Notebook: Truex makes plans for Nextel Cup

HAMPTON, Ga. -- Bass Pro Shops announced Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway that it will sponsor NASCAR Busch Series championship leader Martin Truex Jr.'s full-time move to the Nextel Cup Series in 2006.

Martin Truex Jr.

In a three-year program, Bass Pro and its affiliates will sponsor Truex for the full, 35-race Busch Series in 2005, along with seven Cup races; which confirms Dale Earnhardt Incorporated's long-held plans for Truex.

The full Cup deal currently calls for the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

Truex this weekend qualified a No. 1 Chevrolet 33rd for Sunday's Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500. His Nextel Cup races over the next two seasons will be in the No. 1 car, which has competed only sporadically this season after being DEI's original Cup entry, in 1998.

"You can have all the best equipment, best team and best luck -- but you can't really do any of that without the best sponsor to help you along," Truex said. "We not only have that for next year, but for quite awhile as my career progresses through the NASCAR ranks.

"Everything just keeps getting better and better with Bass Pro Shops and our race teams. To have them go from a part-time primary sponsorship to full time, and into the future like this, says a lot about them."

Truex's tentative 2005 Nextel Cup schedule includes both races at Daytona and Talladega and single events at Michigan, Indianapolis and Homestead.

Kenseth perfect for IROC million

Defending Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth completed a perfect day Saturday at AMS when he won the finale of the Crown Royal IROC Series and that series' championship, worth $1 million. Earlier in the day, he won the Aaron's 312 Busch Series race.

Matt Kenseth

Kenseth said the full contact racing in the IROC series had less to do with the big payoff than it did the caliber of racers involved.

"We'd race just as hard if it was for 200 bucks to race -- we raced as hard at the short tracks on Friday nights, so it's (million bucks) just a bonus," Kenseth said. "I feel a lot better tonight going to bed knowing that we're getting a $1 million check for the win instead of the ($80,000) check for second -- but we race the same all of the time.

"That obviously puts a little more emphasis on it and it feels a little extra special because it pays so much, but the whole sport continues to amaze me. It was cool to win the race and to win the IROC championship and be part of the group of guys who have been part of this series. To win the championship is extra-special."

To prove he hasn't gotten too big headed over his success, Kenseth said he was going to buy his wife, Katie, a dishwasher with part of the prize.

Busch sets final test

Kurt Busch, who came into Atlanta with a 96-point lead in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, said there was no question about where his Roush Racing team would expend its final test of this season.

Kurt Busch and crew chief Jimmy Fennig

Busch detailed his prospects for the final three races of the year, saying his chances were good at both Phoenix and Darlington.

"That leads us to Miami, where we had a horrible finish last year," Busch said. "We got limited track experience with the new banking, so that's where we're gonna use our final two-day test, to prepare ourselves for the final event.

"Knowing that the final event is gonna be different anyhow with everybody's outlook -- the final race -- and all the marbles are out on the table for you to grab."

Busch and his team, along with Roush Racing teammate Kenseth, plan to test at Homestead-Miami Speedway Tuesday and Wednesday.

Busch weighs in on Chase schedule

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Kurt Busch became the latest to opine on the state of the final 10 races in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, on Saturday at Atlanta. The biggest change next season is Darlington moving to the spring, and being replaced in the final 10 by Texas Motor Speedway.

"I'd love to see Darlington there," Busch said of his choice of the final 10. "I'd love to see Rockingham (North Carolina Speedway) back in it.

"There are different reasons why we position ourselves to go to different markets at certain times of the year and I believe once we get further into these playoff races, more tracks are gonna want a piece of the pie.

"You'll see a Bristol in there, you might see a road course in there, another short track -- but that's the driver speaking in me, it's not the NASCAR official. We'll have to balance out wherever we go and race the best that we can."

Eury's trophy plans are simple

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his team still had high hopes for a possible Nextel Cup championship, despite coming into Atlanta 125 points behind Kurt Busch, in third in the race.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt's crew chief, Tony Eury, said he might have to put his foot down at home if his Dale Earnhardt Incorporated team came through in the final three races.

"My wife doesn't have a whole lot of racing stuff out for people to see when they come to our house," Eury said. "I do have a room I call my race room. It's got a lot of die-casts, trophies, flags -- all kinds of things that have accumulated over the years (like) champagne bottles, Dale Earnhardt stuff that I got when he was driving.

"It's in the backside of the house, out of sight. I might have to change her rules a little bit. We win something like (the Nextel Cup), we might have to change some rules."

2005 already on teams' minds

Roush Racing crew chief Pat Tryson said that, despite being mostly consumed with the Chase for the Nextel Cup, his team was already trying to prepare for the 2005 season, which includes such new NASCAR mandates as a gear rule and a smaller rear spoiler.

"We're working on it," Tryson said. "We're not quite there but everybody has probably started working on some of their stuff for next year.

"We went to Atlanta and tested there and we actually put the small spoiler on just to try and get a head start for a couple of runs just to see what it would do and to see how much work we have to do to our cars to make them where they can drive them."

Gordon a movie star

Four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon Saturday previewed the Warner Bros. Movie, "Racing Stripes," which has been a two-year project that will star (the voices of) David Spade, Steve Harvey, Whoopi Goldberg and Dustin Hoffman, among others.

Jeff Gordon

"There are several reasons that I got to be a part of this movie and this promotion," Gordon said. "One is I actually did want the stripes on the race car I was racing this weekend because I guess the stripes are meant to confuse the predators that are after you (and) I would love to do anything to get out there and confuse my competition.

"It is a movie that is a lot of fun. It's really something for all ages. I certainly know the kids are going to love it but I think everyone of any age will really enjoy it as well. I think adults are going to enjoy taking their kids to the movie and be a part of it."

The community-minded Gordon said there was a bigger reason he participated.

"The most important part of why I wanted to be a part of it is because they are focused on many children's charities," Gordon said. "It is awesome to have them here at Atlanta Motor Speedway to have them focused on Speedway Children's Charities.

"Victory Junction Gang Camp is going to benefit through the Jeff Gordon Foundation with what we have been doing over the last several years since I formed the Jeff Gordon Foundation (but) more importantly we are excited to be associated with Racing Stripes, the movie we are talking about here today.

"The proceeds from the premier of the movie will go to the Jeff Gordon Foundation and be distributed between the charities for the kids so it is a great deal for our Foundation and a fun project for all of us."