Mike Wallace will be the third driver of the No. 49 car to try and pull BAM Racing into the top 35 in owners' points. Credit: Autostock

Mike Wallace to replace Sherman at Richmond

Personnel swapping in high gear early in Busch and Cup seasons

RICHMOND, Va. -- For the second time in the 2006 Nextel Cup Series season, rookie Brent Sherman will have a weekend off as a replacement driver steps into BAM Racing's No. 49 Dodge for Saturday night's Crown Royal 400 (7 p.m. ET, FX).

	Mike Wallace will try to qualify the No. 49 at Richmond. Credit: Autostock
	Inside the Numbers No. 49 car in 2006 Race Start Finish Status Daytona 29 21 running California 42 37 running Las Vegas 41 34 running Atlanta 40 36 running Bristol 31 42 crash Martinsville DNQ -- -- Texas DNQ -- -- Phoenix 43 32 running Talladega DNQ -- --

Veteran Mike Wallace, who is already serving a replacement stint in owner James Finch's No. 1 Busch Series Dodge, will attempt to make his 12th Cup start at the .750-mile banked oval while giving BAM some insight into its program.

"We are making every effort to improve our short-track program," team co-owner Beth Ann Morgenthau said. "Our goals for this weekend are to begin regaining positions in the owner points standings and to assess our equipment.

"Mike came highly recommended due to his experience and success at Richmond. We hope to make great strides this weekend."

Sherman made his Nextel Cup debut as a guaranteed starter in the Daytona 500, but after five races BAM fell beneath the top-35 cutoff mark for owners. Jimmy Spencer replaced Sherman for the Martinsville short-track race, but failed to qualify.

Since then, Sherman has failed to make races at Texas and Talladega. He qualified at Phoenix and finished 32nd, his second-best finish in six starts.

BAM comes to Richmond 41st in owner points.

"I'm excited to work with Mike this weekend," BAM crew chief Ron Otto said. "I hope his experience and insight will help us with our cars and give us a better direction in our short-track program.

"The challenge, of course, is working with a different driver this weekend. However, I think his experience and feedback will help me in my communications with both driver and team."

The team said it anticipates having Sherman back in the car for next week's race at Darlington Raceway.

The driver swap is no less than the seventh in Cup and Busch despite being only a quarter of the way through the schedules.

Changes for Waltrip's Cup and Busch teams

	Michael Waltrip's No. 55 Cup Series team is 36th in owner points, one spot outside of a guaranteed starting position. Credit: Autostock
	MICHAEL WALTRIP •   2006 Owner Points •   2006 Statistics •   Driver Page

Michael Waltrip's No. 55 Cup Dodge is in the middle of personnel shifts after sitting 35th in driver points but 36th in owner points with the potential of not qualifying for a race.

"This obviously isn't where we had hoped to be coming into the 10th race of 2006," Waltrip said. "In an effort to address the situation, we decided to make some changes."

Crew chief Derrick Finley has returned to an engineering role at Bill Davis Racing. Starting this weekend, the team will be under the group care of Michael Waltrip Racing director of competition Bobby Kennedy, Larry Carter (Rusty Wallace's former crew chief) and Jason Overstreet (Darrell Waltrip's Truck Series crew chief).

"It is extremely important that we use all of the resources we have at both Bill Davis Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing to get our program where it needs to be," Waltrip said. "Bobby, Larry and Jason have been working on getting our Burger King [Busch Series] cars built that we will run with Bill Elliott this year.

"Getting those guys to the track and working with our NAPA car will not only help us now, but it will also allow them to gather at-track data for that effort as well."

Moves are also being made this weekend on Waltrip's Busch team, as veteran Jerry Baxter steps in as crew chief on the No. 99 Dodge, replacing the departed Cully Barraclough.

Drivers and crewmen rotate for Richmond

Busch Series veteran Jason Keller, who has missed the last two races after being released from his ride at Phoenix Racing, will return to the series and attempt to make his 400th career start in owner Frank Cicci's No. 34 Chevrolet.

A.J. Foyt IV, who was the victim of a performance shortfall and a manufacturer change at Braun-Akins Racing, steps into the Busch Series' No. 14 FitzBradshaw Racing Dodge courtesy of that team's engine supplier, Evernham Motorsports. Foyt is a development driver for Evernham.

For the second week in a row, ppc Racing's Todd Gordon will be Kenny Wallace's crew chief on the No. 22 Ford in the Busch Series. Gordon stepped into Randy Cox's role at Talladega.

On the Cup side, Kertus Davis, who has started six of the 10 Busch races in his under-funded family team, steps into Morgan Shepherd's No. 89 Dodge in an attempt to qualify for Saturday night's race. It would be Davis' Cup debut.