The Buzz: August 31, 2001

August 31, 2001
11:38 AM EDT (1538 GMT)

Rumor has it that Busch Series director John Darby is in line to replace current Winston Cup director Gary Nelson at the end of the 2001 season.

John Darby

The series director is directly responsible for handling rules enforcement and is in charge of all the officials at the track.

Having been involved in NASCAR for 16 years, Darby is in his third full season as director of the Busch Series. After a two-season stint as technical director of the NASCAR Sportsman Division, he joined the Busch Series as a technical instructor in 1992 under director Ray Hill before moving into his present position in February of 1998.

Gary Nelson

Nelson, who took the director's job ten years ago, is expected to move to NASCAR's research and development department in Hickory, N.C. Before taking the director's job, Nelson was a top-notch crew chief, winning 21 Winston Cup races in 258 starts.

Even though the change is effective at the end of the season, the official announcement is expected before then.