Busch to join Edwards as Nationwide threat in 2009 (cont'd)

Busch won the 2008 Mexico City road race in the No. 20, the only one of his 10 wins he got in that car; and ran only 30 of the 35 Nationwide races. He still finished sixth in the drivers' standings, won a record 21 times in 2008 in NASCAR's three national tours and amazingly, went to Victory Lane in three different Nationwide Series cars: Gibbs' Nos. 18 and 20, and Braun Racing's No. 32 Camry.

Of the four Sprint Cup regulars who also competed full-time in the Nationwide Series in 2008, only Edwards will return next season, and he knows what he's in for, after he won seven races while making a late chase trying to catch Bowyer. He did say there was no question he'd continue to "double-dip."

Sweet, sweet victory

Clint Bowyer won't race for another Nationwide title in 2009 which makes his championship run in 2008 that much sweeter.

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"I really enjoy running both series," Edwards said. "It's a great thing for me and I don't know what else I'd do on Saturday. I get bored really easily so it's a great thing [because] I get to be around a lot of great people and great drivers and have a chance at a championship."

Next season, that'll include Busch, full-time.

"That'll be fun," Edwards said through a broad grin. "Kyle's an unreal competitor and those [Gibbs] guys are good. But I'll tell you what -- I couldn't be more excited."

Bowyer is concentrating on his new Cup team, Richard Childress Racing's No. 33 Chevrolet, and will only run a limited Nationwide schedule, but he acknowledged what Edwards and the rest of the competition is facing.

"Strictly just off of what we saw this year, you have to go with Kyle Busch," Bowyer said of his personal favorite for the 2009 title. "Carl, at the end of the year showed what Kyle Busch has had all year. That Gibbs organization and those Toyotas ran pretty strong all year."

Bowyer said he wasn't exactly sure what to make of his new-found off-time each race weekend.

"It's going to be relaxing," Bowyer said with a laugh. "But I don't want to relax. I'm a racer, and if there's a race going on, I want to be a part of it. I love this series, I love racing and competing in this series because I'm a racer, you know? If I'm not racing, I'll be up there on the hauler watching it with Richard [Childress], or up in the stands."

David Ragan, who was fourth in the Nationwide standings, will split the 2009 season in Roush Fenway Racing's No. 6 Ford with Truck Series graduate Erik Darnell; while David Reutimann, who finished seventh in Nationwide in Michael Waltrip Racing's No. 99 Toyota, is unsure of his 2009 schedule in the secondary series.

"I'm really disappointed," Reutimann said at the hole he anticipates in his racing schedule. "I was hoping we were going to pull off a deal to be able to do [the full schedule], and I'd still like to run as many as I could, but the reality is I don't think that it's in the cards, and certainly not in the 99 car, so we'll keep plugging away and maybe talking to some other people and maybe see if we can fill in some races and do some other stuff."