Notes: DEI mum on Martin, Almirola sharing No. 8 car

FONTANA, Calif. -- On a day when Kyle Busch appeared to spill the news that Joe Gibbs Racing is making the switch from Chevrolets to Toyotas next year, Martin Truex Jr. was asked Friday if he was ready to confirm the 2008 driver lineup for Dale Earnhardt Inc.

It appears that in addition to having Truex in the No. 1 Chevy, DEI also will have veteran Mark Martin and rookie Aric Almirola split time in the No. 8 car being vacated at season's end by Dale Earnhardt Jr.; and another rookie, Regan Smith, driving the No. 01 currently being piloted by Martin and Almirola. But Truex stopped short of confirming that lineup, and only Martin is officially on board for certain -- at least for the time being.

"I really can't spill anything because I ain't got nothin' in my cup," he said, laughing. "We'll just have to see. Whatever they choose to do, we've got a great organization and a great company. Having Mark is going to be great, especially if they bring those young guys in and try to get them up and going. Mark will be a great asset and a great help to them, and to me also.

"I look forward to it. It's cool to see guys like that get their chance; if they get that chance, I'll be there to help them with it any way I can."

Truex added that he believes Almirola and Smith would be good additions to the DEI lineup, if it comes to pass as expected.

"I enjoy working with all those guys," Truex said. "I know Regan a little bit. He's a very nice kid, and he looks like he's got a lot of talent. So, you know, it'll be interesting to see what he can do if he comes over -- and the same with Aric. He kind of got thrown to the wolves here lately, going to Bristol last week. That's a tough place to race anytime, but especially if it's one of your first ones.

"Mark is high on both of them. And if Mark thinks that they've got it, then they probably do. He's a pretty smart guy."

Junior update
Earnhardt was asked on pit road after qualifying Friday at California Speedway when he hopes to announce what car he will be driving next season.

"When we announce the number, it's going to be the same day we announce the sponsor, and that will be at a press conference -- not standing on pit road after qualifying," Earnhardt said.

Earnhardt added that he is looking forward to having a new number and a new sponsor next season, despite the fact that he's always been associated with the red No. 8 Budweiser car.

"It will be fun to have a new number. It will be something different," Earnhardt said. "But I think the attention being placed on it at this point is a little over the top. We're excited about what the sponsor is going to be, and how the car itself is going to look, design-wise, and what our approach will be as far as our marketing environment."

Earnhardt added that he thinks "we're a couple of weeks out" from making it all official. When asked if crew chief Tony Eury Jr. would be following him to Hendrick Motorsports, he also said: "We don't have an announcement, but Tony Jr. is working in that direction."

Taking the heat
Earnhardt took just five practice laps Friday, and said he had a simple reason for doing so.

"It's too hot to work," Earnhardt said of the temperatures that peaked at 104 degrees and were markedly higher on the asphalt of the 2-mile track. Then he actually explained that the folks from the engine shop at DEI have warned him and Truex to limit their cars to no more than a total of 70 laps in all of the pre-race practice sessions as a precaution.

Rudd says goodbye

Ricky Rudd will call it quits after this season with the second-most starts all time.

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After making his qualifying run, driver Tony Stewart of the No. 20 Chevrolet added: "It's just so hot, we all want to get out of these driver's suits. I don't know who thought this was a good idea, coming out to California to race at the end of August."

Off to the back
Rookie Juan Montoya's No. 42 Dodge didn't make it through his qualifying run Friday.

"It just blew up," Montoya said. "In practice, it just popped out of second gear and over-revved a bit. They checked everything and thought it would be OK, but it just let go. It's a bit of a shame."

Although he will have to go to the rear of the field on the starting grid after changing engines, Montoya, 19th in driver points, was able to find a silver lining in his disappointing afternoon.

"I'm glad, actually, that it blew up [Friday] and not on race day," he said.

Start No. 900
Ricky Rudd, driver of the No. 88 Ford, will make his 900th career Cup start this Sunday. Only one other driver, Richard Petty, has made more Cup starts (Petty made a record 1,185).

Rudd, who has 23 career victories, has always been humble about his success and said he believes he knows why.

"I think, from the early part of my career, there was a very fine line on whether I was going to race or work in my dad's salvage yard," Rudd said. "There were a lot of good drivers who came along during [my career] who didn't get the breaks, so I knew there was a fine line. I always took pride that I could drive a racecar. I think my upbringing helped me keep my feet grounded."