Ray Evernham

Notes: Hendrick, Roush lead feeder program

Dodge team owner Ray Evernham is only one of several Nextel Cup Series competitors that knows he's got to develop a feeder system to keep up with the sport's leading organizations.

At the last NASCAR combination weekend, owner Jack Roush's latest find, Carl Edwards achieved the unprecedented feat of winning his first career Busch and Cup Series events.

The impact was no news to Evernham.

"I think the day is here when a Cup team won't be able to keep up without a feeder system," Evernham said. "You look at Hendrick (Motorsports) and you look at Roush (Racing).

"They were the first guys to do it and make it work successfully and they're on the top of the heap right now. The day is here and the rest of us who are just getting into it are a day behind."

Chip Ganassi has also been very aggressive with his driver development program with a crop of several young drivers racing in the Busch Series.

His latest find, 19-year-old Reed Sorenson, won last weekend at Nashville.

At the same track, Evernham's leading candidate for a protégé to Nextel Cup drivers Kasey Kahne and Jeremy Mayfield, open-wheel graduate Erin Crocker, won the pole for the ARCA race.

It was her first stock car effort in a season that will include at least three Busch races as well as USAC Silver Crown outings in cars owned by Kahne.

Evernham's commitment to the program is mirrored by its expense.

"It depends on the level you're trying to do it at and the number of races you're running," Evernham said of his driver development budget.

"You look at what you're spending on a Busch program and what we're spending on the ARCA races and Silver Crown races (and) it's several million dollars between those two programs."

Evernham has fully embraced NASCAR's diversity initiative but has found it to be a challenge at the same time.

"It's difficult because of the funding -- you never have enough to go around to concentrate on everything you want to concentrate on in racing," Evernham said.

"There comes a time when you've got to carve out a piece of a budget or a piece of time no matter what that is and say we're going to devote some of that to diversity and some of it to future driver development.

"We're hoping with Erin we can kill two birds with one stone. She fits into the diversity side, but I also think she's talented enough to eventually become one of our full-time drivers."

McMurray has no Bristol nightmares

Last season, Jamie McMurray's Chip Ganassi Racing team ran afoul of NASCAR's inspection team at Bristol, its car was confiscated for having an illegal body configuration and McMurray and the team received 25-point penalties.

He missed the inaugural Chase for the Nextel Cup by 15 points, but said last year was no concern to him -- even on April 1.

"That will never happen again with our race team or anyone in our organization," McMurray said. "It's just a mistake we made last year. I thought about it when I woke up this morning.

"It's April Fool's Day and I thought someone might play that joke on me, but it's not something I consider any more."

Earnhardt still on top in 'Most Popular'

Since General Mills began sponsoring the Chex NMPA NASCAR Most Popular Driver Award at the beginning of the 2002 Winston Cup season, fans throughout the world have cast more than 10 million votes at an online site.

A record vote -- 750,000 -- has already been cast this season and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who has won the award the past two years, leads Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart.

Jourdain elevates expectations

Mexican native Michel Jourdain Jr. has gotten his eyes opened virtually on a weekly basis in his first Busch Series campaign but coming to Bristol 20th in points indicates he's learning his lessons well.

His ppc Racing team added sponsorship for Bristol, giving Jourdain one less thing to worry about, along with not having to be concerned about getting into the show on his qualifying speed.

"I'm learning and adapting, and these guys are giving me good cars," Jourdain said. "I think there are going to be some tracks that are going to be a lot tougher to adapt to.

"To me, the most important thing is to try to get solidly into the top 30. This weekend we don't have to worry about qualifying, but I want to get that out of the way for every race. We need to still finish the race, but also be good.

"I don't just want to be out there finishing to finish -- I want to be out there running good."