Notebook: Wallace gets five-race Nextel Cup deal

HAMPTON, Ga. -- Kenny Wallace will make a five-race return to the Nextel Cup Series later this season in a car collaboratively run by Michael Waltrip Racing and Dale Earnhardt Inc.

	Kenny Wallace

Wallace will drive a No. 00 Aaron's Chevrolet in the five events beginning with the Aaron's 499 on April 25 at Talladega.

In addition, Wallace will run the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway, the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Sharpie 500 at Bristol and the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 at Atlanta, the home of Aaron's corporate office.

Tony Gibson, the DEI crew chief whose No. 1 Chevrolet is not running a full-time schedule becauseof lack of sponsorship, will supervise Wallace's effort.

"Everyone knows that everything Michael does is a collaboration with Dale Earnhardt Incorporated," Wallace said. "I'm excited, because this is a full-blown effort even though it's only a five-race deal."

Wallace said the first question he asked when Waltrip approached him to do the deal was about testing, and that the team would test at Daytona International Speedway on April 12-13.

"Just when I think I won't ever run in Cup again, I get lucky," Wallace said. "It's nice that people still see my ability. These are five important races, and we're going there to run up front."

Kahne is cool with schedule

Nextel Cup rookie Kasey Kahne so far is nonplussed by his hectic full schedules in two series.

	Kasey Kahne

Kahne is eighth in Nextel Cup points in owner Ray Evernham's Dodge Dealers/UAW Intrepid and 20th in Busch Series points in Brad Akins' Great Clips Dodge, and says he feels no real pressure or stress.

"Racing good will be the biggest thing," Kahne said of his two consecutive second place finishes in Cup races. "If you're racing good you'll always have a little more energy and be ready to go.

"One of Ray's plans was a weight training program and eating the right foods and trying to be ready all year long so I wouldn't get worn out halfway through the season. I've kept that up so far.

"I've been working real hard (and) I feel great when the race is over -- better than last year after a 200-mile Busch race. You race 700 or 800 miles on one weekend and not feel bad, that's pretty good."

MMM pressing on

Morgan-McClure Motorsports showed up at Atlanta with a red No. 4 Chevrolet without any sponsorship decals attached.

Norris hired?  Ty Norris, who resigned in January as vice president for motorsports at Dale Earnhardt Inc. in January, expects to start a new job this week.   "I think they'll announce it Tuesday or Wednesday," he said Saturday.   The position is in racing, but Norris said it's different than anything he's done before. He also won't have to travel as much, which was a requirement he made for himself when he was contemplating what he was going to do.  In eight years with DEI, Norris took the team into the Nextel Cup Series, where it now has drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip.  Earnhardt Jr. won the Daytona 500 for the first time earlier this season, with Norris watching from home.  "I was just so proud for Dale Jr. and the team," Norris said. "It was great feeling like I had a little part in that."  -- Associated Press

A team statement said Morgan-McClure was "negotiating contractual differences" with YokeTV.com, which sponsored the car at the first three races of the season.

Until negotiations are successfully completed, the car will remain without those decals. In the meantime, MMM is moving forward to secure full-time sponsorship, but according to owner Larry McClure will run the 2004 schedule.

Under the weather

Ward Burton, Jeff Gordon and Robbie Loomis were among those in the Nextel Cup garage feeling a little sick at AMS. Burton's Haas CNC Racing team went so far as bringing its Busch Series driver, Jason Leffler to Atlanta as a possible fill-in.

By Saturday Burton was well enough to practice both sessions and improve to fifth in Happy Hour in the NetZero Chevrolet -- while his wife Tabitha experienced the same 24-hour "bug" he'd had the day before.

Gordon, last fall's winner at Atlanta, was feeling no pain Friday after he qualified fourth, though his crew chief Loomis was far from feeling as peachy.

"Unfortunately I left Las Vegas last week and started feeling a little bit under the weather," Gordon said Friday. "I came here hoping I was on my way on the upswing and then Robbie Loomis started feeling pretty bad.

"But I can tell you what -- that lap right there is going to make the whole team feel a lot better because that's the best time we've put out here in a long, long time."

Junior the best man

Dale Earnhardt Jr. served as best man Saturday afternoon for the wedding of Vinny Zeuli and Michelle Menendez, from Orlando, Fla.

The couple was married in Victory Lane.