Notes: Biffle not penalized because there isn't a rule (cont'd)

Different view

After driver Matt Kenseth appeared to boot the No. 44 car driven by Dale Jarrett out of the way and into the outside wall at Bristol last Sunday, Jarrett had some disparaging remarks to make about Kenseth's driving style.

"We'll have a discussion," Jarrett promised.

Well, as of Friday, that discussion had not taken place. And Kenseth didn't make it seem like it was going to happen anytime soon.

"No, I haven't talked to him," Kenseth said. "I saw his comments. Whenever you get wrecked, no matter what you're gonna get mad. I don't know how he sees it this week, to be honest with you, because I haven't talked to him.

"If I would have run into the back of him, I would have called him right way and talked to him about it -- but I tried to pass him five or six times and when we got through [turns] 3 and 4 being underneath him, that was my spot as far as I'm concerned. So I didn't feel I did anything wrong. It was my spot. I was underneath him and he came down into my lane and spun himself out, so I don't feel like I was at fault in the incident, and I didn't see a big need to seek him out."

COT still coming in '08?

At testing in Bristol in late February, Darby said that he expected to hear a clamoring of support amongst the sport's participants in favor of accelerating the Nextel Cup Series' plan to implement the Car of Tomorrow in all races by 2008.

The original -- and for the time being, still current -- plan called for NASCAR to begin racing the COT full time in 2009 after implementing it for 16 of 36 races this season and 26 of 36 in 2008. Darby said Friday that he is still hopeful that the COT will be used in all Cup races by next season.

"What we do know is that it's terribly hard and it's very frustrating to run two different programs throughout a year," Darby said. "So for most of the mechanics and the crew members and even a lot of the crew chiefs in the garage, they would prefer just going, just making the decision now.

"But for the same reason that the original rollout of the new car was three years -- a three-year period -- will be the same reason that ultimately decides whether '09 is gone and we're all-in for '08 or not. That reason is the team owners, the guys that are writing the checks to build these things. If they're comfortable with scaling up and pushing a little harder and eliminating [the original plan], we'd welcome it with open arms, for sure. But we also don't want to force them into that decision."

Exploring all options

Driver Kyle Petty made several interesting comments in the infield media center Friday, not the least of which was his mention that Petty Enterprises is talking with the same potential investor that Evernham Motorsports is. Petty comfirmed that his family's racing operation has held discussions with George Gillette, owner of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League.

Gillette attended the recent races at Las Vegas and Bristol at the invitation of Evernham, who has said he may take Gillette on as a part-owner. Petty said only that "we are exploring a number of different options" that could help their own operation flourish.