The Buzz: May 30, 2001

May 30, 2001
2:24 PM EDT (1824 GMT)

Jeff Green said Wednesday morning on a Charlotte-based radio station that he is currently working out a two-year contract extension with ppc Racing and NesQuik.

He didn't totally rule out the chance of taking over Richard Childress' No. 30 Chevrolet fulltime in 2002, however, saying "I'm not getting any younger and I'd still like to get a Winston Cup championship."

Green has long been adamant that without the perfect opportunity, he'd be driving ppc Fords until they kick him out.

This could be that perfect opportunity.

Houston's crew chief long Garone

Joe Garone, crew chief for Andy Houston's No. 96 McDonald's Ford, has resigned from his position with PPI Motorsports, accepting a position with NASCAR's research and development project in Hickory, N.C.

However, he will remain with Houston's team until July.

"It's definitely hard for me to leave the competitive side of racing, but this is a personal decision," Garone said. "My wife Leann and I are expecting our third child this fall, and as anyone in this sport with kids knows, being on the road and away from your family every weekend is a tough thing to do.

"This opportunity with NASCAR will allow me to apply my experience toward a challenging and exciting aspect of the sport while also spending more time at home with my family."

No replacement for Garone has been named. The team is also eliminating 14 positions, cutting its workforce to 97.

Goss grad to be away for a day

Randy Goss, crew chief for Greg Biffle's No. 60 Grainger Ford, will step down for a day from his crew chief position. That's so he can watch daughter Janice graduate from high school in Michigan.

Kevin Starland, the team's car chief, will fill-in for Goss on race day.

"It's going to be tough not to be there this weekend," Goss said. "But my daughter's graduation is very important to me and I wouldn't miss it for anything. There is no doubt in my mind that Kevin is ready and able to take over as crew chief this weekend. He and I have worked closely the last few years, and we generally know what the other is thinking."

"I know Randy is going to be a nervous wreck on Saturday, but I also know he is confident in Kevin's abilities," Biffle said. "He'll probably have some type of radio wired up through his sleeve so he can listen to the race during the graduation ceremony. Just kidding."

Shakeup at Petty Enterprises

In an effort to shake out of their season-long slump, Petty Enterprises is making a couple of changes.

Kyle Petty's crew chief, Chris Hussey, will also be the race operations manager for PE. His added position calls for him to actively communicate shared information with all three teams, engine, research and development departments.

"We are maintaining our system in terms of identical cars and in how we operate each week," Petty said. "What we are looking to do is put more ‘racer’ into the decisions of what goes in our cars. A lot of times things look good on paper, but don’t always translate into good race cars."

Doug Hewitt, currently the head of mechanical research and development, will have his role increased, but no details were given.