Notes: Roush thinks his drivers match any team's (cont'd)

"I was confident that they were going to come back in tail with that and limit the number of tests. And I was wrong. Other teams have looked at it and said, well, if we can garner tires from other sources and go to tracks outside of NASCAR's supervision, we'll do it. ..."

Now Roush is doing it, too. He hired six new people and equipment that he is dedicating to nothing but the ramped-up testing program.

"We're on our way now," Roush said. "I don't care what they do now. If they limit the number of tests before we get caught up, I guess I would be upset with that."

BP's influence

Greg Biffle probably wouldn't be driving the No. 16 Ford if not for Benny Parsons, who lobbied Jack Roush to sign the driver.

NASCAR on TNT will honor Parsons, the 1973 Cup champ and long-time analyst, Sunday during its pre-race coverage. Parsons died in January.

• TNT to pay tribute to Parsons
• Weber: Remembering BP
• NASCAR on TNT

Remembering BP

Michigan International Speedway is where the late Benny Parsons once told Roush about Biffle, which ultimately led to Biffle driving for Roush. Biffle reminded everyone that Friday was the 27-year anniversary of Parsons' only driving victory at Michigan as well.

All of which had Parsons on Biffle's mind as Sunday's race approached. Parsons passed away in January after a battle with cancer.

"It's a personal thing for me. [Friday] night we usually would go to the casino here," Biffle said. "I like to gamble, it's not a secret. I've still got some chips in my pocket from the last time I was here. We used to go to the MGM or Motor City.''

Waltrip update

With all that was going on in and around the garage the past couple of days, the fact that Michael Waltrip finally made another race almost slipped under the radar. Needing to get his No. 55 Toyota in on speed, Waltrip did so rather easily, qualifying 18th for this Sunday's Citizens Bank 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

During the Happy Hour practice Saturday at MIS, Waltrip was listed as 33rd-fastest on the speed charts. Not the greatest, but hey, after missing all but two of the season's 14 previous races, Waltrip was simply happy to be included in Sunday's show.

"From the first time I ran in practice [Friday] morning, the car just felt right," Waltrip said. "It ran well and it would go where I wanted it to. ... We are taking baby steps and this is a good step in the right direction. I would definitely rather be in than out, and now we need to focus on running good in the race."