Notebook: Truex's finish sets tone for run at Cup (cont'd)

Setzer to race for Schrader
Perennial Craftsman Truck Series championship contender Dennis Setzer, who was suddenly released last week by Spears Motorsports on the eve of the New Hampshire 200, will stand in for Nextel Cup regular Ken Schrader this weekend in Bobby Hamilton Racing's No. 18 Dodge, in the Smith's Las Vegas 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Schrader, who has split this season in BHR's Ram and the No. 21 Wood Brothers/JTG Racing Ford in Nextel Cup, is scheduled to race in the Dodge Dealers 400 at Dover, after improving that car's position in the vital car owner standings last weekend with a 30th-place finish at NHIS.

"I'm pretty satisfied that we were able to stay ahead of the 22 [Dave Blaney] and the 45 [Kyle Petty, the cars right behind and right in front of the Woods in the owner standings]. That's our focus for right now. We just have to keep building on it as we go on week to week."

After Saturday's New Hampshire 200, Setzer visited the No. 18's garage stall for an impromptu seat fitting, and Monday he was officially in the truck.

It's my Chase, too
Elliott Sadler has a little different spin on Chase for the Nextel Cup drivers racing non-Chasers -- and vice versa -- in the final 10 races of the season, when a multi-million dollar championship is on the line for a select field of 12.

"I've been on that side of the fence before, when you're a Chase guy," said Sadler, who was in the inaugural 2004 Chase. "If I'm a Chase guy it's my responsibility to know who to race and who not to race. I was more worried about it when I was a Chase guy.

"You know out here as a driver who to race and who not to race, who's going to race you fair and who's going to try to use you up. As a Chase driver that's more my responsibility than the other guy. I know that [other] guy has nothing to lose -- I know he wants to win the race no matter what."

Kyle's dead horse
Again at New Hampshire, Kyle Busch piled up another top finish in the Car of Tomorrow -- fourth place, which was his eighth top-10 in 12 COT races and fourth top-five -- and continued to beat up the design, which is difficult to drive on a good day.

"I still don't like it, but it's what it is and I'm going to be driving it so that's just part of it," Busch said. "It's just a work in progress -- we're working on it trying to make it better and I'm sure the car of today, which is now the old car, wasn't that much fun in the beginning of it. Some of the veteran guys are maybe getting a remembrance course in dealing with this [COT]."

Busch was asked about his continued sideways corner exits at New Hampshire, Sunday.

"That's just the COT -- they're always evil," Busch said. "We were still trying to make it better. I guess it just doesn't fit my driving style or whatever. But I'm trying to get accustomed to it and we're trying to get it accustomed to me. To come out of here with a fourth-place effort [Sunday] definitely means a lot to these guys and this team and myself."