Road specialists eager for NASCAR race at Infineon

Musical chairs is seriously in effect this weekend at Infineon Raceway, as six Nextel Cup teams have replaced their regular drivers with men with better road-racing backgrounds.

The switches, which involve Hall of Fame Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing, Bill Davis Racing, BAM Racing and Front Row Motorsports, don't even take into account the four Cup teams which have drivers who are competing at The Milwaukee Mile, halfway across the country, Saturday night in the Busch Series' AT&T 250.

Busch Series championship leader Carl Edwards, second-place point man Dave Blaney, fellow top-10 runner David Ragan and wild card Denny Hamlin all had to figure out an itinerary to fit Nextel Cup's Saturday practice at Infineon and some portion of the Busch activity at The Mile the same day, with the race scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. ET.

But that's something as many as nine Cup drivers will have to do at least six times this season, to deal with conflicting events. The more significant aspect this weekend is the replacement drivers.

Ron Fellows' trip to Infineon, hot on the heels of his attempt in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Corvette Racing, is his latest effort to satisfy a 13-year goal of winning a Cup Series road race.

"It'd be huge," Fellows said of a possible win. "It's why we keep pursuing it. It's unfinished business for me. We've been fortunate enough to win in the Truck Series and the Busch Series, but I really want to get a win in Nextel Cup.

"When you look at how big and popular Nextel Cup racing is, it's impossible to ignore. It would be, without a doubt, one of the biggest wins I've ever had."

Fellows' selection to drive Hall of Fame's No. 96 Chevrolet is a bitter disappointment for its regular driver, Tony Raines, who has it 27th in the driver and owner standings based on consistent top-20 finishes.

But team managing partner Bill Saunders, who raced against Fellows in the SCCA Trans-Am Series, lauded his driver and his replacement.

"Tony has done a great job for Hall of Fame Racing and DLP this year," Saunders said. "We're very happy with what he's done so far this season and look forward to getting better throughout the summer and the fall. (Continued)