Notebook: Gibbs reiterates support for upset Almirola

SONOMA, Calif. -- J.D. Gibbs left a telephone message for Aric Almirola. As of Sunday morning, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver had yet to return the team president's call.

That's how angry Almirola was after a mid-race driver switch in Saturday night's Busch event at The Milwaukee Mile, which left the 22-year-old fuming rather than celebrating in Victory Lane. Almirola was leading the race when Nextel Cup regular Denny Hamlin arrived late from Infineon Raceway, but was pulled from the car and never saw his replacement record a win that will officially be credited to him (watch video).

It takes two

Aric Almirola started the race in the No. 20, but Denny Hamlin finished it ... and won.

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"He's upset," Gibbs said Sunday before the Toyota/Save Mart 250. "I left a message for him [Saturday] night. I know he's upset. I would be too if I'm in his shoes. At the same time, I think he knows he's like a younger brother. He's like family."

Hamlin was scheduled to start the race at Milwaukee, the hometown of car sponsor Rockwell Automation. But the track's helipad had been converted into a parking lot, forcing Hamlin's helicopter to divert to a nearby airport. Almirola jumped in the car and led 43 of 57 laps before his crew ordered him to the pits so Hamlin could take over.

Rockwell clearly wanted Hamlin in the car. Gibbs said the entire reason Hamlin was flown from Sonoma to Milwaukee was to thank the sponsor, which was among the Busch team's first backers.

"I told those guys as a group, if you think Denny can get in the car and win the race, let's go. Let's do that," Gibbs said "If you don't think he can do that, let Aric run it out. Our guys kind of thought about it as a group and said, 'OK, we think Denny can run well and we're fast enough to win the race.' That was a huge discouragement of course to Aric."

Gibbs said Almirola, who is credited for the victory because he was the driver in the car at the start, will receive the winner's check of $66,823. He's hoping that Rockwell saw enough in Almirola to consider sponsoring him in a full-time Busch ride next year. And he reiterated the team's commitment to a driver who came up through the Gibbs development program.

"I've known him for over four years. I know his family. I know how much this means to them," Gibbs said. "He's a huge part of our future. We've invested a lot in him, time-wise and financially, and more important just getting to know him. No one wants to see him succeed more than we do."

Never a threat
The Hendrick Motorsports duo of Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, parked for practice and qualifying Friday because of inspection violations, was never a threat at the end of Sunday's Cup race. Both ran in the top 10, and Johnson led at one point during a pit cycle. But Johnson finished 17th, while Gordon salvaged seventh (watch video).

Lap-by-Lap

Juan Montoya led his first Nextel Cup lap when he got by Jamie McMurray for good on Lap 104 of 110 and had enough fuel to win the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway.

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"It was fun to be up there and come from that far back," Gordon said. "It was tough. I mean, I thought there a few times that we weren't going to be able to pass any cars. I couldn't make any passes. Early on we were real tight, and we got the car freed up, and that helped us."

Now the Hendrick teams await almost certain point penalties, fines and crew chief suspensions, likely to be handed down within the next few days.

Thanks, teammate
Johnny Sauter was entering his pit box, and Jeff Green was exiting his two stalls away. But a little miscommunication led to a collision between the two Haas CNC Racing teammates during Sunday's event at Infineon.

Soon, Green had bigger problems. Friction between the damaged fender and the tire ignited a fire that required another trip to pit road to extinguish it.

"Someone said the fender was OK, but as soon as I took off, I knew that wasn't right," Green said. "By the time I got back around, the thing was on fire. We should have stopped after the contact, taken our time, and fixed the problem. It's the kind of mistakes a team trying to compete in this series has to avoid."

Gibbs to Toyota?
Speculation persists that the Gibbs team, in the final year of its contract with Chevrolet, is considering a switch to Toyota for next season. One newspaper even reported that the deal has already been agreed to.

"I've got to be honest, that is just not true," said team president J.D. Gibbs, whose organization is in its 16th season with General Motors. "It's speculation. We're sitting down with the GM guys, we've had conversations with them, we've got the deal. I don't think any GM team has signed their deal yet. So that was kind of frustrating, but it's part of it."

One deal Gibbs is working on is an extension with two-time series champion Tony Stewart, currently inked though 2009. The team would like to sign Stewart to a new contract through at least 2011.

"We want Tony to be here for a long time," Gibbs said. "We're talking with Tony. Our deal goes though '09 with Tony, and we want to add a couple more. However he wants to go, we'll be happy to sit down and talk with him."