Green -- but trying to do so without the benefit of teammates on the track can make the task seem even more insurmountable. Green says it doesn't make his job any tougher because he has plenty of friends on the track, but he acknowledges that when he has only two hours of practice and a four-man team has eight, it's a tough gap to overcome. No driver from a solo team has won since Ricky Craven won for PPI Motorsports at Darlington, S.C., in March 2003. Drivers and crew chiefs say that the biggest advantage for large teams is the ability to share information.
   -- Arizona Republic

Kenny Wallace and nephew Steve Wallace will each throw out a ceremonial first pitch on Monday when the Washington Nationals host the Cincinnati Reds. They will arrive on the field at RFK Stadium via the Richmond (Va.) International Raceway pace car to deliver the first pitch.
  -- Charlotte Observer

Fans attending the Circle K Colossal 100 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway might see a familiar face. Nextel Cup driver Mark Martin won't drive the car, but his face will be on one of as many as 160 cars entered in the two-day event for dirt late model and super late model cars at the four-tenths mile clay oval. Jared Landers will drive the No. 06, which Martin's Ford dealership in his hometown of Batesville, Ark., sponsors. Landers' father, Lance, is Martin's partner in that dealership.
  -- Charlotte Observer

Chris Bristol of High Point, N.C., is the latest recipient of sponsorship from Eastman Kodak Co. in NASCAR's Drive for Diversity initiative. Bristol will drive the No. 99 Kodak Chevrolet for Ken Schrader Racing in the 2006 Dodge Weekly Series. Bristol, who earned a degree in mechanical engineering from North Carolina A&T University in 1999, has been racing since age 11. In 2005, he became the first African-American to win a race and lead the points standings at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
  -- Fort Worth Star-Telegram

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