Staubach, Aikman take patient approach to racing (cont'd)

Through a close association with three-time Super Bowl winning coach Joe Gibbs, whose organization supplies engines and other technical support to Hall of Fame Racing, the team is ahead of the curve when it comes to the Car of Tomorrow. Raines was running in the top 10 in the second COT race of the season, at Martinsville, when Juan Montoya sent him spinning in Turn 1 at the .526-mile track.

Staubach believes the COT is a good thing for his team.

"I think it is for us," he says. "First of all, we have a great relationship with J.D. and Joe Gibbs -- the whole Gibbs team -- and they have been very, very good at being prepared for the Car of Tomorrow, which I think has helped us.

"So the equipment side of it is positive. We've been successful with it in the few races we've used it, and that's a positive thing for us. A lot of it has to do with Joe and his anticipation of the Car of Tomorrow."

Despite the benefits of working with Gibbs, however, Staubach and Aikman believe it's in the best interest to wean themselves from dependence on another team to some degree, and part of that involves fielding a second car -- if sponsorship money is forthcoming.

"I think we have the infrastructure in place," Aikman says. "And of course, with our alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing, that allows us to move things a little bit quicker than what some other single-car teams could do. We've got a handful of potential sponsors. Some look more promising than others. As you well know, it's a full-time job to make sure that we're properly funded.

"It would be easier if we had another car. We do have the benefit of being in the stable with Joe Gibbs' cars. That helps us. But at the end of the day, we're still a single-car team for all practical purposes, and I think that, in order for us to be the type of operation we'd like to be, a multiple-car team is where we need to be, just in terms of being out on our own and not having to be so reliant on the people that we are right now."

Raines may be 25th in points, but he's only 148 behind David Stremme in 12th place, the last spot eligible for the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

Raines, who posted a season-best 13th-place result Sunday at Texas, would be comfortably inside the top 25 if not for the incident with Montoya, which turned a potential top 10 into a 20th-place finish at Martinsville.

Aikman was philosophical when asked about the incident. Staubach was not.

"Actually, I threw my Heisman Trophy at my DLP TV," Staubach said with a laugh.