The end of the road for Herzog Jackson?

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Despite their latest top-10 run in the face of long odds, No. 92 Chevrolet driver Todd Bodine and Herzog Jackson Motorsports crew chief Tony Liberati couldn't find much to smile about Friday night at Daytona International Speedway.

Bodine, who earlier this season led the standings for nine weeks despite the team being unsure of sponsorship virtually the entire time, finished eighth -- his 11th top-10 finish in 18 races.

	Credit: Autostock

But despite being fourth in the standings and only 43 points out of first, Herzog Jackson only has a couple more races, later in the year, remaining in a limited sponsorship program with ESGR. Owners Randy and Stan Herzog have said for weeks that without a viable sponsorship lead their season would end.

Though a team spokesperson said no decision has been made at this point, Liberati said he would probably go to Los Angeles next weekend while the Busch Series is at Chicagoland Speedway to visit former Busch Series driver and Hollywood stuntman Stanton Barrett.

Winn-Dixie 250  •  Results  •  Standings  •  Photo Gallery

Bodine frowned and said he had entertained offers this weekend to drive three different Busch Series cars for the rest of the season, but given his choice he wouldn't do that.

"I have no plans," Bodine said. "I don't want to leave this team and I don't want to leave Tony, but I've got to keep the points going."

Neither car owner Randy nor Stan Herzog was at the speedway Friday night. Bodine and Liberati said the owners, who had funded much of the season from their own pockets, "probably couldn't bear to be here for the last hurrah."

"This was our back-up car after we wrecked our primary car at Talladega, and the body wasn't as good on it," Bodine said. "I had to have somebody in front of me or behind me so we're pretty happy with eighth for that car."

Riggs grabs point lead

At one point in the Winn-Dixie 250, Scott Riggs looked as if he might fall to as low as fourth in the Busch Series standings, but after he finished sixth at Daytona, he unofficially holds a two-point lead over David Green.

	Scott Riggs Credit: Autostock

Riggs is 33 points clear of Ron Hornaday and 43 ahead of Todd Bodine, as the Busch Series battle is starting to resemble the Craftsman Truck Series, where the top-three drivers are separated by one point.

"That was definitely the best car we've ever had at a restrictor-plate race," said Riggs. "We just had to be real patient, be real careful, and not cause a big wreck.

"We didn't have a 'Big One' but I think that was a lot of luck and not a lot of skill because I saw a lot of bonehead moves happen. But we had some great calls from the pits by my crew chief, Doug Randolph, and we did it.

"We ran the top five down the last couple laps to go and didn't have any help, so that showed just how strong our car was. We just ran out of laps but we'll take a sixth at a place like this."

Hornaday outfoxed?

Ron Hornaday unofficially moved into third in the Busch Series after he finished fourth in the Winn-Dixie 250, but he was miffed at Winston Cup driver Jamie McMurray for going back on a pre-race pact to work together to get to the front.

VIDEO CLIPS Junior leads the field down for the start Play video Bliss is upset after getting spun Play video Earnhardt Jr. holds off Waltrip in the final laps Play video

Even though race winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. led all 100 laps, Hornaday said the Dirty Mo' Posse Chevrolet driver was not as invincible as he looked.

"Well, you could have done something with him," Hornaday said. "The problem you got is Junior and Michael (Waltrip) working so good together.

"I passed Michael and when I caught Junior, he slowed the corner speed down so Michael caught me, and that shot Junior forward. I'll tell you what, I learned so much driving around with those two -- they definitely are a team and they work together on the superspeedways."

Hornaday ended up nose-to-tail at the end with Richard Childress Racing teammate Johnny Sauter, but it did them no good.

"I was just too loose to run high and that's where Johnny needed me to be," Hornaday said. "It was a good points night for us, but I am really more upset at Jamie.

"He said he was gonna work with us and we were gonna go high. He shoved me high, and then dropped me off low. I know how to race him from now on, so on a superspeedway you have no friends -- I figured that out."

Junior on passing him

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said, on the one hand, there wasn't much anyone could do to pass anyone who was leading the Winn-Dixie 250 Friday night -- which was him for all 100 laps.

	Credit: Autostock

But he did say that despite the fact that he and Waltrip are teammates in the Winston Cup Series, there wasn't a lot of complicity in keeping Earnhardt out front.

"Me and Michael talked about nothing really -- except the start of the race," Earnhardt said. "But he did help me a lot. There were a few times he had runs on me, into the corner, and yes, Michael could have taken the lead at several points throughout the race.

"I could tell by his mannerisms the last couple laps he was trying to pass and he wasn't having any luck. If it would have been me I would have slowed down, packed those guys up behind me and got them shoving me real fast to run down the leader.

"But Michael couldn't get those guys calmed down enough to do that."

Friendless in finale

	Ron Hornaday

Despite Hornaday's aggravation at McMurray, Phoenix Racing crew chief Marc Reno said his driver had to position his Miccosukee Dodge as best as he could to protect himself from the Richard Childress Racing teammates.

"These guys are always figuring out brilliant plans on how they're going to help each other, but we were the sandwich between the 21 (Johnny Sauter) and him (Hornaday)," Reno said of the RCR cars. "They were wanting us to help him but in February the 21 about wrecked us at the end so we weren't going to trust him.

"Every race they always talk about who's going to help who and they end up mad at each other for not helping them. Bottom line is we don't have a partner and we just do the best we can."

Plans for Chance 2

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was asked what his plans for the Chance 2 Motorsports team that he owns with his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt, would be if he had his choice.

"I would like to run Martin Truex Jr. in 20 Busch races next season, to give him a chance to really get wound up and show what he's got," Junior said. "It would have to be with a sponsor that I approved and wanted to work with, but that's what I would like to do."

Two tires overrules four

Dale Earnhardt Jr. admitted in his winner's interview after the Winn-Dixie 250 that crew chief Kevin "Bono" Manion overruled him on a decision to take two tires instead of four, which enabled Earnhardt to maintain the lead he held for all 100 laps.

"That's the crew chief's job -- to overrule the driver if he's being foolish," Earnhardt said. "I thought we would have to make another stop for fuel and therefore it wouldn't matter if we took four tires.

"It turned out two tires was definitely what we needed to do."

Weighing in on better racing

Both Dale Earnhardt Jr. and veteran Phoenix Racing crew chief Marc Reno said something needed to be done to the Busch Series rules for restrictor-plate racing.

Earnhardt, who has won all three Busch races he's competed in this season, actually said he would continue on with the current rules and keep his mouth shut.

But he also said it was obvious that very little passing could be done, particularly at the front of the field, with the current car configuration.

"In my opinion something could be done to the front of the car that would hurt the leader only, and not the cars running behind him," Earnhardt said after leading all 100 laps to score his 18th career Busch Series win.

"This restrictor plate racing in the Busch Series, they've gotten it to be the most boring racing in the world," Reno said. "Nobody can pass and they've got to do something. They got to give a little more restrictor plate (larger holes) or something.

"It's bad enough we've got to race the company car in this race but they ought to at least make it where the rest of them can have a race."